Australian Prime Minister Lays Wreath at Arlington During US Trip

Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese pauses after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery October in Arlington, Virginia on Oct. 23, 2023. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington National Cemetery in the United States.

The Australian leader is in the United States on an official visit at the invitation of U.S. President Joe Biden.

“The United States’ relationship with Australia is our most important,” Mr. Albanese said in a video posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Oct. 24.

While at Arlington National Cemetery, Mr. Albanese paid respect to fallen servicemen and women, as well as two Australians buried at Arlington.

These include pilot officer Francis Milne, who lost his life in World War II, and Yvonne Kennedy, who died on Sept. 11, 2001, during the terrorist attacks on the United States.

Ms. Kennedy was on American Airlines Flight 77, which was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon in Washington D.C. while Mr. Milne, a pilot, died during an air mission while serving on Nov. 26, 1942.

Mr. Albanese offered his respect to those who have “given their lives in the cause of freedom and liberty.”

“I think it is a great honour and something that Australians, when they visit the United States, will often go, as I did, as a visitor, just to go and to pay respect to those who have given their life in the service of their nation,” Mr. Albanese said.

“But importantly, as well, because of the common values that Australia and the United States have, given their lives in the cause of freedom and liberty. And today was a great honour for me to place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, honouring all of the fallen servicemen and women who are buried there at Arlington.”

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Mr. Albanese also paid respect to the three U.S. Marines who died on Aug. 27 when their military aircraft crashed during a routine training exercise near the Tiwi Islands in northern Australia.

“May they rest in peace. And their families, of course, I express, here on U.S. soil, my condolences as prime minister of Australia for this very sad loss. Australia and the United States have always been close partners. And of course, we have collaborated in times of war and in times of peace,” Mr. Albanese said.

“And it is a reminder, as was the tragic loss of four [Australian Defence Force or ADF] personnel in the Whitsundays during Talisman Sabre, that those people who serve their nation in uniform put their lives at risk each and every day in order to defend their country.”

The official visit to the United States will also include a state dinner at the White House with Mr. Biden and First Lady Jill Biden on Oct. 25.

U.S. Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy, and Australia’s Ambassador to the U.S. Kevin Rudd, greeted Mr. Albanese on the tarmac when he landed in the United States on Oct. 23 afternoon.

The prime minister, posting on social media, said the friendship between Australia and the United States ran deep.

“Generations of our service men and women have fought together for peace. And together, we honour those brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country,” Mr. Albanese said.