Trump at Arlington on Memorial Day: 'Every Gold Star Family Fights a Battle Long After the Victory Is Won' (May 26, 2025)

On Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery, President Donald Trump honored the fallen and the families they left behind. “Every Gold Star family fights a battle long after the victory is won. And today we lift you up, and we hold you high. Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving America the brightest light in your lives,” Trump said in the Memorial Amphitheater on May 26, 2025, according to the transcript published by the American Presidency Project [1].

“We will never, ever forget our fallen heroes, and we will never forget our debt to you,” he said [1].

The video above shows Trump at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and in the Memorial Amphitheater on May 26, 2025. Quotes are from the American Presidency Project [1][2][3].

At the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Trump began the day at the tomb with Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. “POTUS placed the wreath at 11.28am, and stood in front of it for a moment,” the White House press pool reported. “He, Vance, Hegseth, and the general raised their hands again for a salute with their eyes closed.” [2]

“In a Thousand Lonely Places Known Only to God”

“We gather today to honor the incredible servicemembers who rest in glory in this cemetery and burial grounds around the world and in a thousand lonely places known only to God,” Trump said [1].

“These warriors—and that’s what they are, is great, great warriors—picked up their mantle of duty and service, knowing that to live for others meant always that they might die for others. They knew that. They asked nothing for it. They gave everything, and we owe them everything and much, much more,” he said [1].

“For the families of the fallen, you feel the absence of your heroes every day,” Trump said, “in the familiar laugh no longer heard, the empty space at Sunday dinner, or the want of a hug or a pat on the back that will never come again.” [1]

“250 Years”

“This Memorial Day is especially significant as we commemorate 250 years since the first American patriots fell on the field of battle,” Trump said [1].

“Two and a half centuries ago, at Lexington Green, Concord Bridge, Bunker Hill, brave minutemen and humble farm boys became the first to give their lives for a nation that did not yet have a name,” he said [1].

Three Heroes

Trump told the stories of three of the fallen. Of Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Elroy Harworth, killed over Vietnam, he said: “Elroy was just 24 years old when he gave his life for America, leaving behind a beautiful young wife who was 7 months pregnant.” [1]

Of Army Cpl. Ryan McGhee, he said: “He gave his life at 21 years old, and today he rests until the end of time in the famed section 60 here at Arlington, where we have buried our honored dead from the war on terror.” [1]

Of Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent, killed in Syria in 2019, Trump told her sons: “To her boys, Colt and Josh, who are here this morning, now aged 9 and 7, let me say your mom was a hero.” [1]

“They Were the Very Best of Us”

Vance spoke before Trump. “This is a sacred place, an eternal resting spot for our Nation’s sons and daughters,” he said [1].

He recalled a Marine colonel he served with, who spoke in 2005 after a hard deployment to Iraq. The colonel said of his fallen men “that they were the best looking, they were the kindest, they were the smartest, they were the most devoted. They were the very best of us. To them, we owe everything.” [1]

“The very best way to honor the fallen is to only ask the next generation to make the ultimate sacrifice when they absolutely must. We must be cautious in sending our people to war,” Vance said [1].

“If you’re a husband, be the best husband you can be. If you’re a mom, be the best mom that you can be. If you’re a citizen, be the very best citizen that you can be,” Vance said [1].

He also thanked Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “for your powerful words.” [1]

“Freedom Is a Gift of the Highest Cost”

“We should never forget, even for a moment, that freedom is a gift of the highest cost, and peace is won at the most precious price,” Trump said [1].

“From Bunker Hill to Bastogne to Cantigny to Coral Sea, from Gettysburg to Guadalcanal and Concord to Kabul, America’s best and America’s bravest have fought, bled, and died so that we could pick up the torch of liberty,” he said [1].

“The greatest monument to their courage is not carved in marble or cast in bronze. It’s all around us—an American nation, 325 million strong, which will soon be greater than it has ever been before,” Trump said [1].

By the Numbers

250: years since the first American patriots fell at Lexington and Concord, per Trump [1].
24: Elroy Harworth’s age when he was killed, per Trump [1].
21: Ryan McGhee’s age, per Trump [1].
11:28 a.m.: when Trump placed the wreath, per the pool report [2].

What Happened Next

The Army turned 250. On June 14, 2025, Trump and the first lady joined troops, veterans and Gold Star families in Washington for a grand parade marking the Army’s 250th birthday. “Whenever duty calls and whatever danger comes, the American Soldier will be there,” Trump said, the White House reported [3].

For Trump at West Point two days earlier, see HYGO News’ page on May 24, 2025. For Hegseth’s confirmation as defense secretary, see the page on Jan. 24, 2025.