Presidential historian Timothy Naftali reminded viewers of the significance of the Tomb of the Unknown soldier in Arlington Cemetery, as President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were joined by three former presidents — Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton — in a wreath-laying ceremony.
"100 years ago on Inauguration Day, Congress decided that an unidentified soldier who died in World War I would are buried at that spot, and for 100 years, that has been a sacred spot," said Naftali. "I cannot imagine a more poignant place for our former presidents to gather to deliver a message, a visual message of unity, at a time of anxiety, pain and suffering in our country."
Naftali said the moment also served as a reminder that the might of America's military belongs to the people that it had withstood any attempts to corrupt its purpose in the previous four years.
"When the history of the last four years is written, the story of our military and how it generally lived up to the highest principles of its tradition, despite the pressure to be corrupted will be a powerful story," he said. "I think it's also appropriate that this laying on of hands of the former presidents with President Biden is occurring at a national sacred spot also at the beating heart of our military."
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