Obama Salutes Fallen Troops

President Obama marked Memorial Day with tributes to the military and fallen troops, the AP reports. He began the day with a breakfast for those who had lost loved ones in the military; afterward, he visited Arlington National Cemetery for the traditional laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns, calling the troops “the best of America” for their willingness to risk their lives for people they don’t know.

The president sent flowers to memorials for both Confederate troops and blacks who fought for the Union in the Civil War in an effort to smooth potential controversy. He called on Americans "wherever you are, whoever you are with, whatever you are doing, to pause in national unity at 3 o’clock this afternoon,” the Hill reports.
(More Memorial Day stories.)