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-Live from our Nation's capital,

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Downloaded from
YTS.MX

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it's the 34th
annual National Memorial Day con

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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX

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Now, please welcome country
music superstar, Trace Adkins.

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-We commandeer a corner table

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At our small town diner

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Just five or six old men
throwin' out corny ol' one-liner

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They pat the heads of children

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Give friendly nods to strangers

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They sure seem quick to laugh

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Makes you think they're slow to

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Those guys were front-line broth

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Their lives depended on each oth

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They were soldiers
long before they were men

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Yeah, the ones that somehow surv

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Came home, went on to build thei

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Never chargin' us a penny
for the debt we owe to them

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But you can almost smell the gun

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And the foxholes that they share

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On the days they raise their cof

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And toast the empty chair

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They'll ask you where you're fro

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What you do, what you've done

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But don't go thinkin' they're al

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'Cause you wouldn't wanna piss t

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Those guys were front-line broth

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Their lives depended on each oth

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They were soldiers
long before they were men

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Yeah, the ones that somehow surv

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Came home, went on to build thei

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Never chargin' us a penny
for the debt we owe to them

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But you can almost smell the gun

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And the foxholes that they share

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On the days they raise their cof

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And toast the empty chair

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They'll tell you anything you wa

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But there's one place they just

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'Cause they don't wanna ruin our

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By tellin' us the things they've

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Those guys were front-line broth

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Their lives depended on each oth

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They were soldiers
long before they were men

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Yeah, the ones that somehow surv

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Came home, went on to build thei

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Never chargin' us a penny

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for the debt we owe to them

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And you can almost smell the gun

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And the foxholes that they share

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On the days they raise their cof

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And toast the empty chair

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To the brother who ain't there

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We salute you

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[applause]

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-Now, welcome to the 34th
annual National Memorial Day con

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Tonight's special guests are;
country music superstar, Trace A

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gospel legend, Yolanda Adams,

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Screen Actors Guild winner, John

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Emmy Award winner,
S. Epatha Merkerson,

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multi-platinum recording artist,
Phillip Phillips,

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Tony Award nominee,
Mary McCormack,

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Screen Actors Guild winner Dule

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Country Music Association Award
Jo Dee Messina,

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acclaimed television and film ac
Chosen Jacobs,

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Academy of Country Music Award n
The War and Treaty,

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and Tony Award nominee,
Megan Hilty.

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Featuring the National Symphony

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conducted by Maestro Jack Everly

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and General Mark A. Milley,

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chairman of the Joint Chiefs of

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and The Joint Chiefs of Staff,
The US Army Herald Trumpets,

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The US Army Chorus,

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The Soldiers' Chorus
of the US Army Field Band,

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the US Navy Band Sea Chanters,

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The US Air Force Singing Sergean

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The Armed Forces Color Guard
and Service Color Teams,

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and Patrick Lundy
in the Ministers of Music.

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The National Memorial Day
Concert is made possible by

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the National Park Service,

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Department of the Army,

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the Corporation for
Public Broadcasting,

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and by contributions
to your PBS station

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from viewers like you.

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Thank you.

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And now, here are
tonight's co-hosts,

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Tony Award winner, Joe Mantegna

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and Emmy Award Winner, Gary Sini

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Thank you for joining us on the
National Memorial Day Concert.

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This is my 22nd year doing this

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and my 16th year co-hosting
with my dear friend, Gary.

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Speaking for both of us,

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there is nothing we do
that is more important

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and more meaningful.

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-For 34 years,

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this concert has served
as the Memorial Service for the

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a way for all of us regardless o
who we are,

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where we live,

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or what our background is

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to join together as one

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and to unite in tribute to all
who gave their lives for our cou

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-We reflect and remember
the sacrifice of the fallen,

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of our Gold Star families,

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and we honor their resilience.

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-We honor wounded,

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ill and injured veterans here
with us tonight

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from Walter Reed
National Military Medical Center

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and Fort Belvoir Hospital.

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-On this day,

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we pay tribute to all who serve
and who have served

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in the long and proud history
of our country.

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For whether our nation
is at war or at peace,

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they always give so much.

