On a cold, rain-soaked Veterans Day, President Barack 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.
Obama 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 fought 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,” Obama said in a brief speech that followed the wreath-laying. Obama pledged he would do right by all veterans and families, saying, “America will not let you down.”
The president spoke one day after honoring the victims of a shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas. He said he was struck by the determination of the soldiers there, a quality that unites generations of American servicemen.
“To all of them — 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 said.
The nation observed Veterans Day from remembrances at the nation’s capital to a New York City parade to ceremonies in towns and cities across the nation and overseas.
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 the 2001 invasion to oust the Taliban regime.
Code Talkers honored
The Navajo Code Talkers were special guests at the New York parade’s opening ceremony, where a wreath was laid at the World War I Eternal Light Monument in Madison Square Park. As young Marines during World War II, the Code Talkers used secret Navajo language-encrypted military terms that the Japanese were never able to crack.
Boston College dedicated a 70-foot-long granite wall bearing the names of 209 alumni who lost their lives while serving in a war zone. Harvard unveiled a plaque on campus to honor 16 of the university’s alumni who have received the Medal of Honor.
Hundreds of Minnesota military veterans and family members filled a community-center gymnasium in the suburbs of St. Paul to hear words of thanks from state political leaders. The ceremony drew veterans ranging from young enlisted soldiers to retired generals.
“The title of veteran deserves great respect in America,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said. “Veteran stands for a life dedication to our nation’s greatest cause — the cause of freedom.”
An American Red Cross event in Washington, D.C., kicked off the start of a program called Holiday Mail for Heroes (), which lets the public send holiday greeting cards that aren’t addressed to a particular service member.
Under a Defense Department policy, ordinary mail addressed to “any soldier” has to be returned to the sender.
The cards will be screened, sorted and distributed to military hospitals and bases nationally and overseas as well as to veterans and military family members.
Obamas greet visitors
Before returning to the White House, Obama walked through Arlington’s Section 60, where fallen troops from Iraq and Afghanistan are buried.
The president stopped at the grave of Spec. 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 headstones marking the fallen, the first president to do so while in office, according to cemetery staff.
Under light rain, the Obamas shook hands and embraced surprised family members there to pay their respects, pausing to speak with them briefly beside their loved ones’ graves.
Help for veterans
Veterans in need of counseling, support or information to deal with mental and emotional issues now can turn to an online, interactive program called Vets Prevail (). The services are provided confidentially and free of charge.
The website allows veterans to connect with other vets through forums, blogs and multimedia content. Vets also can sign up for a six-week online mental-health program tool designed to help them build resilience and readjust to life after deployment. The aim of the training is to help vets tackle negative emotions and keep the trauma of the battlefield from affecting daily life and relationships.
Los Angeles Times
