Washington ( CNN ) -- President Obama paid tribute Wednesday to those who have lost their lives in the nation 's wars as well as to the men and women who currently serve . `` There 's no tribute , no commemoration , no praise that can truly match the magnitude of your service and your sacrifice , '' he said in a speech at Arlington National Cemetery on a rainy , overcast Veterans Day . `` We call this a holiday , but for many veterans , it 's another day of memories that drive them to live their lives each day as best as they possibly can , '' he said . `` For our troops , it is another day in harm 's way . For their families , it is another day to feel the absence of a loved one and the concern for their safety . For our wounded warriors , it is another day of slow recovery . And in this national cemetery , it is another day when grief remains fresh . '' He vowed that `` America will do right '' by its troops . `` To all who served in every battle in every war , we say that it 's never too late to say thank you . '' Earlier Wednesday , the president and first lady Michelle Obama also walked through Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery , CNN 's Jill Dougherty reported . The section is where service members from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried . There , the Obamas stopped to talked to relatives and friends of those who have died . Skip and Rhonda Rollins of New Hampshire were visiting the gravesite of their son , Justin , who was killed in Iraq in 2007 . He would have turned 25 on Tuesday . The couple said they were `` extremely surprised '' to see Obama `` take the time to speak with the families '' in Section 60 . Although he said he generally holds different political views from those of the president , Skip Rollins said that supporting American soldiers , both living and dead , `` should always be a nonpartisan issue . '' He added , `` It was extremely nice of him to take this time out to come down here and do this . '' The couple said they make the trip to their son 's grave each year around this time for their son 's birthday and for Veterans Day . `` It 's not just my son that I mourn for ; when I see all the others ' stones , the ages of the soldiers , and you know they 've given the ultimate sacrifice for all of us . And you know it 's hard for me to leave , to leave my son , '' Rhonda Rollins said . Earlier Wednesday , the president laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns in the cemetery . He then stood solemnly as a bugle played taps . Some onlookers watched from under umbrellas . Veterans Day comes a day after Obama addressed 15,000 people at a memorial service at Fort Hood Army Post , where 13 people were killed and dozens more were wounded in a shooting last week . The president told the families of those killed that `` no words can fill the void that has been left , '' adding , `` your loved ones endure through the life of our nation . '' The suspected gunman in the attack is a 39-year-old Army psychiatrist , Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan , who remains in intensive care at an Army hospital in San Antonio , Texas . Later Wednesday , Obama discussed with his war council scenarios to move forward in Afghanistan . One scenario , a senior administration official and U.S. military official independently confirmed , calls for sending about 34,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan . Other nations honored those who sacrificed their lives in wars on Wednesday , in many cases for the first time without any surviving veterans of World War I . Services took place around the world to mark the 91st anniversary of the armistice signed between Germany and the Allies on November 11 , 1918 . Depending on where it is celebrated , the day is known as Armistice Day , Remembrance Day , Poppy Day or Veterans Day . In Britain , Queen Elizabeth led Remembrance Day ceremonies in Westminster Abbey , a service also attended by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and other senior politicians and military leaders . In Paris , French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel held a ceremony under the Arc de Triomphe . Australians observed one minute silence at 11 a.m. in memory of those who died or suffered in all of the nation 's wars and armed conflicts . `` Their loss is a reminder that there is nothing glorious about war . Those called upon to fight know that better than anyone , '' said Gen. Peter Cosgrove , chairman of the Council of the Australian War Memorial . CNN 's Leslie Bentz contributed to this report .
`` No praise ... can truly match the magnitude of your service , '' he tells veterans . America will do right by its troops , Obama promises . Nations around the world take day to honor fighting men and women .