--- title: Memorial Day 2015: Barack Obama Speaks at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier description: Marks first Memorial Day since 9/11 without ground troops in combat canonical: https://time.com/3895672/memorial-day-2015-barack-obama/ author: Victor Luckerson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-25T18:50:42.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T09:08:07.887Z article:section: Politics og:title: Obama Honors Fallen Soldiers on Memorial Day og:description: Marks first Memorial Day since 9/11 without ground troops in combat og:url: https://time.com/3895672/memorial-day-2015-barack-obama/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8b3e41a72c24c99/6988518a2dce0128739e3dfc/obama-arlington.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: US President Barack Obama (L) lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Memorial Day, at Arlington National Cemetery on May 25, 2015. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Obama Honors Fallen Soldiers on Memorial Day twitter:description: Marks first Memorial Day since 9/11 without ground troops in combat twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8b3e41a72c24c99/6988518a2dce0128739e3dfc/obama-arlington.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Obama Honors Fallen Soldiers on Memorial Day > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=fead5c49-6f98-4f5b-9134-534b72447616&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Obama Speaking at Arlington National Cemetary [Watch (HLS stream): Obama Speaking at Arlington National Cemetary](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/4NAwJ4cC.m3u8) (0:28)  _Published 2015-05-25. Obama Speaking at Arlington National Cemetary_ by [Victor Luckerson](https://time.com/author/victor-luckerson/) ## Victor Luckerson May 25, 2015 6:50 PM UTC by [Victor Luckerson](https://time.com/author/victor-luckerson/) ## Victor Luckerson May 25, 2015 6:50 PM UTC President Obama laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery on Memorial Day to honor the men and women who have died serving in the U.S. military. Their sacrifice, he said, is “a debt we will never repay.” Speaking in front of more than 5,000 attendees, Obama marked the first Memorial Day in 14 years that the U.S. hasn’t been involved in a major ground war, though a smaller American military presence remains in both Iraq and Afghanistan. “This hallowed ground is more than a final resting place of heroes” Obama said. “It is a reflection of America itself. It is a reflection of our history.” He specifically mentioned Spec. Wyatt Martin and Sgt. 1st Class Ramon Morris, who were the last two U.S. soldiers to die during combat missions in Afghanistan. “These two men, these two heroes, if you passed them on the street you wouldn’t know that they were brothers,” Obama said. “They were bonded together to secure our liberty and keep us safe.” More than 6,500 Americans have died in Iraq and Afghanistan in military operations that began after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. –_Additional reporting by Maya Rhodan_ ## Transcript Today is the first Memorial day in 14 years that the United States has not engaged in a major ground war. So on this day we honor the sacrifice of the thousands of American service members men and women who gave their lives since 9 / 11. 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