Donald Trump Delivers Stirring Memorial Day Address
President Donald Trump honored those who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our nation during a Memorial Day visit to Fort McHenry in Baltimore.
Joined by first lady Melania Trump, the president asked the country to remember all those who have laid down their lives for the cause of liberty.
Speaking of fighting at the fort during the War of 1812, Trump invoked the memory of Francis Scott Key, who wrote what later became “The Star-Spangled Banner” in 1814 during the Battle of Baltimore after watching American troops prevail following the British bombardment.
“Every time we sing our anthem, every time its rousing chorus swells our hearts with pride, we renew the eternal bonds of loyalty to our fallen heroes,” the president said, according to a White House transcript of the remarks.
“We think of the soldiers who spent their final heroic moments on distant battlefields to keep us safe at home. We remember the young Americans who never got the chance to grow old but whose legacy will outlive us all,” Trump continued.
“Americans gave their lives to carry that flag through piercing waves, blazing fires, sweltering deserts and storms of bullets and shrapnel,” he said.
“Their love was boundless. Their devotion was without limit. Their courage was beyond measure,” the president said of the sacrifice of American troops throughout history.
“As our brave warriors have shown us from our nation’s earliest days: In America, we are the captains of our own fate. No obstacle, no challenge and no threat is a match for the sheer determination of the American people. This towering spirit permeates every inch of the hallowed soil beneath our feet,” he said. “In this place, more than 200 years ago, American patriots stood their ground and repelled a British invasion in the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812.”
Trump later paid tribute to Capt. Daniel Eggers, who died while fighting during his second tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2004, and also remembered Jim Krebs, who lost his twin brother while the two fought in World War II and recently died at the age of 94.
“From generation to generation, heroes like these have poured out their blood and sweat and heart and tears for our country,” the president said. “Because of them, America is strong and safe and mighty and free.”
“They were angels sent from above, and they are now rejoined with God in the glorious kingdom of heaven,” Trump said.
During his remarks, he also praised those on the front lines of the battle against the coronavirus, which he described as the “invisible enemy.”
“We mourn alongside every single family that has lost a loved one,” Trump said.
“Tens of thousands of service members and National Guardsmen are on the front lines of our war against this terrible virus, caring for patients, delivering critical supplies and working night and day to safeguard our citizens,” he said.
“As one nation, we mourn alongside every single family that has lost loved ones, including the families of our great veterans. Together, we will vanquish the virus, and America will rise from this crisis to new and even greater heights,” the president said.
Trump concluded his remarks in Baltimore by saying that Americans will live in freedom and prosperity as long as there are those among us who are willing to sacrifice all for the cause of liberty.
“For as long as our flag flies in the sky above, the names of these fallen warriors will be woven into its threads. For as long as we have citizens willing to follow their example, to carry on their burden, to continue their legacy, then America’s cause will never fail and American freedom will never, ever die,” he vowed.
“Today, we honor the heroes we have lost. We pray for the loved ones they left behind. And with God as our witness, we solemnly vow to protect, preserve and cherish this land they gave their last breath to defend — and to defend so proudly,” he said.
“Thank you. God bless our military, God bless the memory of the fallen, God bless our Gold Star families and God bless America,” the president said as he concluded his remarks at Fort McHenry.
Trump had early visited Arlington National Cemetery, along with Vice President Mike Pence, and laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Today, we honor our fallen heroes and pray for the loved ones they left behind. pic.twitter.com/oB1bIHUZ4J
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 25, 2020
The president did not deliver remarks at Arlington, which is closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, CBS News reported.
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