At the age of 39, Tomb Guard Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Jay has taken his final steps at Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – a solemn moment of passage he chose to share with his 8-year-old son. Charlie D’Agata reports.
Tag: Arlington National Cemetery
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Honor Flight brings 70 Minnesota veterans to D.C. for moving day of remembrance
Seventy Minnesota veterans took part in an Honor Flight to Washington D.C. on Monday.
Korean War and Vietnam War vets, and an individual who served in World War II made the trip. For many, it was the first time seeing the war memorials that honor their fallen brothers and sisters.
When the flight landed in Washington, D.C., the veterans were met with cheers and applause from friends and strangers.
Among those taking it all in was veteran Ron Kmett, who was accompanied by his son Mike. Both men got a surprise when they learned the pilot for their Honor Flight was Mick Kmett, Mike’s son and Ron Kmett’s grandson.
“Oh, I couldn’t believe it! I couldn’t believe it, it was awesome,” said Ron Kmett.
“Probably one of the cooler days at work I’ve had,” said Mick Kmett. “It’s an awesome job to be able to do it with these guys, and I’ve never flown them before, so to be able to fly him and all the veterans, it was awesome.”
The tour made early stops at the Iwo Jima U.S. Marine Corps Memorial and the Military Women’s Memorial.
That’s where Minnesota native Jackie Whitner was honored.
“I was the first African American recruiter in the Metropolitan area and the five states,” said Whitner.
She served during the Vietnam War and helped enlist more than 200 women into the military. She’s seeing many of these monuments for the first time.
“I’ve never been here before. I haven’t been to Washington, D.C. since the Martin Luther King march on Washington,” said Whitner.
There was a visit to Arlington National Cemetery, where 400,000 people are buried. It surrounds the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where veterans witnessed the ceremonial changing of the guard.
Of all the men and women who made this trip from Minnesota, 95-year-old Arnie Sharstrom from Morris, Minnesota, was the only World War II veteran. He lied about his age so he could join the army.
“Everybody else was going, so I thought I should go too,” said Sharstrom.
It was also Sharstrom’s first time seeing the World War II memorial, which turned out to be an emotional experience.
“I’ll never forget it. As a matter of fact, I’ve got a bunch of letters that are going to take me a couple hours to read them when I get home. It’s unreal. I’ll never forget it,” said Sharstrom.
One of the last memorials the group visited was the Vietnam War Wall, a place that’s personal for veterans Harold “Shorty” Benson and Rich Peltier.
“I lost my wife three years ago, and my son is with me, and he was looking forward to it as much as I was,” said Benson.
“Lost a lot of men over there. And, why them and not me? I was 19,” said Peltier.
Peltier has spent much of his post-war life searching for answers. He believes being at the memorial and being on the flight can help him heal.
“Proud to be a veteran, and I love helping my fellow veterans out. Just love it,” said Peltier.
The Twin Cities Honor Flight has one trip to Washington, D.C. each year. The organization teams with Sun Country Airlines to give veterans a free trip.
John Lauritsen
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Trump issues statement from Gold Star families defending Arlington Cemetery visit and ripping Harris – WTOP News
Donald Trump’s campaign issued a statement Sunday from the Gold Star military families who invited him to Arlington National Cemetery as they defended the Republican presidential nominee and insisted that Vice President Kamala Harris is the candidate politicizing fallen U.S. service members.
Misty Fuoco, left, sister of Nicole Gee, and Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump place their hands over their heart after placing a wreath in honor of Sgt. Nicole Gee, at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)(AP/Alex Brandon) ATLANTA (AP) — Donald Trump’s campaign issued a statement Sunday from the Gold Star military families who invited him to Arlington National Cemetery as they defended the Republican presidential nominee and insisted that Vice President Kamala Harris is the candidate politicizing fallen U.S. service members.
It’s the latest volley in an extended back and forth as Trump tries to saddle Harris with the Biden administration’s handling of the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, including a suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members.
