US President Barack Obama has called on the public to remember fallen members of the armed forces ahead of Memorial Day on 30 May. The president honoured living and deceased members of the army, navy and air force during his weekly address on 28 May.
The president said, This Memorial weekend, I hope youll join me in acts of remembrance. Lay a flower or plant a flag at a fallen heros final resting place. Reach out to a Gold Star Family in your community, and listen to the story they have to tell. Send a care package to our troops overseas, volunteer to make a wounded warriors day a little easier, or hire a veteran who is ready and willing to serve at home just as they did abroad. Or just pause, take a moment, and offer a silent word of prayer or a public word of thanks.
The speech came a day after Obama returned from a tour of the far-east, where he became the first sitting US president to visit Hiroshima in Japan. The US dropped a nuclear bomb on the area in 1945 during the Second World War, killing around 129,000 people.
Obama added, As Commander-in-Chief, I have no more solemn obligation than leading our men and women in uniform. Making sure they have what they need to succeed.
While on his tour, Obama also reopened the arms trade with Vietnam, ending an embargo that had lasted nearly 50 years. This will be his last Memorial Day as Commander-In-Chief, with an upcoming election in November.
