The President paid tribute to our troops in honor of Veterans Day yesterday, noting that this was the first time in 10 years that no troops are fighting in Iraq during the national holiday.
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President Obama participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns during his visit to Arlington National Cemetery in D.C. He also delivered a speech at the Memorial Amphitheater to “the heroes over the generations who have served this country of ours with distinction.”
Obama was proud to mention that there are currently no U.S. troops dying in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan is coming to a close.
“This is the first Veterans Day in a decade in which there are no American troops fighting and dying in Iraq. Thirty-three thousand of our troops have now returned from Afghanistan, and the transition there is underway,” he said.
Obama also encouraged family members to be there for the 1 million plus service men and women who will be returning home over the next few years.
In addition, he addressed the first responders who stepped up during 9/11 stating, that they:
“stepped forward when the towers fell, and in the years since have stepped into history, writing one of the greatest chapters in military service our country has ever known. You’ve toppled a dictator and battled an insurgency in Iraq. You pushed back the Taliban and decimated Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. You delivered justice to Osama bin Laden.”
Check out video of the President honoring veterans at Arlington National Cemetery above.
