America will forever remember the service and sacrifice of the men and women who gave all in service to the nation, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said yesterday at the National Memorial Day Concert on the National Mall.

“I would like to thank you for pausing to remember America’s brave sons and daughters who have made the ultimate sacrifice protecting everything we hold dear as a nation,” Air Force Gen. Paul J. Selva said.

The concert honored current and past service members, as well as military families, fallen service members and military survivor families.

On the nation’s 150th Memorial Day, the country pauses to remember those who have laid down their lives in service from the American Revolution to present day, Selva said.

“We remember their courage. We remember their selflessness. We remember how gallant they were in their actions,” he said.

Honor Sacrifices of Military Families

The nation, Selva said, should pause to remember the extraordinary sacrifices made by the families of the fallen.

“Each person lost was a cherished member of a family or a community that continues to mourn to this day,” he said. “It’s our responsibility to never forget these sacrifices.”

The concert as well as Memorial Day services around the country testify to the sacrifice of the fallen and the fact that they will never be forgotten, Selva said.

Selva, saying he was speaking on behalf of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the two-million men and women who wear the uniform, thanked America for remembering the fallen on this Memorial Day.

(Follow Lisa Ferdinando on Twitter: @FerdinandoDoD)