Trump delivers Memorial Day address at Arlington, announces self-defense strikes in Iran
President Donald Trump laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Monday and delivered a Memorial Day address at Arlington National Cemetery, honoring fallen service members. During the speech, Trump announced that the United States had conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran, a move the Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry accused of violating the fragile ceasefire. The president also paid tribute to 13 service members killed in the ongoing conflict with Iran and singled out Maj. Ariana G. Savino, who died in a KC-135 crash in western Iraq in March.
President Donald Trump laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Monday at Arlington National Cemetery and delivered a Memorial Day address in which he announced that the United States had conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran.
Trump was joined by Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Vance, a Marine Corps veteran, delivered remarks before Trump, telling Gold Star families: "I hope you know that I will never forget. I’ll never forget your loved ones; that the good life that I have and that my family have is fundamentally because you paid a debt that I can never repay."
During his address, Trump paid tribute to the 13 service members killed in the ongoing conflict with Iran and acknowledged the family of Maj. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington, who died in a KC-135 crash in western Iraq in March. He reaffirmed his pledge that "the number one state sponsor of terror will never have a nuclear weapon."
The Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry accused the U.S. of violating the fragile ceasefire, warning that the strikes risked undermining diplomatic efforts between the two sides. Washington and Tehran remain locked in high-stakes peace negotiations to end the fighting that began on Feb. 28.
Trump also recounted the service of Lt. Col. Keith Ware, a Medal of Honor recipient who served in both World War II and Vietnam; Maj. Charles Kelly, an Army helicopter pilot who "refused to withdraw" until he had loaded the wounded aboard in Vietnam; and Sgt. 1st Class Matthew McClintock, a Green Beret awarded the Silver Star for his final act of valor in Afghanistan.
Senior Master Sgt. Harry Miller, a 97-year-old WWII veteran who lost 42 men from his unit during the Battle of the Bulge, received a standing ovation. Trump noted that Miller lied about his age to enlist at 15 and fought with the 740th tank battalion. "Sgt. Miller, it is a true honor to have you with us," the president said.
More than 400,000 veterans and their dependents rest within Arlington's 639 acres, representing generations of military service from the Revolutionary War to the present day.