00:00It is now my distinct honor and privilege to introduce the Secretary of War and a combat
00:06veteran himself, ladies and gentlemen, the Honorable Pete Hegseth, Mr. Secretary.
00:24Well, Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, Chairman, thank
00:29you, Gold Star families, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us to remember our fallen
00:37warriors from the sacred names of bygone eras to the 13 souls of epic fury.
00:44On this sacred occasion for our nation, we take the day for memories of our very best.
00:51They now lie in silent rows here at Arlington in more than 170 national cemeteries throughout
00:57our nation and across 17 countries around the world.
01:02They answered the call when it mattered the most.
01:06And they gave the last full measure of devotion so that this great republic of ours might endure.
01:13This day began as Decoration Day, when widows and orphans and other mourners placed flowers
01:19and ribbons on some 20,000 graves.
01:22They were soldiers once, and as they marched off to battle, they sang the lines of the hymn.
01:30In the beauty of the lilies, Christ was born across the sea, with a glory in his bosom which
01:36transfigures you and me.
01:39As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free while God is marching on.
01:48The mourners of that first Decoration Day knew what we know on this Memorial Day, that these
01:55graves are more than names and dates with a dash in between.
02:00Each grave marker is a story.
02:03The young American on the battlefield away from home, he stayed in contact with loved ones
02:08by writing letters.
02:12In World War II, they called it victory mail.
02:16GIs wrote of coming home and watching sunsets again, of having a cigarette and a beer with
02:21their buddies, going to football games and on dates, loving their wives, seeing their children
02:27grow tall and great.
02:30Different wars, still the same letters today.
02:34Those we remember today will never get those sunsets, they'll never get those dates, they'll
02:40never get to raise their children.
02:43Instead, they were delivered from the battlefields into the arms of a loving Lord and Savior.
02:49Their families and their buddies greeting them home with a folded triangle of stars.
02:55And the piercing sound of a soul bugle playing taps.
03:01Picnics, barbecues, and time at the beach, those things are wonderful aspects of Memorial
03:06Day weekend.
03:08And we should enjoy them for the fallen, they would want it that way.
03:11But this solemn day, we must remember that our republic was forged and purchased with blood.
03:18American blood.
03:21So take pause today and consider the transformation these warriors went through for our nation.
03:26Share it with your kids and your grandkids, we must.
03:31Ordinary men, when called, can become our heroes.
03:37They fought not because they hate what's in front of them, but because they love what's
03:43behind them.
03:43And so may the ones we remember today live on in every flag that flies.
03:50May they live on in every voice of a school child who says the Pledge of Allegiance.
03:55May they live in our prayers to Almighty God.
03:59Today with this humble ceremony, we owe at least this.
04:04That with every salute, with every ceremony, with every parade, with every prayer, every day,
04:11and every year, we remember.
04:15That by our remembrance, we guard the eternal flame that they lit with the price of their
04:22youth.
04:23They were Americans from small towns and big cities, and in the words of the Apostle Paul,
04:28they stood against the darkness of the world wearing the breastplate of righteousness.
04:34They've now gone on to their reward, but we remember them here on this hallowed ground.
04:39To them, to those, I say your watch is finished, but the legacy of what you left is eternal.
04:50You raced to the breach so that we could walk in freedom and prosperity.
04:55May we live lives worthy of their sacrifice and boldly carry forth their fight for freedom,
05:03bringing up the sword of the Spirit, and charging forward daily.
05:08May Almighty God bless our warriors, and may Almighty God bless our fallen and those they
05:15love.
05:17Always remember.
05:19And amen.
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