President Obama visited Arlington National Cemetery to pay his respects for Memorial Day on Monday, profoundly remarking that it was the first such holiday in 14 years that didn’t have U.S. military forces involved in a “major” ground war.

Addressing a crowd of about 5,000 people, Obama proclaimed that America must “never stop trying to fully repay” the courageous men and women who have fallen fighting for the United States and that the hallowed cemetery is “more than a final resting place of heroes”.

“It is a reflection of America itself,” he said, citing racial and religious diversity in the backgrounds of the men and woman who paid the ultimate sacrifice to preserve “the ideals that bind us as one nation.”

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His appearance is an annual rite for presidents at the cemetery nestled among verdant hills overlooking the Potomac River. It came months after the end of the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan, where the number of stationed troops has been reduced to about 10,000 from a peak of more than 100,000.

His tribute also took place against a backdrop of the increasingly complex U.S.-led effort to help Iraq defeat the Islamic State extremist group, which has been gaining momentum in recent weeks by capturing Ramadi there and taking Palmyra in neighboring Syria.

Obama made no mention of America’s participation with other nations in the effort to stop the Islamic State. His effort there has come under intensifying criticism since the fall of Ramadi with lawmakers calling for a bigger show of American force there, including ground troops.

To view President Obama’s entire speech at Arlington, click on the video below:

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