there you see the wreath that will be laid by the president today and mrs. obama is with him as well. what do we expect to see? >> it's a very moving moment. we're now behind the amphitheater, where the tomb of the unknown soldiers are. might add, remember the vietnam unknown soldier was finally identified, so he was -- turned up an air force fighter pilot that had been killed in vietnam. but others remain in perpetuity, symbolic of those missing in action. the commander general, the military district of washington is now accompanying the president into position if front of that tomb. there will be taps will be played as terribly moving e vocktive sound, which is traditional to remember our war dead. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> let me bring the general in as the president heads over to the other side and where he will make his remarks. also remarks by the chairman of the giant chiefs, by secretary panetta, who you saw standing there behind the president. what's important about hearing from the commander in chief on this memorial day, general? >> it's a huge responsibil

the president will follow with his traditional wreath laying ceremony. be joined by the first lady who has medicine military families one of her causes. that takes place at 11:00. then this afternoon, the president will leave the services at the vietnam memorial wall. prior to this, only presidents ronald reagan and bill clinton both spoke at the wall's memorial ceremony. this year's event will add 10 new names to the wall. and back here at arlington, there will be a number of events throughout the day. 50,000 long-stem roses have been donated once again. they will be given to families to lay on the grave sites of their loved ones and then also for those family members to take home to remember them as well. now, if you do want to attend the official ceremony, the fail program here at darlington national cemetery, that being the wreath laying ceremony as well ads the event at the amphitheatre, you will have to pass through security. you want to give yourself extra time and make sure you don't bring thanksgiving that might be a security risk, any type of a

the wreath laying takes place at 1:30 in the affect and the president will speak there as.e earlier this weekend, thousands of biewbers got the remembrance that is right sad with rolling thunder. the annual bike ride was started with by a group of vietnam veterans who not only lost their lives. this year marks the 25th anniversary of that ride which has grown from 2500 people to an estimated 900,000 participants now. they also have a a donation of 50,000 roses here at arlington national cemetery from farmers in equador and california. people are encouraged to take two roses, one to place on a grave and the other one to take home and remember their lost loved ones. they will be placed at four areas throughout the cemetery. one of them will be near the section for those who lost their lives in afghanistan and iraq. that is the latest here at arlington national cemetery. back to you. >>> a reminder for you, the national memorial day parade coming up live on fox 5 today. actor gary sinise and miss america 2012 will join the parade route along constitution avenue. this all start

. >>> the president will place a wreathe at the tomb of the unknown and later he will attend a ceremony at vietnam memorial in washington d.c. coming up, we will go live to arlington national cemetery with all of the events happening there. and marked here in the bay area we have one of the biggest events in san francisco. it comes on the heels of a series of a big weekend event, allie? >> reporter: well the focus is on a men morial day from -- memorial day tradition and it starts with a military procession that will start here and go to sheridan. the procession will go to the national cemetery up the hill and at 11:00 there will be a wreathe laying and cap none salute -- canon ball salute. large crowds gathered to watch the celebration of the golden gate bridge. the day long party ended with a spectacular fireworks display. the crowd was amazed directly below the golden gate bridge. they played bridge themed music tunes like bridge over troubled waters. earlier they came for music and lectures about the golden gate bridge and its history and that lasted for most of the day but it appea

he will lay a wreath as well as make remarks. of the hour. >>> tomorrow, democrats including debbie wasserman schultz will raise money for -- good morning, good to see you. >> good morning. >> i know you and your leaders are angry because they don't think democrats have done enough to help. what's going on? >> well, right now, republicans have done more i think for their candidate than democrats have done for their candidate. national republicans have been all in for scott walker. there's been a lot of internal debate among democrats about whether this race was winnable and it's a close race. all the recent polling has had walker in the lead. it would be an upset at this point if he lost. this is a closely divided state. marquette polled five times this year. his disapproval rating is 47%. >> i thought it was interesting, the center for american progress tweeted this. wisconsin poll's tightening with barrett coming on strong seems to indicate d.c. punditry might have called the race a tad early. if you were a betting man, huge tu

he will lay a wreath as well as make remarks.op of the hour. >>> tomorrow, democrats including debbie wasserman schultz will raise money for -- good morning, good to see you. >> good morning. >> i know you and your leaders are angry because they don't think democrats have done enough to help. what's going on? >> well, right now, republicans have done more i think for their candidate than democrats have done for their candidate. national republicans have been all in for scott walker. there's been a lot of internal debate among democrats about whether this race was winnable and it's a close race. all the recent polling has had walker in the lead. it would be an upset at this point if he lost. this is a closely divided state. marquette polled five times this year. his disapproval rating is 47%. >> i thought it was interesting, the center for american progress tweeted this. wisconsin poll's tightening with barrett coming on strong seems to indicate d.c. punditry might have called the race a tad early. if you were a betting man, huge

