President pays tribute to military on Memorial Day
President Barack Obama listens as Marine Band vocalist Sara Dell'Omo sings "America the Beautiful" during a Memorial Day Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, May 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
President Barack Obama places a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns during a Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery Monday, May 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
People applaud as President Barack Obama pays tribute to Adm. Mike Mullen, outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during the Memorial Day ceremony in the amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery Monday, May 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Trisha Lawton and her son Caden prays over the grave of husband and father, Marine Capt. Garrett T. Lawton on Memorial Day Monday, May 30, 2011, in Arlington National Cemetery's Section 60, which was visited by President Barack Obama Monday. Lawton, 31, of of Charleston, W.Va., in 2008 during Operation Enduring Freedom. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
President Barack Obama paid a Memorial Day tribute to generations of Americans who have fought and died to defend the nation’s freedom and announced changes at the Pentagon today.
"The grief that many of you carry in your hearts is a grief I cannot fully know," Obama said at the 144th Memorial Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery. "This day is about you and the fallen heroes that you loved, and it’s a day that has meaning for all Americans."
Before his speech at Arlington, Obama announced a new lineup of his top military leadership group, selecting Army Gen. Martin Dempsey as the next Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman
The president also announced he has chosen Navy Adm. James Winnefeld to succeed Cartwright as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs and Army Gen. Ray Odierno as his candidate to replace Dempsey as Army chief of staff.
The nominees have to be approved by the Senate, and Obama voiced hope that could happen in a timely fashion.
Earlier in the day he and first lady Michelle Obama hosted a private breakfast for Gold Star families who’ve lost loved ones in war and later laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at the cemetery.
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After Obama’s remarks, he and the first lady visited the cemetery’s Section 60 to meet with families of soldiers buried there. Section 60 is for those who lost their lives since the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
"We remember that the blessings we enjoy as Americans came at a dear cost, that our very presence here today as a free people in a free society bears testimony to their enduring legacy," the president said to an audience of military officials, their families and the public at the remembrance ceremony at Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington.
Almost 6,000 U.S. military personnel have died in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and more than 43,470 have been wounded, according to the Defense Department.
Preceding Obama at the amphitheater, Gates said the country "must never forget" its men and women in the military.
"As I come to the end of my time in this post," Gates said, " … I will keep these brave patriots and their families in my heart and in my prayers."
