Trump Honors Veterans at Arlington on Veterans Day

On this Veterans Day, President Donald J. Trump stood among the fallen at Arlington National Cemetery and rendered our nation's highest salute to the living who still carry the cost of freedom. In words that echoed across the quiet hills where generations of heroes rest, the Commander-in-Chief honored every Patriot who has worn the uniform - from the beaches of Normandy to the mountains of Afghanistan - vowing that "while I'm President of the United States, we will always fulfill our duty to them."

In a solemn and stirring address, President Trump saluted America's warriors:

• "On Veterans Day, we reaffirm our undying gratitude to every Patriot who has answered the call of duty. We pay tribute to all of those who have won the wars and worn the uniform, who face the enemy, who have beaten the enemy at every turn, who have borne the burdens of fate and destiny to stand as our protection in battle." (Watch)
• "We thank Almighty God for the noble warriors of the United States Military who have always stepped forward so that America might always stay free. To every veteran here at Arlington and across the nation: today we render you the highest salute, we offer you our deepest respect and love, and we pledge you our utmost loyalty and devotion." (Watch)
• "Across every generation, American liberty has been preserved by legions of selfless Patriots who have raised their right hands and sworn an oath of flesh and blood for a cause whose full cost could not be measured in advance… Time and time again for 250 years, the American warrior has returned victorious, our Republic has triumphed, and today, our country is stronger than it has ever been before." (Watch)
• "A nation without heroes is like a sky without stars or a heaven without angels - but in America, we've never known that darkness because we have the men and women of America's armed forces, our guiding lights, our greatest heroes, and our guardian angels." (Watch)
• "From the Patriots' first stand at Lexington Green and the Concord Bridge to the blood-soaked battlefields that saved our nation, from the treacherous trenches of Europe to the deepest waters of the Pacific and the farthest reaches of the world, our veterans have answered every call, met every threat, crushed every foe, and borne every burden of war so that our children might know every single blessing of peace and love." (Watch)
• "America's veterans have always fulfilled their duty to us, and while I'm President of the United States, we will always fulfill our duty to them." (Watch)
• "We say to every American veteran: the sacrifice you have made, we will never forget; the oath that you have kept, we will never take for granted; the values you fought for, we will never, ever forsake; the flag you held high, we will never let it fall; and the nation you served, we will never, ever let it fail." (Watch)

President Trump also recognized living legends whose service spans generations, each a living testament to American valor:

• On Cpl. Jack Myers, World War II: "At 19 years old, Jack Myers kissed his young bride and newborn son goodbye and went to serve as a gunner in the 692nd Tank Destroyer Battalion in World War II - brave people, all. In the frostbitten winter of 1944, Cpl. Myers found himself in the largest battle in American history, the Battle of the Bulge… Months later, Jack's battalion was among the first to liberate the Dachau concentration camp, coming face to face with the evil he risked his life to destroy. Today, Jack is a great-great-grandfather and is here to receive our nation's gratitude at 103 years old." (Watch)
• On Col. Douglas Moore, Vietnam: "U.S. Army Col. Douglas Moore served as one of the famous Dustoff medevac pilots in Vietnam - boy, could they fly - flying an incredible 1,874 combat missions and evacuating 2,782 badly wounded soldiers… For his actions, Douglas received our military's second-highest honor, the Distinguished Service Cross. Over three decades, he also received two Distinguished Flying Crosses, a Bronze Star, and 33 Air Medals." (Watch)
• On SFC Ryan Hendrickson, Afghanistan: "In 2010, Green Beret Ryan Hendrickson was leading his team through a Taliban-held village in Afghanistan at three in the morning when he… stepped on enemy explosives - a lot of them. The blast ripped through his lower body, and he looked down to see his shattered bones protruding from his absolutely mangled leg and arm. Certain that he would die, Ryan's only thought as he was airlifted away was the men he was leaving behind… They told him his combat career was over, but Ryan was not done. Eighteen months later, he returned to Afghanistan… For his courage, he was awarded the Silver Star." (Watch)
• On Marine veteran Dale Garner, Beirut: "As a young man, Dale Garner enlisted in the Marines after the Iran Hostage Crisis. Soon, he deployed to Beirut on a mission of peace - but on the morning of October 23, 1983, Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists… detonated a truck packed with explosives at the Marine barracks with hundreds of Americans inside… He was the sole survivor of the men around him, and he joins us here to remember the 241 American service members murdered in the Beirut barracks bombing, the deadliest day for the Marine Corps since Iwo Jima." (Watch)

From the day he returned to the White House, President Trump has placed America's veterans at the center of his agenda:

• Lower drug costs: Prescription drug prices have posted their sharpest drop in more than 60 years, and the VA has secured more than $10 billion in pharmaceutical savings this fiscal year alone.
• Faster benefits: President Trump signed an Executive Order modernizing data sharing between the Departments of War and Veterans Affairs to speed veterans' access to benefits and employment opportunities.
• Mental health breakthroughs: President Trump signed an Executive Order to accelerate access to treatments for serious mental illness - especially for our veterans, who suffer higher rates of serious mental illness and suicide.
• New careers: President Trump launched Freedom Haulers, a Department of Transportation fast-track program to help service members earn their Commercial Driver's License.
• Relief for veterans on fixed incomes: The Working Families Tax Cuts delivered historic tax relief on Social Security for seniors and an unprecedented $50 billion investment to transform rural healthcare.
• CHAMPVA backlog eliminated: In November 2025, the Trump Administration wiped out the entire CHAMPVA backlog - more than 70,000 unprocessed applications inherited from the Biden Administration.
• A home for homeless veterans: President Trump signed an Executive Order to improve veterans' care and accountability, expand options to cut wait times, and establish the National Center for Warrior Independence to house up to 6,000 homeless veterans by 2028.
• A first-term promise kept: In his first term, he signed an Executive Order ensuring veterans have seamless access to mental health care and suicide prevention resources as they return to civilian life, especially in the critical first year.

Under President Trump's leadership, the Department of Veterans Affairs is delivering for those who served:

• Housing heroes: More than 95,000 homeless veterans housed in FY2025 and FY2026 - the two highest years on record.
• Slashing the backlog: The benefits backlog is down nearly 70% since January 20, 2025, and average disability claims processing time is down 46%.
• Record claims: A record 3.11 million compensation claims processed in FY2026 - up 23.5% from FY2024 - with nearly 94% accuracy.
• More veterans in care: More than 330,000 new veterans enrolled in VA health care in 2026, and record highs of 82.7 million direct care and 68.1 million community care appointments in FY2026.
• Care on veterans' schedules: More than 3.5 million early-morning, evening, and weekend appointments offered since January 20, 2025.
• Modern facilities: Opened 47 new health care clinics and invested nearly $5 billion in FY2026 to modernize and repair VA facilities - the largest maintenance investment in VA history.
• Health records back on track: VA's electronic health record modernization is back on track, now deployed at new sites in Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Indiana, and Alaska.
• Protecting veterans' homes: Reformed VA home loan protections to keep veterans from losing their homes to foreclosure.