for 100 years the community gathered for the traditional laying of wreaths and viz toots grave sites. -- visits to grave sites. she says it is important tapay respects -- to pay respects on this day. >> my dad and uncle are here and all the others that fought and died for us. >> she also said it is just as important to remember and to thank those serving now. >> 2,000 attended the ceremony today in san francisco. >> flags greeted the military procession. vetvens and civilians all expressed their grat -- veterans and civilians all expressed their gratitude. >> if i can teach them how horrible war is and how much better it is to live in a peaceful society it makes my day. >> one of the wreaths was dedicated to the men and women who died in iraq. >> a vigil at a hillside to honor the lives in iraq. in 2006 they began placing crosses on the hillside. the display can be seen from highway 24 and from the bart station. >> www.ktvu.com has more video from memorial day services. look under video on demand. >> announcer: happened -- >>> it happened friday and this morning. police open fire on a

a wreath laying ceremony.e 50th anniversary of the start of the war. you should expect to see low flying aircraft near the memorial sometime just before 3:00 this afternoon. >>> a man is in critical condition after being hit by a car late sunday night. it happened along central avenue at addison road in seat pleasant, maryland. police tell 9news the driver of the car stayed on the scene. >>> number four, here it goes. bryce harper launch add monster home run off of former national leon hernandez. the nats are 11 games over .500 for the first time since july 2005. >> sounds so good, too. >>> cbs this morning begins at the top of the hour. country music star trace atkins stops by studio 57. see his tribute to the troops. >>> first, we'll get one more check of traffic and weather. keep it right here on 9news now. this country was built by working people. the economy needs manufacturing. machines, tools, people making stuff. companies have to invest in making things. infrastructure, construction, production. we ne

he laid that wreath just after 11:00 a.m. this morning.expected to deliver his remarks within the next couple of minutes at the 145th memorial day observance. the president, vice president and their wives will attend a special ceremony at the vietnam veterans memorial. that ceremony marks the 50th anniversary of u.s. involvement in the viet until war. as for other events shall other memorial day events around the country, there are thousands, of course, from mitt romney will be joined from former senator -- by senator john mccain, i should say. and veterans event in california. today's visits are more than just symbolic, though. the federal government is launching a 13-year program to honor vets, the program will also highlight new technology in military research. both the president and mitt romney areyi vng for support for military families today. especially important for that. >> thank you so much for that report. we will continue to wait to hear the president who is going to be speaking there very soon. >>> check on the midday traffic a

earlier this morning the president will lay a wreathe at the tomb of the unknowns at arlington cemetery and later he will be at the vietnam memorial in washington d.c. marking the 50th anniversary of the vietnam war. we will take you live to arlington national cemetery with all of the day's events. in just a couple of hours, all of the memorial day events will begin here. they will be in vallejo at 9:00 this morning and at 10:00, the 91st member nor you' all commemoration begins -- commemoration begins. they will stage an event at the all wars in danville. and san francisco mayor ed lee will speak and we have an entire list on our channel 2 website. just go to www.ktvu.com and look under hot topics. >>> thousands at the bay got quite a show. last night's golden gate bridge fireworks display featured fireworks. they also had songs like bridge over troubled water. the bridge was closed for about an hour for those fireworks and traffic was heavy after the show as cars lined up to san francisco. golden gate bridge officials had encouraged people to leave their cars at home and take public t

president obama will deliver remarks and will place a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. he will join vice-president joe biden this afternoon at the vietnam veterans memorial if. today's ceremony will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the vietnam war. >> the national memorial day parade starts at 2:00 today in downtown washington. korean war fighter pilot and u.s. astronaut buzz aldrin will be the honorary marshal. 5:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. that stretch of constitution avenue will be closed along with seven street from constitution to independence. the westbound memorial bridge will also be closed today. >> there was a damper on memorial day events in our area yesterday. organizers canceled the national memorial day concert along the national mall. >> ladies and gentlemen, you heard the capitol police. we do have a severe weather warning. ask that everybody leave in an orderly fashion if. >> halfway through the concert gary sinese told the audience to leave. country singer trace adkins and a rock bands have already performed before the plug was pulled. before the rain,

president obama is just about to place a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns.al ceremony, you can see guard is set up and waiting for the president. it's a busy day for the president as well, beca

at 11:00, there will be a league - -- a wreath-laying cemetery. including mayor ed lee, will speak at that ceremony. now, this has been going on for 24 years. this is video from last year's event. this comes just a day after large crowds gathered here to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the golden gate bridge. the day-long party ended with a spectacular works display. the view you are looking at in in video is from another vote -- at in this video is from another vote. earlier in the day, thousands of people came to crissy field and the presidio for music dancing as well as lectures about the golden gate bridge and its history. but today, back out here live, the focus shifts from the memorial day ceremony. you will an toil drive and park and oak es-- you will be able to drive and park at the cemetery. the ceremony starts at 11:00 a.m. allie rasmus, ktvu channel 2 news. back to you. >> thank you. >>> there are other services. at 10:00, the 91st annual commemoration ceremony starts in oakland. at 11:00, san francisco mayor, ed lee, will be speaking