Harris on Saturday accused Trump of staging a “political stunt” that “disrespected sacred ground” where many Afghanistan war dead are buried. Trump and the families of some of those killed in the bombing blame Harris, as they did President Joe Biden before he ended his reelection bid, for their loved ones’ deaths. The families say the former president was honoring their loved ones when he came to Arlington.
His campaign later distributed images of the visit despite the cemetery’s prohibition on partisan activity on the grounds.
“President Trump was invited by us, the Gold Star families, to attend the solemn ceremonies commemorating the three-year anniversary of our children’s deaths,” said the relatives’ joint statement. “He was there to honor their sacrifice, yet Vice President Harris has disgracefully twisted this sacred moment into a political ploy.”
Gold Star families have lost a loved one in military service.
Trump laid wreaths last Monday in honor of Sgt. Nicole Gee, Staff Sgt. Darin Hoover and Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss. They were among 13 U.S. service members and more than 100 Afghans who died in an Aug. 26, 2021, bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport as U.S. forces withdrew from Afghanistan.
Trump thanked the family members for their statement via social media. “Thank you for saying you wanted me to stand with you … and take pictures, that it was your request, not mine,” he wrote.
Throughout the weekend, Trump has used his social media accounts to distribute video testimonials from some relatives who signed the statement.
Christy Shamblin, Gee’s mother-in-law, said in a 90-second message that Trump and his aides were “respectful” and a “a comfort” to the families who gathered at Arlington. Then she directly addressed her remarks to Harris.
“Why won’t you return a call and explain how you call my daughter-in-law’s death a success?” Shamblin said. “Why would you take a day where we celebrated the deaths of our loved ones and use it to disparage not only them, but us.”
Biden and first lady Jill Biden went to Dover Air Force Base in 2021 for the ceremony returning the service members’ remains to U.S. soil. The Bidens met privately with family members at Dover. The Bidens were joined at the ceremony by several top aides in the administration, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Shamblin was among the several family members who also spoke at the Republican National Convention in July on Trump’s behalf. Several family members have joined Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, on a conference call with media.
Trump’s appearance ballooned into controversy after defense officials said his campaign was warned about not taking photographs and that there was an altercation between Trump aides and a cemetery employee. Officials have said since that an employee whom two Trump campaign staff members allegedly “verbally abused and pushed” aside has declined to press charges.
The Trump campaign has since lashed out at Pentagon officials, with a top campaign adviser, Chris LaCivita, referring to military spokespersons as “hacks.” Trump campaign officials say the campaign had permission to bring someone to take video.
Since Biden ended his reelection bid in July, Trump has been zeroing in on Harris and her roles in foreign policy decisions. He has highlighted the vice president’s statements that she was the last person in the room before Biden made the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan.
Biden’s administration was following a withdrawal commitment and timeline that the Trump administration had negotiated with the Taliban in 2020. A 2022 review by a government-appointed special investigator concluded decisions made by both Trump and Biden were the key factors leading to the rapid collapse of Afghanistan’s military and the Taliban takeover.
Campaigning this year, Trump has said that leaving was the right thing to do but that the Biden administration’s execution was poor.
“I was getting out, but we were going to get out through dignity and strength,” he said in a Fox News interview that was taped after his visit to Arlington and broadcast Sunday evening. “They should have done so much different. … They should have had the soldiers taken out last.”
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© 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.WTOP Staff
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Trump Was Warned Not To Take Photos At Arlington
Donald Trump was warned before the altercation that he and his campaign were prohibited from taking pictures at Arlington National Cemetery.
The defense official told the AP that the Trump campaign was warned about not taking photographs in Section 60 before their arrival and the altercation. Trump was at Arlington on Monday at the invitation of some of the families of the 13 service members who were killed in the Kabul airport bombing exactly three years prior.
