President Biden pays tribute to America’s fallen service members Monday, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery and delivering a Memorial Day address. The annual ceremony to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice comes after the president grieved with the shattered community of Uvalde, Texas, on Sunday.
Mr. Biden mourned privately for three hours with anguished families of the 19 schoolchildren and two teachers killed by a gunman. Faced with chants of “do something” as he departed a church service, Mr. Biden pledged: “We will.”
At Robb Elementary School, Mr. Biden visited a memorial of 21 white crosses — one for each of those killed — and first lady Jill Biden added a bouquet of white flowers to those already placed in front of the school sign. The couple then viewed individual altars erected in memory of each student, the first lady touching the children’s photos as they moved along the row.
After visiting the memorial, Mr. Biden attended Mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, where several victims’ families are members, and one of the families was in attendance.
As Mr. Biden departed church to meet privately with family members, a crowd of about 100 people began chanting “do something.” Mr. Biden answered, “We will,” as he got into his car. It was his only public comment during roughly seven hours in Uvalde.