standing room only at the wreath laying. later in a afternoon president obama will speak at the vietnam veterans memorial wall to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the war, there will be a wreath laid and 10 new names added to the wall. president regan and clinton are the only other two president's to speak at the wall. >>> miss america will also be with that live on fox 5 at 2:00 p.m. today. back here at arlington you can see the flags at each grave site. this year, army soldiers placed more than 260,000 flags it took them about three hours, and it is something that they have done here now, for the past 40 years. that is the latest here on memorial day, back to you. >> thank you sherry. >>> while president obama gets set for a whole day of remembrance, mitt romney will spend the day in san diego, first stop a tribute to service men and women at balboa park, then he will be joined by john mccain visiting the veterans museum, for many this added importance the 50th anniversary of the vietnam war. >>> rolling thunder rumbled

there will be a wreath laying ceremony at the world war ii memorial at 8:00 this morning. president obama and the first lady will be on hand for the wreath laying at the tum of the unknowns at arlington cemetery at 1:30 p.m. -- at the tomb of the unknowns at arlington cemetery at 1:30 p.m. >>> in other news, another bizarre barnyard animal tax in fairfax county. staffers at the kidwell barn at frying pan park in herndon discovered two goats, a calf and a chicken had all been cut or stabbed yesterday morning. just last month, some animals were attacked at a barn next door. >>> the syrian government is blamed for an attack in a city. women and children were killed during the attack. over the weekend, syrians rallied against the violence. the assad regime has denied allegations they were involved in the massacre. >>> strong wind gusts from tropical storm beryl are already being felt along parts of the coastal southeastern u.s. right now. the impending storm is causing some concern for both travelers and residents. mary ann rafferty has more. >> reporter: tropical storm beryl

there will be a number of speaker, wreaths will be laid honoring those who died. and really this are a number of events taking place at memorial service all around town. there's also a -- at memorials all around town. there's also a bunch of parades. we could see thunderstorms later this afternoon. that could impact some of the events later today. that's exactly what happened last night at the u.s. capitol. of course, the annual memorial day concert, a big event. there are lots of people who come to that event every single year. it started out well. trace adkins was able to perform, but that's when the severe weather began to roll

at 11:00, the president will be laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier. that is at arlington national cemetery a short time thereafter, about 20 minutes after that, the president will be delivering some remarks and then shortly before 2:00 p.m. this afternoon, the president will visit the vietnam war memorial on the national mall and will be delivering remarks there. a chan to look back at those who fought and died for this country, but also not only those long ago wars, but also those who fought and died in iraq and who are still fighting in afghanistan. carol? >> dan lothian live at the white house this morning. >>> the spirit of dan wheldon was riding with his friend dario franchitti as he took his third indy 500 win. takuma sato tried to pass him in the final lap but franchitti got the flag. franchitti hugged the winner of the wife of wheldon. >> yesterday was about paying tribute to dan for the whole month really and the fans and the teams and the drivers got behind that and the emotion of the day was incredible. but i think it was a fitting tribute

he will lay a wreath at the wall and deliver a speech. president obama follows in the footsteps of ronald regan and bill clinton the only two others to speak at memorial day services at the wall. ten names will be added to the wall this year. now before heading here to arlington, the president and first lady hosted a breakfast at the white house, for the gold star families, these are the families who have lost loved ones in the line of duty. now here at arlington national cemetery, you can see there are also all the flags out on the grave sites, those were all placed by soldiers over the last few days for memorial day, more than 250,000 of them. that is the latest here at arlington back to you. >>> thank you. >>> if you plan to ride metro you should know trains and metro buses are run orange a sunday schedule the system is open until midnight. off peak fare in effect and parking is free at all metro rail facilities, customer service offices will be closed in observance of the holiday. >>> a sculpture of that famous kiss from times square

he place ad wreath at the tomb of the unknown this morning.his afternoon he attended a ceremony at the vietnam veterans memorial. >>> a soldier returning to california from afghanistan had a memorial day homecoming she will never forget. >> that's right. her boyfriend was supposed to be in texas but he surprised her at the airport. then he surprised her again. >> reporter: today is the day. >> i'm so nervous. i'm not sure what to do. >> reporter: he waits patiently. nervously and as he has for months. this is a weekend most say thank you to people like ben who sacrificed through service. station he is supposed to be training in texas for his next deployment. it has been six months since he has seen robin. the love of his life, since coming home from deployment in afghanistan. >> i was going to try to hide the ring in my hat so she doesn't see it. >> reporter: shoes shrined, dress blue. >> i asked her father for permission a while back. he gave me his blessing. >> reporter: finally, the empty escalator turns full. robin is home and surprised to

