(CNN Student News) -- May 31, 2011





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• Arlington National Cemetery • Joplin, Missouri • Texas





Transcript





THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.





CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Back from the Memorial Day weekend, I'm Carl Azuz and this is CNN Student News! It's a short week for us. It's also our last week of the school year, so let's go ahead and get started.





First Up: Remembering the Fallen





AZUZ: First up, Americans pause to honor service members who gave everything they had. Memorial Day is a tribute to the men and women who lost their lives while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Ceremonies were held around the country yesterday, President Obama helping lead the ones at Arlington National Cemetery. He laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns and later visited Arlington's Section 60; it's a site that's primarily for soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.





During a speech, the president said the courage, unselfishness and devotion to duty of the servicemen and women who gave their lives is what has sustained the country. President Obama also said that Memorial Day is about the families who have lost loved ones serving in the military. The wife of a fallen service member said she sees Memorial Day as a chance to celebrate her husband's life.





NICKI BUNTING, WIDOW OF FALLEN SERVICEMAN: I want everyone to realize that these aren't just graves; they aren't just numbers. They're real people, and they had real families. They had wives and husbands and children and parents and siblings and friends. And so, that's what today is about, just celebrating their life and making sure that everyone knows that these are real people that we've lost. And so, when I get to talk about my husband, I love to laugh and smile when I talk about him and really share the great guy he was.





AZUZ: For the past 40 years, the 3rd U.S. Infantry has had a special assignment. They're the ones who place flags on every gravestone at Arlington Cemetery for Memorial Day. That's more than 250,000 flags! In this next report, two members share why they consider this responsibility an honor.





(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)





SERGEANT CHERRY SMITH, IRAQ WAR VETERAN: Now that I've actually served and came from Iraq, they paved the way. So, without them, we wouldn't be here.





STAFF SERGEANT BRADLEY FALLS, AFGHANISTAN WAR VETERAN: It's especially an honor for us when you've been on the other side of it, and now you can come here and you can bring honor to their final resting place. Most of the leaders here are combat vets. They are coming from other units. They've deployed before. We all know somebody buried here personally.





SMITH: I thank them. I give thanks all the time for just doing what they did. There's so many of us that have fear of doing what they did.





FALLS: During our fifteen months, my battalion lost 24 soldiers and our brigade lost, I believe, 44. We have three 173rd members buried here, to include my platoon leader, First Lieutenant Benjamin Hall. I try to visit him on special occasions, you know, his birthday or his passing. I usually sit down for a while and talk to him, let him know how things are going, how life is, and how much I appreciate his sacrifice and his leadership while we had it. He was a great man. Sometimes it's a bit of a remembrance of good times and bad. You know, you've got comrades in arms that have died and you feel for them and you feel for your families, but you try to put that aside to give honor to those that you can.





(END VIDEO CLIP)





Is this legit?





STAN CASE, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Is this legit? More tornadoes strike the U.S. than any other country. This
What are the ceremonies associated with What were the ceremonies associated with? What people did Obama pledge to
Memorial Day Memorial Day the servicemen and women who gave their lives
question: What are the ceremonies associated with, answer: Memorial Day | question: What were the ceremonies associated with?, answer: Memorial Day | question: What people did Obama pledge to, answer: the servicemen and women who gave their lives