The Republican nominee for president broke the law, and the picture that is emerging is of an ex-president and a campaign who are desperate for something to get momentum away from Democratic nominee VP Kamala Harris so they barged into Arlington, got physical with staff who tried to stop them, and held their campaign photo op in violation of federal.
Trump has already used the video and photos in campaign materials and for fundraising.
It is on brand for a candidate who has been convicted of 34 felonies to commit another violation of the law to help his presidential campaign. Trump continues to show voters who he is and why he definitely should not be elected to an office where he will have virtually unlimited immunity.
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Jason Easley
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Flowers of Remembrance Day returns to Arlington National Cemetery – WTOP News
On Sunday, visitors to Arlington National Cemetery will have the chance to pay their respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in a unique way — laying a flower at the tomb.
The shadows of a soldier with the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as “The Old Guard,” is seen as he moves flowers during a centennial commemoration event at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in Arlington National Cemetery, Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)(AP/Alex Brandon) On Sunday, visitors to Arlington National Cemetery will have the chance to pay their respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in a unique way — laying a flower at the tomb.
“Until we had our centennial, the 100 years of the Tomb of the Unknown, which happened in 2021, the public had not been allowed to get that close in over 90 years,” said Army National Military Cemeteries and Office of Army Cemeteries Executive Director Karen Durham-Aguilera.
Durham-Aguilera said the reaction to the 2021 Flowers of Remembrance Day led to the decision to make it an annual way for people to honor the fallen.
“I just saw people just being so emotionally touched, and I said, ‘We can’t wait to do this every 90 to 100 years,’” Durham-Aguilera said.
According to the cemetery, the day pays homage to the first official national Decoration Day, which is now known as Memorial Day. The first ceremony happened May 30, 1868, to honor U.S. service members who died in the Civil War.
The day will also include historians telling the story of Memorial Day at the Memorial Amphitheater at 10 a.m. That presentation will be followed by a walking tour to the James Tanner Amphitheater, the Tomb of the Civil War Unknowns and other locations at the cemetery.
The Memorial Day Flowers Foundation will provide flowers for the remembrance, so visitors will not need to bring their own.
On Memorial Day, the Arlington National Cemetery will hold the national observance of Memorial Day, which historically includes the president laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. For now, the cemetery is only saying the wreath will be laid by a “senior government official” at 10:15 a.m. While that ceremony will be limited to official participants, an official observance at 11 a.m. is open to the public.
Durham-Aguilera said the weekend is about taking time to reflect, appreciate and remember those who fell defending the country.
“Memorial Day is about sacrifice, those who gave the ultimate measure of devotion. In other words, they gave their lives for us,” she said.
If you would like to participate and lay a flower, contact the Memorial Day Flowers Foundation.
For more information on Memorial Day events, visit the Arlington National Cemetery website.
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Mike Murillo
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White House Holds Smaller Veterans Day Ceremony To Honor Soldiers Who Mostly Killed Kids
WASHINGTON—Providing a relatively subdued display of pomp and circumstance for a less revered group of service members, the White House held a smaller Veterans Day ceremony today to honor those U.S. soldiers who, while serving their nation in combat operations, mostly killed kids. “Though we are truly thankful for everything these veterans have done for our country, we do have to rein in our expressions of gratitude just a bit in cases where most of the confirmed kills were civilians under the age of 18,” said White House aide Stephanie Howard, adding that the discrete ceremony was attended by drone operators who killed kids in Afghanistan and Pakistan, soldiers who killed kids in free-fire zones in Vietnam, and a few surviving B-25 pilots who killed kids in World War II strafing missions. “We wanted to recognize these servicemen and women and their contributions to keeping America free, but decided it best to show our appreciation in a modest conference room we rented at a Marriott out in the Virginia suburbs. We just put up a couple wreaths, served some light snacks, and were out of there in 20 minutes.” According to reports, the much larger ceremony held at Arlington National Cemetery remained open to American presidents and Pentagon top brass who approved the attacks that mostly killed kids.
