As Memorial Day approaches, it’s important to remember a time when we had a president who truly cared for America’s best and their families.
One such occasion that comes to mind was during former President Donald Trump’s term in office. In 2017, following a Memorial Day speech and wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, President Trump took a moment afterwards to console the mothers of two deceased soldiers who had lost their lives in service to our nation.
Watch below:
Never Forget
The interaction occurred as Trump was walking over to the grave of former Homeland Security Secretary Robert Kelly’s son, who died during the war in Afghanistan in 2010.
Before departing the cemetery after paying respects to Kelly’s son’s grave, the President took a moment to speak with two mothers who had both lost their sons in combat, taking a moment to discuss their lives with the president.
One mother, Alison Malachowski, lost her son, Marine Staff Sgt. Jimmy Malachowski, in Afghanistan in 2011. She expressed her gratitude when President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence acknowledged her son’s sacrifice, also gifted him with a yellow rose, a customary symbol of the solemn nature of the day.
Malachowski also spoke of her son’s love of country, his patriotism, and hope that his memory would never be forgotten. President Trump promised her that he would never forget her son Jimmy or his story.
Also in Section 60, Pres Trump visited grave site of DHS Secretary John Kelly's son Robert, who lost his life while deployed in Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/mjqKIbcD8x
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) May 29, 2017
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In Our Memories, Always
Onlookers and members of the media observed as President Trump and VP Pence continued to speak with the families of the fallen veterans laid to rest at Arlington, offering hugs, handshakes, and words of hope and encouragement.
Another mother who approached the president discussed with him her son, a Navy SEAL who lost his life in 2008. She discussed the night in which he died during a mission, heroically saving several of his teammates from danger but losing his life in the process.
President Trump, while usually caricatured by the media as talkative and brash, spent most his time listening to the woman silently, and only responding at the end of what she had to say with words of encouragement, remembrance, and the thanks of a grateful nation.
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