VAntage Point
Virtual event honors WWI Veterans, opens National WWI Memorial
The virtual First Colors event paid homage to World War I Veterans and opened the National World War I Memorial on April 16.
Hosted by actor Gary Sinise, the ceremony featured remarks from several guests, including President Joe Biden.
“Let’s remember all that was sacrificed, all that was sanctified, by proud, brave Americans who served in World War I,” Biden said. He added that the war transformed America into a country willing to send military members into harm’s way.
“In some ways, the Great War shifted America’s thinking about ourselves and redefined our place in the world,” he said. “We grappled with what we stood for, what we’re willing to fight and die for to defend, principles of freedom and democracy. We confronted a terrible cost of war in an age of new and deadly technologies. But the commitment and valor of the American women and men who stepped up to serve, whether here at home or on the front lines in Europe, was the same spirt that’s always defined American service members.”