President Donald Trump went to Arlington National Cemetery for Veterans Day but stumbled while singing “God Bless America,” stopping after the first three words.
BREAKING: On Veterans Day Trump forgets the words for “God Bless America,” besides the first three words. pic.twitter.com/m1fdw7Xy1f
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) November 11, 2025
Far from the United States, in Belgium, thousands gathered in Ypres to remember the soldiers who died in World War I. Red poppies fell on soldiers, politicians, and onlookers alike, while wreaths were laid at a newly renovated memorial in a town long linked with the horrors of the conflict. The solemnity of the day stretched across borders, showing that remembrance has no single home.
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Soldiers from countries including New Zealand and Canada marched toward the Menin Gate, a massive stone monument engraved with tens of thousands of names. These were men who never returned from battle, their resting places unknown, yet their memory now etched permanently in stone.
The event mixed tradition with unexpected touches. Bagpipes and bugles echoed alongside an electric guitar performing Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War” in Flemish and English. A choir sang John Lennon’s “Imagine,” creating a haunting, almost surreal soundtrack to streets that have seen so much suffering. Music bridged centuries of memory, blending grief with reflection.
In Britain, people paused for two minutes of silence at 11 a.m., observing the exact hour the war ended in 1918—the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
Across France, President Emmanuel Macron lit the eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe, engraved with the words: “Here rests a French soldier who died for the nation.”
Across continents, the gestures were different, but the message was the same: honor and remembrance.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described his country’s minute of silence as “a noiseless echo of the hush that fell across Europe when the guns stopped in 1918.” Words and actions combined, connecting present generations to a past that continues to shape the world.
World War I, fought from 1914 to 1918, killed nearly 10 million soldiers, with Ypres alone losing hundreds of thousands. Poison gas, tanks, and aerial surveillance transformed the battlefield, leaving Europe scarred and introducing a new era of warfare. The scale of the loss underlined why remembrance remains so vital.
Featured image via X screengrab