day.taps being played played he layed a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns.it's a day... honoriig those who gave country... but whhse identities may never be knoww. later.... the commander in chief spoke at the memoriil day observance errmony at arlington national emetery... the end of the civil war... but honors all veterans now. while theii stories might be separated by hundreds of years rest here together side by - of thhm loved this country ch republican presidential candidate mitt romney aatenddd a memorial day tribute in san diego....nd said the best way to honor veterans... is to ensure america as aastronn mmlitary. here at home the governor paad tribute to maryland's fallen hheoes during a ceremooy at the garrison forest veteran's cemetary, in owings mills.the govenor urged all marylanders now serving and those who paid - with the ultimate sacrifice. 1:12-1:28" to all who lay heee &pin resrt on this day especially we gather to remember. we remember their coorage, we rememebr thierr sacrifice, sacrifice and service which can enever be rep. repaid.the ceremonyyinclu

. >> reporter: president barack obama is honoring them by laying a wreathe at the tomb of the unknown at arlington national cemetery. they made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. >> sending the troops is the most wrenching decision that i have to make and i can promise you i will never do so unless it is absolutely necessary and when we do we must give our troops a clear mission and the full support of the grateful nation. >> reporter: today's ceremony was the 15th day of rememberance at arlington. and along with vice-president joseph biden, and first lady michelle obama they attended the memorial wall and this year marks 50 years since the start of the vietnam war. they begin a 13-year program in which 38,000 died since 1975. >>> in san francisco a memorial day parade is underway and allie rasmus is where they are honoring veterans today. >> reporter: we are at the national cemetery and you can see a large crowd gathering behind me and right now they are listening to the first army bands showed up to turn out for this memorial day ceremony. a ceremony to honor fallen service mem

president obama is just about to place a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. as we take a look at live pictures right now of arlington national ceremony, you can see guard is set up and waiting for the president. it's a busy day for the president as well, because not only will he be doing that but he will move over to the veteran's memorial. rene is standing by. >> reporter: good morning. we are here at the u.s. marine corps war memorial. we have been here all morning. it's a stunning memorial to see in person. we have seen parents bringing their children here, and we have seen veterans themselves here, just taking a moment, a moment of silence to remember or remember those who have fallen and who have died for our country, and this memorial is right outside of arlington national cemetery, and we spoke to a couple of people today where they were headed from here and headed over to the cemetery for today's ceremony. we do expect momentarily that the president will arrive there at arlington national cemetery along with the first lady. he laid that wreath, and we

the uss northampton association and then they participated in a wreath laying ceremony.ssigned as a doomsday shift during the cold war. >> the ship we were on was the president's ship, the floating white house. we're having a special commemorative ceremony here today to have our ships model displayed on in the president's room at the navy memorial. >> very patriotic, it makes you feel proud to be an american. and we still have a heartbeat left in us yet. >> earlier today, rolling thunder also participated in a wreath laying at the navy memorial. neighbors and friends pounded the pavement today in buoy, maryland. dozens turned out for the annual memorial day weekend parade. the procession began at buoy, high school. people say they came out to celebrate america's heroes. >> i wanted to give thanks to all the americans that supported us. >> freedom is not free. you have to remember all those men and women and our armed services. >> this year's event featured high school marching bands, pipe and drums, and the steel band. it was a perfect night to ride your night around tow

minutes ago, president obama paid tribute to fallen service members with the traditional lending of the wreath at arlington national cemetery's tomb of the unknown. it is the first of several events the president will attend today and many of thence across the washington area today. also the first big getaway weekend for many people in the area. this is a live picture from rehoboth beach in delaware. a lot of beaches seeing a lot of activity. sunny skies and warm temperatures helping to kick off the tourist season. we start our memorial day coverage with abc 7's brianne carter live at the iwo jima memorial at the advance to remember fallen troops. >> sense of the sun has been up people have been out to the iwo jima memorial and others across town as they take a moment to pause and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. >> ♪ and the home of the brave ♪ >> thousands of cassettes -- sounds and sights of patriotism as many pause to mark memorial day. >> being in the area, everybody's got the american pride. >> at the iwo jima memorial in arlington, flags and flowers line the base of the i

president obama will be there a little bit later for a wreath-laying ceremony on this memorial day.lways an emotional shock. >>> well, this one is a familiar expression. the only thing certain in life are death and taxes. well, now experts say in this day in age add digital data. they say people need to remember to take care of things like online bank accounts to social networking information after they have passed to the afterlife. financial planners recommend designating a digital executer of your assets. >> take one document with the account name and the account number and another document with the pass words and keep those separate and someone can put them together if you died and figure all that out. >> and there are several online sites which offer digital estate planning help. >>> well, former british prime minister tony blair has just finished testifying into the investigation into that phone-hacking scandal that's been gripping britain. scott mcgrew has been keeping his eye on that. >> good morning, marla. this is that special commission set up that came under scrutiny afte

