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ARLINGTON, Va. (
August 3 , 2021) – For more than a week, the world has watched as athletes from across the United States and around the globe have gathered to compete in the 2020 Olympics. The Olympic games celebrate athletic excellence, the value of teamwork, sportsmanship, and dedication, and the power of sports to bring nations together. Excellence, teamwork and dedication are also common themes throughout the lives of the more than 200,000 individuals honored by the American Battle Monuments Commission. The same drive and passion that motivates competitors on the sports field proved invaluable for many on the battlefield. Among the many individuals buried or memorialized at ABMC’s 26 cemeteries and 32 monuments are a dozen Olympians.
For many U.S. military members stationed in Europe, attending a Memorial Day commemoration ceremony on the burial grounds of our fallen soldiers from World Wars I and II represents a poignant and meaningful way to pay tribute to those who came before.
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 he