Honor Remains
Strength in Service or Shame in Ceremony? Memorial Day at West Point
Strength in Service or Shame in Ceremony? Memorial Day at West Point
On May 24, 2025, cadets gathered at the United States Military Academy to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice. In a ceremony meant for solemn remembrance, President Donald Trump took the podium on Memorial Day. That choice has sparked questions far beyond who spoke. It asks us to consider what Memorial Day truly represents, reverence for the fallen, unity of purpose, and the timeless values that West Point was founded to uphold.
An Unsettling Contrast
The marble walls at West Point bear the names of heroes from generations past. Each etched letter tells a story of duty, courage, and self-less service. When the speaker of the hour is a figure whose record and rhetoric stand in tension with those ideals, the dissonance is hard to ignore. Memorial Day is not a political stage; it is a day when the nation pauses to remember the cost of our freedoms.
“I think the real heroes are the ones that didn’t get caught.”
— President Donald J. Trump, Family Leadership Summit, July 18 2015
Why It Matters
West Point exists to forge leaders of character who place honor above ambition. Memorial Day links us to a tradition of gratitude, of placing wreaths at gravesites, of watching flags dip in silent salute, of feeling the weight of loss but also the power of legacy. When our choice of speaker undermines that quiet strength, it diminishes more than a ceremony. It chips away at the shared symbols that bind us.
ForgeTheTruth Poster
The poster above honors West Point’s values while inviting reflection: a lone cadet bows before names carved in stone; a single poppy stands firm; a distant podium reminds us that ceremony should uplift, not overshadow, remembrance.
What You Can Do
Take a moment today to share this image and your thoughts. Talk with friends, family, or fellow veterans about what Memorial Day means to you. Reflect on whether our leaders, present and future, truly embody the values we celebrate.
Read background coverage
AP News: Trump Commencement Address at West Point
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