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Please join us in showing our ap
for all these true American hero

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[applause]

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-Now, please stand if you can,

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or stand for those who cant,

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with hand on heart or salute

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for our National Anthem,
performed by Grammy-winning gosp

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Yolanda Adams.

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[music]

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Oh, oh Say can you see

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By the dawn's early lighth

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What so proudly we hailed

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At the twilight's last gleaming

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Whose broad stripes

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And bright stars

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Through the perilous fight

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O'er the ramparts we watched

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Were so gallantly streaming

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And the rocket's red glare

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The bombs bursting in air

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Gave proof

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Through the night

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That our flag was still there

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Oh say does that
star-spangled banner yet wave

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O'er the land of the free
and the home of the brave.

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[crowd cheering]

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-Thank you, Yolanda.

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We are all aware that the scars
of the Vietnam War run deep.

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We remember and honor all those
who served in Vietnam;

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those who came home
and those who tragically did not

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Your courage will never be forgo

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To all our Vietnam veterans, wel

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[crowd cheering]

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The Vietnam War has been over
for half a century,

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but even now,
the images from that era remain

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Vietnam was a never-ending night

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The war came at our troops
from everywhere;

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impenetrable jungle valleys,
forbidden hill country,

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cities consumed by destruction.

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From 1964 to 1973,

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more than three million
deployed to South East Asia.

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Amidst the horrors of battle,
our troops forged life-long bond

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Over 150,000 Americans were woun

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58,220 were killed.

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Their names are now engraved
in our nations memory.

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Sadly,

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many remain unaccounted for.

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Families whose loved ones
are still missing-in-action,

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ache from uncertainty.

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For the prisoners of war
who suffered unspeakable cruelty

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coming home was only the first s
in the journey to recovery.

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50 years ago, this past March,
the last remaining US troops lef

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and the final group
of American prisoners of war wer

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and left Hanoi.

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Here,

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to share the story
of one of those former POWs,

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Air Force pilot Carlyle "Smitty"
and his wife Louise,

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our acclaimed actors, John Slatt
and Mary McCormack.

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-I loved flying.

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During the Korean War,

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I enlisted in the Air Force
and came back an instructor pilo

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You go on a lot of dates
as a young airman.

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Then, I met Louise.

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I introduced her to some friends
as Jane by mistake.

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-I came right back
and said, "Yeah, Tarzan,

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you better get my name right."

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I knew Smitty
was committed to Air Force life.

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I knew what I'd signed up for.

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By the time we were sent to Okin
we had two beautiful girls,

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and I was eight months pregnant.

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-It was April of '65.

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Our first big target was a bridg

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used by the North Vietnamese
as part of the Ho Chi Minh Trail

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I fired my missiles right
at the center of the bridge.

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Perfect sight, perfect angle,
prefect air speed,

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but I didn't get very far.

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One of the enemy gunners
scored a hit on my engine.

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The whole plane was burning
so I ejected.

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I went from fire and noise and c

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into absolute silent.

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I passed from the known into the

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I landed in a large Vietnamese v
and was captured immediately.

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They stripped off all my gear
down to my shorts

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and I was shoved
onto the backseat of a truck

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with an armed guard next to me.

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That was the last thing I saw

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before I was blindfolded.

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-My phone rang
about five o'clock in the mornin

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It was my mother.

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She said, "We've just heard

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Smitty's been shot down
in Southeast Asia."

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The next thing I knew, the casua
was knocking on my door.

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They told me Smitty
was considered missing in action

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I said to myself,

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"He's still alive, because if he

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I would know it."

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-The prison was called Wallow.

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It meant hellhole.

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Later, our POWs called it
the Hanoi Hilton.

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The cell was seven by seven,

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the stench took my breath away.

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Every day and night,
there were interrogations.

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I got knocked all over the place
because I wouldn't answer their

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I remember the pain of iron shac
at the foot of the bunk.

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Sometimes a heavy iron bar
was added on top.

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My hands were tied behind me.

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I prayed for the pain to end.

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The realization sank in
that I wasn't going home to my f

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not today,

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not tomorrow,

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maybe never.

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-Smitty had been missing for 38
when I went into labor.