in 2004 in athens, they actually used the wreath as the official emblem of those games. might have seen it with some of the other british medalists receiving the gold medals. they stood on the medal ceremony table on the podium, and all the presesses will now process in great state from the temple of hera down toward the olympic stadium. the ceremony here has been watched by an i.o.c. member in great britain, by the chairman of the british olympic association, by the president of the international olympic committee, and also by the torch bearer, the president of the rio dejannier owe organizing committee for 2016. they really have thought about this. you said the nice symbolism of the first and second torch bear,, they've also got one from brazil to show this flame is eternal, and it goes on from city to city. >> and this really is one of the most beautiful parts of this, this very simple procession. as a local, you've seen this many times. do you still find it moving to watch each time? >> i do. i absolutely find this moving, and i can feel my skin trembling every time

as we look live at the president and the first lady laying a wreath at the vietnam veterans war memorial right now. good afternoon and happy memorial day. >> memorial day observances are being held all across the bay area today. >> one of the largest in the country happens right here in san fransisco. we saw washington is at san fransisco national cemetery in the presidio with more on that. >> the observance is still going on. it started 11:00 a.m. and you can probably hear people clapping behind me. there are a number of speakers of this will be going on for quite some time. earlier this morning we were able to speak to some of the veterans and the visitors here at the presidio to get their thoughts on why they observe memorial day. >> ♪ >> memorial day has special meaning for those attending the memorial day observance at the presidio. >> it feels good to be off of work but it is better to remember why we have memorial day rather than just fooling around off of work. >> he served in vietnam twice, he is the recipient of five purple hearts, even surviving being shot in the head. >> i wa

north hampton association participated in the wreath-laying ceremony. north hampton was assigned as a so-called doom's day ship during the cold war. >> the ship that we were on was the president's ship, the floating white house during the cold war administration. so we're having a special commemorative ceremony here today to have our ship's model displayed in the president's room. >> very patriotic, makes you feel proud to be an american. and we've still got a heartbeat left in us yet. >> earlier today, rolling thunder also participated in a wreath-laying at the navy memorial. >>> neighbors and friends pounded the pavement today in bowie, maryland. dozens turned out for the memorial day weekend parade. the procession began at bowie high school. people say they came out to celebrate america's heroes. >> definitely to give thanks to the veterans that supported our country. >> freedom is not free. you've got to remember all those men and women in our armed services. >> this year's event featured high school marching bands, pipes and drums, and the panquill

today, the president will lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns at arlington national cemetery.you see the fireworks over the golden gate bridge for the big anniversary last night? check it out on the left- hand side. this to the team of 75 people working for over two weeks on barges and on the bridge itself to pull this thing off. it was the first time the fireworks were ever fired from the golden gate bridge roadway as well as from the towers. the show inc. 4000 special effects. the control system inc. 20 computers. they had over 5 mi. of wire. a custom color of fireworks, golden gate orange, was invented. isn't that amazing? >>darya: that was totally worth a bridge closure. the major muni shut down in san francisco remains in effect for this entire week. >> a san jose teenager is dead and police are saying is a gang-related shooting. one of the mill shooting victims was a 16 year old. the other was not seriously injured. the police chief was just of the kron4 news yesterday talking about how he is trying to fight crime with a reduced budget. >> when we reduce the number of re

the president will lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. a little later he will visit the vietnam veterans memorial wall where he'll help mark 50 years of involvement since the beginning of the vietnam war. today's event begins a one three-year project to honor the veterans of that conflict, it will end on veterans day 2025, the 15th year since u.s. troops left what was then called saigon. gregg: o gregg: take a look the at vietnam conflict, it started 1962, it ended april 30th, 1975, the u.s. backed vietnam in an effort to keep the country from being overcome by communist forces in the north, more than 58,000 american troops were killed, as of the last count inducted in 2001, there are 1948 troops listed as missing in action from that one three-year war. julie: it's so important because amid the barbecues and the mattress sales and the blowout sales, this is obviously a time to remember what memorial day is really about, the men and women in uniform who obviously make the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom every day and today in our nation

he will lay the wreath here. this is a tradition that dates back so many years. what is more incredible perhaps, is memorial day was first observed back in 1868, and it was called decoration day back then. it was a day that was set aside to honor those who were killed in the united states civil war. 600,000 people killed in the civil war. back in 1868, that's when the first memorial day was. it's good to remember that as we take a break and enjoy the barbecues and sunshine, and this is the day to remember our fallen heroes and a good day to commemorate those who have come home from iraq and afghanistan, and are struggling to get back into the struggling economy as well. we watch these scenes play out outside of the arlington national cemetery, and it's incredible sight, and a lot of tourists today watching the commemorations as they happen throughout the day. watching the itinerary for president obama, a phenomenal event. the defense secretary will be there and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff will be there, and the united states marine corps band, and t

