ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — President Barack Obama calls it “the most wrenching decision” that he’s had to make — the decision to send troops into harm’s way.

At Arlington National Cemetery on this Memorial Day, he paid tribute to the men and women who have died in service to their country, saying the United States must strive “to be a nation worthy of your sacrifice.”

Obama noted that for the first time in nine years Americans “are not fighting and dying in Iraq” and the war in Afghanistan is “winding down.”

But he also concedes the pain of war lingers for the families of those lost in battle. Obama pointed out that mourners can be seen daily at Arlington National Cemetery daily, not just on Memorial Day.