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I drove myself to the hospital i

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45 minutes later,

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Carlisle Smith Harris Jr. was bo

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My tears of joy were tinged with
that Smitty wasn't there to gree

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but I refused to go to dark plac

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I thought,

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if Smitty can do what he's doing

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I can handle this.

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-After months in solitary,

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I was joined by four other POWs
in this eight-cell unit.

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The guards would punish us if we

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I remembered our instructor back
in Escape and Invasion School

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telling us how English POWs
during World War II

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exchanged messages
by tapping on a water pipe.

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By chance, I knew the tap code a
and taught it to the others.

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We tapped all the time for conne

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and humor to share about our fam

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It saved our sanity and helped u

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Through the tap code,
we developed a brotherhood.

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Guys would come back
from a torture session,

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and the first thing they would h

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on the cell wall,

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God Bless You,

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to know they weren't alone.

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I heard it myself.

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I might be in the fetal position
but I heard it.

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-I barely recognized Smitty
when I finally saw his picture.

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The one taking the Hanoi march.

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Seeing him alive was such a reli

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but it was also terrifying.

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-They handcuffed us together in

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and marched us
through the main square of Hanoi

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The crowd had been whipped up
into a frenzy of hate.

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They wanted blood.

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We were beat up
as we went down the narrow stree

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00:17:05,833 --> 00:17:09,433
It went on and on for two miles.

260
00:17:10,600 --> 00:17:13,400
Things in the camps got worse af

261
00:17:14,100 --> 00:17:19,033
Summer of 1969
became known as the Summer of Ho

262
00:17:19,700 --> 00:17:21,100
-We were told not to say anythin

263
00:17:21,100 --> 00:17:24,733
about Smitty's situation
outside of immediate family,

264
00:17:25,066 --> 00:17:27,166
or it might affect his treatment

265
00:17:27,600 --> 00:17:28,900
It was difficult,

266
00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:31,500
but I didn't want anything I sai

267
00:17:31,500 --> 00:17:34,200
to reflect on
what was happening to Smitty.

268
00:17:35,033 --> 00:17:37,300
-When I was shot down, I weighed

269
00:17:37,900 --> 00:17:41,000
Dysentery dropped me
to less than 90 pounds.

270
00:17:41,566 --> 00:17:46,066
My tap code brothers passed the
on to our senior ranking officer

271
00:17:46,333 --> 00:17:50,933
because all my fellow POWs
stood up for me and threatened t

272
00:17:50,933 --> 00:17:52,466
I was given medicine.

273
00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:56,566
Every man who demanded help from
he might be tortured,

274
00:17:56,566 --> 00:17:58,233
but they did it anyway.

275
00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:01,800
-Over the eight years, Smitty wa

276
00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:03,833
I had one prayer,

277
00:18:04,766 --> 00:18:06,633
let him come back home.

278
00:18:08,500 --> 00:18:13,100
The only place I could allow
my grief and fear and sadness to

279
00:18:13,300 --> 00:18:14,966
was alone in the bathroom.

280
00:18:15,933 --> 00:18:18,500
I would stand up and wipe away m

281
00:18:18,866 --> 00:18:21,300
I had to be strong for our child

282
00:18:22,333 --> 00:18:23,933
-The last day at Hanoi Airport,

283
00:18:23,933 --> 00:18:26,866
after the Paris Peace Agreements
were announced,

284
00:18:26,866 --> 00:18:30,833
we marched out to the ramp
in military formation.

285
00:18:30,833 --> 00:18:32,966
Our captors hated that.

286
00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:36,366
None of us knew
what we might face at home.

287
00:18:37,166 --> 00:18:38,566
When we landed,

288
00:18:39,066 --> 00:18:43,000
there were 2000 people
cheering and waving American fla

289
00:18:43,566 --> 00:18:47,066
Our release was the only good ne
that had come out of Vietnam.

290
00:18:48,533 --> 00:18:52,233
-The night before Smitty came ho
I looked in the mirror and wonde

291
00:18:52,900 --> 00:18:55,966
have I changed in the last eight

292
00:18:56,566 --> 00:18:59,333
Deep down I knew I wasnt the sa

293
00:19:00,033 --> 00:19:01,633
I was tougher,

294
00:19:02,233 --> 00:19:03,233
stronger.