this is one of two wreath laying ceremonies of the navy in northwest. the navy memorial features the lone sailor statue representing everyone who served in the military at sea. >>> the family of a ft. meade marine hopes to know tomorrow what led to his death last week. private anthony romanocaruso, ii of found in his barracks wednesday. he was 19 years old. we spoke to his father on the phone from north carolina. investigators have not said how he died. >> he was loving the marines is all i know. he was having a good time. i've heard of no trouble. he was in good health as far as i know. it's just a big shock. >> romanocaruso came from a long line of military service members. >>> a disturbing case of animal cruelty in northern virginia. who is stabbing animals in a fairfax county farm? find out why police are having a tough time with this puzzling mystery next. >> coming up tonight on the news edge at 11:00 it was the day to honor our nation's heros, but some vietnam vets don't feel so honored. they were turned away from a ceremony they attend of year.

. >> on this day, president obama will lay a wreath on the tomb of the unknowns. one war in what appears to be the end of another. tracie potts reports from capitol hill. >> reporter: rolling thunder invades washington, hundreds of thousands of bikers remembering their fallen colleagues from vietnam. >> i have 17 brothers on the wall. and this is the best way to honor their memory. >> reporter: but 50 years later, they also mourn those lost and captured in afghanistan. bo has been a p.o.w. there for three years. >> you are not forgotten. and so help me god, you will come home. we will not leave you behind. >> reporter: thunderstorms cut short this weekend's memorial day concert featuring "american idol" finalist jessica sanchez. today with flags on every grave at arlington cemetery, president obama will place a wreath at the tomb of the unknown and visit the vietnam memorial. >> not just to remember them on memorial day -- >> reporter: his pullout from afghanistan scheduled for 2014 continues to draw criticism this memorial day. >> the entire region believes that

we will have live coverage of president obama laying a wreath at the tomb. the president will make his way for the -- to the epic theater where he will deliver his remarks -- the amphitheater. more live coverage from the vietnam war memorial. we expect to hear from general martin dempsey beginning at 1:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. the u.s. air force academy in colorado springs hosted the national character and leadership symposium. one of the speakers was h. ross perot. he talks to the cadets about leadership lessons. we hear stories about medal of honor winners. this is about 50 minutes. >> ladies and gentlemen, a man of integrity. he has continued to serve our nation. he has received many distinct honors, the highest civilian honor bestowed upon the department of defense. please join me in welcoming mr. ross perot. [applause] >> it is and not to be with all honor to be is and hon with all of you. he is an incredible man. he cannot be with us here today because of severe health problems. he is an oklahoma cowboy. he was selected by the air force to retra

the annual wreath laying will take place at the tomb of the unknown soldier.he national memorial day parade starts at 2:00 p.m. also at 2:00 the annual memorial day observance at the vietnam veterans memorial and the national moment of remembrance that happens at 3:00 when everyone is asked to observe one minute of silence in honor of those who have given their life for our country. >>> in other news, the preparations are under way for this week's public farewells to the godfather of go-go chuck brown. it starts with a public viewing for the d.c. music legend tomorrow 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the howard theatre northwest. then the community can attend a memorial on thursday from noon to 3:00 at the washington convention center. as you may remember the 75-yard brown died may 16 weeks after being hospitalized with knew money ya. generations of fans -- pneumonia. generations of fans have paused to celebrate his life. people are urged to use public transportation. if you can't make it, we'll broadcast the memorial live here on our air and our website wusa9.com.

the events include a wreath-laying ceremony and a moment of silence.e that, the president will attend a ceremony at arlington national cemetery. >>> mitt romney will be spending his memorial day in san diego where he and senator john mccain will pay tribute to the men and women serving our country. it is an event planned for later in the week with donald trump that is drawing the most headlines. many are saying trump's later remarks about president obama's citizenship could cost him votes in november. romney supporters are trying to keep the conversation on the president's record. >> the fact is this president's been president for 3 1/2 years. he had a chance to fix it and it's not fibbed on gasoline, not fixed on the economy, it's not fixed on the deficit. >> gingrich says he plans to join romney at one of trump's upcoming fundraisers at his upscale las vegas hotel. >>> 6:48. while the focus this summer is on romney and president obama, some are wondering who will run in 2016. one of the names already being mentioned, maryland governor martin o'malley

