PRESIDENT OBAMA NOTES SACRIFICES OF SERVICE MERMBERS AND FAMILIES

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

President Notes Sacrifices of Service Members, Families

By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 25, 2013 - As Americans kick off a long weekend for the May 27 observance of Memorial Day, President Barack Obama today recognized the ultimate sacrifices of U.S. service members, lauding them as heroes who helped to build a free and prosperous nation.

In his weekly address, Obama noted the courage of those willing to fight and even die for America's success.

"At a time when only about 1 percent of the American people bear the burden of our defense, the service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform isn't always readily apparent," the president said. "They risk their lives, and many give their lives, for something larger than themselves or any of us: the ideals of liberty and justice that make America a beacon of hope for the world."

The president emphasized that Americans must do more than remember the sacrifices of U.S. service members over the nation's history, from a "tiny band of revolutionaries [who] stood up to an empire" to the 9/11 Generation that continues to serve and sacrifice today.

"We must care for the loved ones that our fallen service members have left behind," he said. "We must make sure all our veterans have the care and benefits they've earned, and the jobs and opportunity they deserve."

Obama also lauded families whose loved ones are in harm's way, saying that they, too, serve.

"We must make sure that the men and women of our armed forces have the support they need to achieve their missions safely at home and abroad," the president said.

Obama called on Americans to help in preserving what service member sacrifices have achieved in pursuit of a fair and free nation.

"It is our obligation," he said, "and it is our privilege, as the heirs of those who came before us, and as citizens of the United States of America."

THE MEMORIAL REUNION DURING A BRAVES GAME

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE
Airman has 'Memorial' reunion during Braves game
5/30/2012 - ATLANTA (AFNS) -- An Air Force reservist hit the proverbial grand slam by surprising his family at the Atlanta Braves Memorial Day baseball game here May 28.

Master Sgt. David Sims returned from a six-month deployment to Kabul, Afghanistan with a plan to surprise his loved ones.

His family, thinking he was still overseas, attended the Braves game at Turner Field. They were called onto the field at the top of the fifth inning to represent military families as part of the Braves' Memorial Day ceremonies.

They were watching a video message from Sims, who at the end of the video told them to "wait a minute." He then suddenly appeared from the other side of the Braves dugout, and the family raced across the baseball field for the heartwarming reunion, witnessed by thousands of applauding fans.

Sims is assigned to Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command's Communications Directorate at Robins Air Force Base, Ga.

"FLAGS IN" MEMORIAL DAY TRADITION

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE

'Flags In' Tradition Honors Fallen Warfighters for Memorial Day

By Terri Moon Cronk

ARLINGTON, Va., May 25, 2012 - More than 1,200 soldiers with the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, The Old Guard, gathered at Arlington National Cemetery here yesterday to place miniature American flags on each of its gravesites and niches for the annual "Flags In" ritual that's been performed just before each Memorial Day for 64 years.

The Old Guard, at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, is the Army's ceremonial unit and has honored Americans buried at the cemetery with the Flags In commemoration every year since 1948.

The regiment's troops placed the flags on nearly 260,000 gravesites and 22,000 niches, in addition to more than 14,000 graves at the U.S. Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., an Army cemetery for residents of the Armed Forces Retirement Home-Washington.

Old Guard sentinels also placed four flags at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

The Old Guard's commander, Army Col. Dave Anders, was with his troops as they placed the flags, which are uniformly centered and situated one boot-length back from the headstone.

Anders placed flags in Arlington's Section 60, where some 12,000 service members who'd served in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried, in addition to many warfighters from World War II, and the Korean and Vietnam wars.

"I started in the rows of soldiers I served with and knew personally," Anders said, motioning toward a flag he'd just placed on the grave of a soldier he served with twice -- first, at Fort Benning, Ga., and later, in Afghanistan, in 2007. Anders said his father, and his great uncle who died in combat during World War II, also are buried at Arlington.

"This is like a family cemetery," he said. "It's a sad place but very [comforting]."

Yesterday marked Army Pvt. Krieg Bates' first time participating in the Flags In commemoration, at his first duty station.

"My family has a proud history of military service," Bates said solemnly. "It's an honor to come here today for those who sacrificed so much."

Old Guard soldiers feel honored by the rituals they perform, Anders said.

"We're the only unit that does it, and we are very proud of that," the colonel said.

Large groups of Old Guard soldiers carried rucksacks filled with 200 to 300 of the small flags, carefully placing them one-by-one along the long rows of white headstones.

Yesterday, Anders estimated the cemetery would have flags placed on every gravesite by 6:30 or 7 p.m.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA DELIVERS MEMORIAL DAY MESSAGE

Photo:  USS Missouri approaches USS Arizona Memorial.  Credit:  U.S. Navy.
FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Memorial Day Message As Delivered by Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta, Washington D.C., Monday, May 28, 2012
For many Americans, Memorial Day is a welcome break from work, a time for outdoor barbeques or a day at the beach.  But today is above all an opportunity for Americans to come together and pay tribute to all those who have fought and died in defense of our freedom.  It is a day to reflect on the service and sacrifice of these heroes, and to honor those American families for whom Memorial Day is another day of longing for their loved ones.

This Memorial Day, the American people pay particular tribute to the generation who stepped forward after the attacks of September 11th, and volunteered to put their lives on the line in far-off lands to protect our nation.  Today, we remember the more than 6,400 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen who have paid the ultimate price for us to live in safety over the last ten years of war.  They and their families have paid a heavy price so that we could be more secure, but because of their sacrifice the torch of freedom burns bright.

Since taking this position, I have written hundreds of letters of condolence to the families of the fallen.  It is the hardest part of my job.  There are no words that can heal, no sentences that can lessen that loss.  I keep the fallen and their families in my heart and in my prayers, and I tell those families that their loved one died to give their fellow Americans a better life.  That is the price they paid for us.  Let us never forget them and what they have done for this country.

As we emerge from a decade of war, we must renew our pledge on this Memorial Day to do all we can to ensure that the sacrifices of our service members and their families are honored, and that those who fell in battle are remembered.  They fought for us.  Our duty is to fight to make sure they are never forgotten.  As Americans, that must be our charge and our sacred mission not just on Memorial Day, but every day.