Memorial Day Ceremony

The gift of flowers honors the beauty and the brevity of life and evoke memories of other days. President Bush paid tribute at a Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery to members of America's military who died in combat. The President placed a beautiful red, white, and blue wreath in front of the tomb of unknowns.

In this place where valor sleeps, we acknowledge our responsibility as Americans to preserve the memory of the fallen. On this Memorial Day, we look out on quiet hills, and rows of white headstones -- and we know that we are in the presence of greatness. The markers here record the names of more than 296,000 men and women. Each of the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines buried here answered the call to serve, and stepped forward to protect the nation they loved. George W. Bush, May 29, 2006