there will be a number of speaker, wreaths will be laid honoring those who died. and really this are a number of events taking place at memorial service all around town. there's also a -- at memorials all around town. there's also a bunch of parades. we could see thunderstorms later this afternoon. that could impact some of the events later today. that's exactly what happened last night at the u.s. capitol. of course, the annual memorial day concert, a big event. there are lots of people who come to that event every single year. it started out well. trace adkins was able to perform, but that's when the severe weather began to roll into the area. they basically put out a warning saying that they believe the thunder and lightning was on the way. they asked everybody to evacuate. that evacuation was orderly. but the concert had to be cut short. needless to say, a lot of visitors were disappointed. >> everybody was enjoying themselves, and all of a sudden they said prepare for an evacuation. the police came. said stand up. get moving. don't stop. keep moving. and they

present a anomaly be placing a wreath at the site. this happens at the memorial day.le celebration where the bay area as a celebrated the 75th anniversary have >>darya: it is a little mild today is that james. >>james: we're focusing it warming up this week. it will be mild today. as get traffic. >>erica: we do not have any hot spots to talk about. we have a light conditions all about the bay area. there are no backups to deal with. it is an incident free for all the freeways. it is a smooth and easy ride coming out of were in county on 101 southbound. >>mark: president obama will be paying tribute to for fallen warriors. >> mitt romney will be in san diego with john mccain. they will be honoring war veterans. here's what's happening around the bay area. amid this morning. braving the cold water is will tran as at an annual event. you can't >>will: residency this, it's been seven minutes of the swimmers have been in the water. i'm at the finish line. waiting for at slimmest your ride. we are looking at the 10015 swimmers. -- we're looking at 115 swimmers. you can see

troops observed memorial day in kabul, afghanistan with a wreath laying ceremony. the top u.s.ommander in afghanistan read a letter written by an american soldier to his family before he died earlier this year. general john allen said the words of marine sergeant william stacy speak for all fallen troops. the 23-year-old stacy wrote, "it would be worth giving his life for the safety of an afghan child who may one day change the world." at least 1,851 members of the u.s. military have died in afghanistan since the u.s. led invasion of 2001. [ bugle playing taps ] >>> a lone bugler place taps at the arlington cemetery, but across the nation today that something was missing and now people are volunteering to fill the space. bruce leshan is here with that. >> what is missing is a live bugler. there's actually a nationwide shortage of buglers and trumpeters to offer our country's final thanks to our veterans. 66 years old. struggling with cancer and the after effects of a stroke, retired navy musician doug sorenson braved the heat to play taps on memorial day at the cheltonham cemet

wreaths to pay tribute. more than 600,000 u.s. service men and women have died in war. >> 5:27. 73 degrees on tv hill. >> picture ads on the side of fire trucks. >> it is graduation day at the u.s. naval academy. >> a big day for the mitt romney campaign. when a new poll shows about veteran support for both candidates. >> keeping an eye on latest tropical storm. details are coming up. >> we will give you up to date on what to expect on the roads >> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning, everybody. welcome back to 11 news today. i'm stan stovall. >> and i'm mindy basara. thanks for joining us for 11 news today. are things going to cool off a call today?-- cool off today? >> it will take a couple days. it was hot yesterday. 98 degrees at the inner harbor when you factor in the humidity. we hit 93 at the airport. that it still stand. 73 right now at the airport with 87% humidity. the high temperature to be up near 90 degrees at the airport. 92 degrees downtown. a cold front approaching. we could h

our president will be there a little bit later on to lay a wreath right there. your time now is 6:11. >>> and for the latest news, traffic, and weather and all sorts of stimulating conversation, come find us on facebook, nbc bay area. >>> got to imagine the golden gate bridge exhausted after that weekend of partying out there. so tired its head is kind of in the clouds. actually those are fog clouds there, and i'm sure the hangover is spectacular. it was quite the celebration for the golden gate bridge's 75th anniversary. it is 6:14. >>> well, new this morning, at least 24 more people are dead after artillery hit a central syrian city overnight. and this brings the death toll to well over 100 in a very violent weekend in that country. activists are blaming government troops. this amateur video claims to show protesters filling the streets across the city sunday. the video has not been independently verified by nbc. the u.n. observers say saturday's killings involve the use of artillery. >> the evidence is clear, the evidence is not murky. and there is a clear fo

and there you see the wreaths. in san diego.o on this veterans day, president obama just arrived at the vietnam veterans memorial in washington. we were told he was at arlington national cemetery earlier today. he will be speaking soon. marking the 50th anniversary of the start of the vietnam war. so as we wait for the president, i'm joined now by nbc news military analyst, retired general barry mccaffrey, and retired general wesley clark. both of their long military careers include service in vietnam and our thanks to you gentlemen for your service as well as for sharing this memorial day with us. we were talking a little earlier about the wall. 247 feet almost of black granite. on it now, i am told, are inscribed the names of 58,282 mostly men, and some women. and what, what does the wall, what does this day bring to mind for you, general clark? >> i think about all of those people that i know whose names are on that wall. i lost 30 west point classmates there. first classmate we had killed was killed just six months of gradua

