05/14/2026
Two young men. Two small American towns. Two lives cut tragically short in Iraq.
In the foreground, with a beautiful wreath of remberance, is the grave of Private Heath Douglas Warner of Massillon, Ohio. Heath was just 19 years old when he was killed in Iraq in 2006. He was a teenager who made an adult decision to serve his country, and his life reminds us that the freedoms we enjoy are often protected by young people who accept extraordinary responsibilities.
In the distance, gathered around another white marble headstone, are eighth graders from Batesville, Indiana, standing at the grave of Army Sergeant Chad Lynn Keith. Chad was just 21 years old when he was killed in Baghdad in 2003. These students traveled more than 500 miles from their hometown to stand before the grave of one of their own. A new generation learning that every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery represents a real person with a family, a hometown, dreams, and a life worth remembering.
This is why we come here.
To honor them, and to be sure their stories continue to be told.
