Soldiers across the United States were honored this week with parades, ceremonies and tributes, marking more than 70 years since Veterans Day became a federal holiday.
In Washington, D.C., President Joe Biden participated in a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, where he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It is a symbolic resting place for the unidentified and remains from World War I, World War II and the Korean War.
“This is the last time I will stand here at Arlington as commander in chief,” Biden said. “The greatest honor of my life has been to lead you, to serve you, to care for you, to defend you—just as you defended us, generation after generation.”
At the National World War II Memorial, the “Parade of Heroes” honored WWII veterans, with seven individuals receiving the Greatest Generation Commemorative Coin.
Other ceremonies included wreath-laying events at the Korean War Veterans Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
In Maryland, Gov. Wes Moore led a tribute to abolitionist Harriet Tubman, promoting her posthumously to brigadier general in the Maryland National Guard.
Tubman, best known for her role in the Underground Railroad, was the first Black woman to serve in combat for the U.S. military as a nurse and scout during the Civil War.
“This is a person who is one of the greatest Marylanders we’ve ever known,” Moore said. “Someone who was willing to risk her own freedom, her own safety, her own life in order to help others.”
The event marked the first official military recognition of Tubman’s contributions. Moore added, “It’s only appropriate that we now have a General Harriet Tubman.”
