WASHINGTON — President Obama saluted veterans and urged the public to do the same this Memorial Day weekend, saying the nation has not always paid them proper respect.

In his weekly radio and Internet address yesterday, Obama said people can honor soldiers or veterans by sending a letter or care package to troops overseas, volunteering at health clinics or taking supplies to a homeless veterans' center. He said it could also be something as simple as saying "thank you" to a veteran walking by on the street.

"We have a responsibility to serve all of them as well as they serve all of us," Obama said. "And yet, all too often in recent years and decades, we, as a nation, have failed to live up to that responsibility. We have failed to give them the support they need or pay them the respect they deserve."

The president plans to attend a Memorial Day ceremony tomorrow at Arlington National Cemetery.