and there you see the wreaths. in san diego.o on this veterans day, president obama just arrived at the vietnam veterans memorial in washington. we were told he was at arlington national cemetery earlier today. he will be speaking soon. marking the 50th anniversary of the start of the vietnam war. so as we wait for the president, i'm joined now by nbc news military analyst, retired general barry mccaffrey, and retired general wesley clark. both of their long military careers include service in vietnam and our thanks to you gentlemen for your service as well as for sharing this memorial day with us. we were talking a little earlier about the wall. 247 feet almost of black granite. on it now, i am told, are inscribed the names of 58,282 mostly men, and some women. and what, what does the wall, what does this day bring to mind for you, general clark? >> i think about all of those people that i know whose names are on that wall. i lost 30 west point classmates there. first classmate we had killed was killed just six months of gradua

then he heads, as you mentioned, to the traditional ceremony, where he will lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown in arlington national cemetery. and then something a bit different this memorial day. president obama will head to the vietnam veterans' memorial wall to mark the 50th anniversary of the start of the vietnam war. he will also deliver remarks at that event. and he issued this presidential proclamation to correspond with this event, and i believe we have a graphic of it and i'm going to read you just a little bit of that, thomas. president obama saying, "beginning on memorial day 2012, the federal government will partner with local governments, private organizations, and communities across america to participate in the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the vietnam war. a 13-year program to honor and give thanks to a generation of proud americans who saw our country through one of the most challenging missions we have ever faced." so that certainly making this memorial day a little bit unique, thomas, as president obama and the vice president mark this 50th annivers

roll b thunder will come through and lay a wreath too. and the high school band out of ohio will be here and they will perform some jazz music as well. so lots of things to do here the next couple days. we're live downtown. derek ward, news4. >> thank you for that report. >>> thousands of people turned out last night for a special ceremony at the vietnam veterans memorial. [ bag pipes ] >> people marched silently to remember the more than 58,000 servicemen and women who died in the vietnam war. in the world war ii mel moral, people placed cards and flowers to pay respect. we spoke to a war vet who says he appreciates the more than 400,000 americans who died in world war ii. >> it's an honor just to get up to go to them and say thanks for what you did. we're taking the baton from you and we learned a lot of our lessons from you. >>> tomorrow night hundreds of thousands of people will gather on the west lawn of the national cap pal tr a concert. form's show features trace adkins, daughtry, and the national symphony orchestra. >>> millions o

then he heads, as you mentioned, to the traditional ceremony, where he will lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown in arlington national cemetery. and then something a bit different this memorial day. president obama will head to the vietnam veterans' memorial wall to mark the 50th anniversary of the start of the vietnam war. he will also deliver remarks at that event. and he issued this presidential proclamation to correspond with this event, and i believe we have a graphic of it and i'm going to read you just a little bit of that, thomas. president obama saying, "beginning on memorial day 2012, the federal government will partner with local governments, private organizations, and communities across america to participate in the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the vietnam war. a 13-year program to honor and give thanks to a generation of proud americans who saw our country through one of the most challenging missions we have ever faced." so that certainly making this memorial day a little bit unique, thomas, as president obama and the vice president mark this 50th annivers

. >> a wreath-laying ceremony honored those killed in iraq and in world war ii. >> and let's give credit to boy scouts, they're responsible. you can see behind me they are responsible for decorating each grave with american flags. >> and thank you. the first african american to ever fly a b abomber was the guest of honor in a memorial day ceremony in san bruno today. captain less williams one of the original tuskeegee airmen. >> men who had to be very, very patriotic. you know? we had to put aside the way things naturally were with prejudice and discrimination. and fight, because it's our country. >> the ceremony did not just remember fallen soldiers, current members and veterans of the first brigade air assault team were honored as a tradition dating back to vietnam war. >> in benecia a flyover honored those who gave their lives to serve the country. and interest there 300 people gathered here on the west coast. veterans from the civil war to korean war are buried there. >> and there is a memorial day ceremony in vallejo. that followed tradition. many got a history lesson as well. and i

on the memorial day he will lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown in cemetery in virginia. he wants to pause and think about sacrifices that have been made. >> no words can ever bring back a loved one who has been lost. no ceremony can do justice and no honor can feel their absence. but we want to let them know, the families are not alone. we give thanks for those that sacrificed everything so we be free. >> after laying the wreath, they plan to visit the vietnam war memorial to observe the beginning of the observance of the 50th anniversary of the vietnam war. an observance like no other. it's going to last 13 years until veterans' day 2025. >> happening right now, thousands of scouts and volunteers are decorating the graves at golden gate national cemetery in san bruno. it is a huge job making sure that each grave marker gets one. there are 138,000 of them. it's one of the largest national cemeteries. it dates back more than 50 years. if you are interested go out to the cemetery and volunteer. they would love to see you. coming up next, the bay area's historic earthquake.