WASHINGTON --
The Defense Department is paying tribute to fallen members for the Memorial Day holiday, honoring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the nation.
“For many, Memorial Day weekend signifies the start of summer,” chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana W. White said today at a news briefing with the director of the Joint Staff, Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr.
“It can be easy to overlook the significance of Memorial Day and what it means to our nation, especially the service members who continue to defend our freedoms every day,” she said.
White continued, “We celebrate Memorial Day in honor of the brave men and women who died while serving in the military.”
Moment of Silence
She invited reporters to pause with her in reverence for the fallen: “As we head into the holiday weekend, please join me in a moment of silence for those we have lost in service to our great nation.”
More than 1,000 Old Guard soldiers today were placing flags at Arlington National Cemetery at each headstone and at every column in the Columbarium and niche walls as a part of the annual “Flags In” ceremony ahead of Memorial Day.
On May 28, the federal holiday, the U.S. Army Military District of Washington conducts a presidential armed forces full honor wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, to be followed by an observance program hosted by the Defense Department in Arlington’s Memorial Amphitheater.
(Follow Lisa Ferdinando on Twitter: @FerdinandoDoD)
