Obama visits Arlington National Cemetery to honor veterans
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama urged the public Wednesday to keep thinking about veterans long after the annual holiday honoring them.
At an observance at Arlington National Cemetery, Obama said the Department of Veterans Affairs is getting a bigger budget and making progress on entrenched problems such as veteran homelessness and a backlog of disability claims.
"Still the unacceptable problems that we've seen, like long wait times and some veterans not getting the timely care that they need, is a challenge for all of us if we are to match our words with deeds," Obama said. He said his message to every veteran is "that I am still not satisfied."
President Barack Obama, accompanied by Maj. Gen. Bradley A. Becker, Commanding General , U.S Army Military District of Washington, listens to the National Anthem after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. during Veterans Day ceremonies. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Obama said the Veterans Day federal holiday is about more than showing gratitude to veterans. "It is also a reminder of all that they still have to give our nation, and our duty to them," he said.
He said the country is in the midst of a new wave of veterans who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. He asked communities and businesses to consider hiring veterans, and said some 200,000 veterans are returning to civilian life every year.
"If you want to get the job done, hire a vet," Obama said. "They're ready to serve and they'll make you proud."
The president also laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns and bowed his head in a moment of silence.
Separately Wednesday, first lady Michelle Obama joined Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, to headline a luncheon for military women — active-duty service members and veterans, spouses and caregivers — at the Bidens' official residence at the Naval Observatory.
A meal of grilled salmon, wild rice pilaf and an apple dessert was served under a tent on the Bidens' lawn on the breezy, fall day. The event was part of Joining Forces, an ongoing initiative by Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Biden to support military families.
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Associated Press writer Stacy A. Anderson contributed to this report.
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President Barack Obama arrives to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. during Veterans Day ceremonies. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Honor guards carry the colors as they are retired at the conclusion of the annual National Veterans Day commemoration,Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., attended by President Barack Obama. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a luncheon for military women, active-duty service members and veterans, spouses and caregivers, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015, on Veterans Day at the vice president's official residence at the Naval Observatory in Washington. Biden announced that Delaware's new National Guard headquarters in New Castle will be named for his late son, Beau Biden, a two-term attorney general who served in Iraq with the Delaware Army National Guard. Beau Biden died of brain cancer in May. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
