President Bush Honors American War Dead

President Bush, the President of the United States, on Monday participated in the Memorial Day ceremony held annually at Arlington National Cemetery in the suburbs of the U.S. capital to honor American war dead. In humid weather and cloudy skies, the President laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldiers who lost their lives in war and then delivered remarks at the special podium in Arlington Cemetery. Mr. Bush referenced several hundred American soldiers who have been killed in Iraq. Since the beginning of the Iraq War last year, nearly 600 U.S. Army soldiers have died in Iraq. Mr. Bush stated that today's members of the U.S. Army, like their predecessors in World War II, have made America a safer country by toppling two terror regimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. Similar ceremonies were also held in various locations across the U.S. to commemorate Memorial Day, which is observed on the last Monday of May each year. John Kerry, the Democratic candidate in the U.S. presidential election, also participated in the Memorial Day observance by visiting the Vietnam War Memorial, which is constructed of black granite and contains the names of all American servicemen who lost their lives in the Vietnam War. Mr. Kerry personally knew some of the casualties during his service in the Vietnam War.