'America will not let you down'

Last update: November 11, 2009 - 9:24 PM

On a cold, rain-soaked Veterans Day, President Obama walked slowly through the white stone markers at the section of Arlington National Cemetery reserved for troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, the two wars he oversees as commander in chief. He led the nation Wednesday in observing Veterans Day with a traditional wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington before an unannounced visit to the section reserved for those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. "We gather here mindful that the generation serving today already deserves a place alongside previous generations for the courage they have shown and the sacrifices that they have made," he said. "To our veterans, to the fallen and to their families -- there is no tribute, no commemoration, no praise that can truly match the magnitude of your service and your sacrifice." He pledged he would do right by all veterans and families, saying: "America will not let you down." The president stopped at the grave of Spc. Ross McGinnis, a Medal of Honor recipient who was killed in Iraq, before he and First Lady Michelle Obama walked through the rows of white markers. They shook hands and embraced surprised family members, pausing to speak with them briefly beside their loved ones' graves. At Camp Eggers in Kabul, soldiers observed a moment of silence for the more than 800 U.S. service members who have died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan since 2001. Other remembrances were observed across the nation, include a service in Minnesota. For more about Minnesota's events, see B3.

Recent Nation stories

Feds investigate complaints that Va. military college creates sexist environment for cadets - November 11, 2009

Feds investigate complaints that Va. military college creates sexist environment for cadets - Virginia Military Institute is defending itself against a lengthy investigation into accusations that the school's policies are sexist and hostile toward female cadets, a dozen years after women won the right to enroll. More