‘Our Debt to Them Is Eternal’

Seth McLaughlin | May 26, 2025

(The Washington Times) — President Trump on Monday called on Americans to honor the sacrifice of fallen service members, saying the nation’s debt to these warriors and heroes is “eternal” and they “will live forever in the chronicles of true American patriots.”

“Their sacrifice was for today, tomorrow and every morning thereafter, every child that lives in peace, every home that is filled with joy and love, every day the Republic stands is only possible because of those who did what had to be done when duty called,” Mr. Trump said at Arlington National Cemetery. “And the cost was everything to them and to their families.”

“Our debt to them is eternal, and it does not diminish with time. It only grows and grows and grows with each passing year,” he said.

Before his remarks, Mr. Trump participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and a moment of silence. Vice President J.D. Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth joined Mr. Trump on stage.

Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was also in attendance.

Mr. Trump shared the stories of Gold Star families in attendance, thanking them for their sacrifice. He said the nation will “never ever forget our fallen heroes.”

He stressed that this Memorial Day is “especially significant as we commemorate 250 years since the first American patriots fell on the field of battle.”

“In every hour of peril and every moment of crisis, American warriors have left behind the blessings of home and family to answer their nation’s call,” Mr. Trump said. “They’ve offered all that they had within them and given their last breaths to each and every one of us that we might live safe and breathe free.”

“This morning, we pay tribute to their immortal deeds,” he said. “We share in the sorrow of their beloved families, and as one nation, we give thanks for the ultimate gift they have so selflessly given to all of us.”

Mr. Trump also said he is fixing the “noble Republican” that soldiers fought to defend after inheriting a mess from President Joseph R. Biden. He also joked that he was glad his second term was delayed so he could preside over the nation’s 250th anniversary and host the World Cup.

“God did that, I believe that,” Mr. Trump said.

Mr. Vance urged Americans to “consider the sum of all the moments that make a good life, and now appreciate that countless strangers, people most of you never met, they gave up those moments in their own life, so that we could enjoy them in ours,” Mr. Vance said.