WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is skipping the traditional Memorial Day visit to Arlington National Cemetery, a move that has dismayed some veterans — and comes at a sensitive moment in the administration’s relationship with the military.
Instead of speaking at Arlington, as he did last year and as most presidents have done, Obama will appear at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery outside Chicago, the White House said. Vice President Joe Biden will take his place at Arlington, the most prestigious military cemetery in the country and home to Section 60, a large burial ground for soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Paul Rieckhoff, the executive director and founder of the group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, expressed disappointment at the White House move.
“Arlington is hallowed ground, and the center of our nation’s attention on Memorial Day,” he said. “Unfortunately, President Obama and his family will not be there with us.”
Critics — mainly conservatives — have argued that attendance is more important with two wars still ongoing.
“Obama may talk about the government in the first person, but the men and women lying at Arlington know differently,” commentator Eric Erickson wrote on the conservative site . “Of course, Obama really doesn’t like the military, does he.”
But other veterans say they’re not disturbed by Obama’s decision.
“We don’t really see the big deal, so long as he’s taking the time to honor our fallen war heroes throughout Memorial Day weekend,” said Ryan Galluci, spokesman for AMVETS. “After all, it’s not ground-breaking for a sitting president to visit other national cemeteries or overseas America cemeteries over the holiday.
“Arlington is certainly not the only place our fallen heroes are buried, so why not pay your respects to veterans around the country?”
Obama is not the first president to miss the ceremony at the 5,000-seat Arlington amphitheater. Ronald Reagan spoke at West Point one year and went to his California ranch another year. George H.W. Bush did not go at all. Bill Clinton went to Arlington all eight years, and George W. Bush attended from 2003 onward.
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