295
00:19:04,833 --> 00:19:08,033
As I waited for Smitty to call,

296
00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:13,200
"Please make him say something
that lets me know he feels the w

297
00:19:13,633 --> 00:19:15,700
-It just popped out of me.

298
00:19:15,700 --> 00:19:16,833
I said,

299
00:19:17,066 --> 00:19:19,100
"Hi, Jane. This is Tarzan."

300
00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:23,100
-It was perfect.

301
00:19:24,133 --> 00:19:26,666
Just perfect.

302
00:19:29,066 --> 00:19:31,233
-The first time
I met my eight-year-old son

303
00:19:31,233 --> 00:19:33,866
was at Maxwell Air Force Base.

304
00:19:34,666 --> 00:19:38,033
Hugging him and my two girls,

305
00:19:38,866 --> 00:19:40,633
it was a taste of heaven.

306
00:19:42,466 --> 00:19:44,200
-Not everyone was as lucky.

307
00:19:44,433 --> 00:19:47,466
Other returning POWs
found their wives had left them

308
00:19:47,466 --> 00:19:50,533
or they ended up
divorced in the first year.

309
00:19:51,466 --> 00:19:54,233
Too many of them didnt come bac

310
00:19:54,633 --> 00:19:56,700
-Some died in captivity,

311
00:19:56,700 --> 00:19:58,433
some by suicide.

312
00:19:59,100 --> 00:20:00,266
In my mind,

313
00:20:00,266 --> 00:20:02,033
they all died in action.

314
00:20:02,966 --> 00:20:05,300
We've lost so many more in recen

315
00:20:05,300 --> 00:20:06,800
People like Bud Day.

316
00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:10,933
The last time Louise and I saw h
he was in hospice care.

317
00:20:11,466 --> 00:20:14,800
He grabbed my hand and tapped on

318
00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:17,100
G-B-U.

319
00:20:18,033 --> 00:20:20,200
I knew it was his way of saying,

320
00:20:20,500 --> 00:20:23,766
we were brothers in arms
and loved each other.

321
00:20:25,100 --> 00:20:27,233
With these brothers,
I dont have to put it into word

322
00:20:27,233 --> 00:20:32,933
I dont have to try to explain
or describe or decipher.

323
00:20:32,933 --> 00:20:34,666
They were there.

324
00:20:34,666 --> 00:20:38,600
-They gave their all
to keep the things we believe in

325
00:20:41,433 --> 00:20:42,933
-God Bless You.
-God Bless You.

326
00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:01,500
-Thank you, John and Mary.

327
00:21:02,433 --> 00:21:05,233
Colonel Harris and Louise
had planned to be here

328
00:21:05,233 --> 00:21:09,033
but for health reasons
were unable to travel.

329
00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:11,800
They sent this message
to share with everyone.

330
00:21:13,666 --> 00:21:17,233
-Thank you so much
for honoring us on this day,

331
00:21:18,100 --> 00:21:20,166
and a special thanks

332
00:21:20,166 --> 00:21:24,766
for honoring all the men and wom
of our armed forces

333
00:21:25,100 --> 00:21:29,033
who fought
and did not come home from Vietn

334
00:21:29,766 --> 00:21:32,933
You honor their families as well

335
00:21:33,500 --> 00:21:36,733
We wish we could be there with y

336
00:21:36,733 --> 00:21:39,200
but unfortunately, we cannot,

337
00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:42,166
but we are with you there in spi

338
00:21:42,433 --> 00:21:43,900
God bless you.

339
00:21:44,433 --> 00:21:45,566
-And we do.

340
00:21:55,766 --> 00:21:58,400
-Please welcome back Yolanda Ada

341
00:22:03,133 --> 00:22:06,766
Count on me through thick and th

342
00:22:06,766 --> 00:22:10,200
A friendship that will never end

343
00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:14,233
When you are weak, I will be str

344
00:22:14,233 --> 00:22:18,233
Helping you to carry on

345
00:22:18,233 --> 00:22:22,066
Call on me, I will be there

346
00:22:22,066 --> 00:22:25,400
Don't be afraid

347
00:22:25,866 --> 00:22:29,666
Please believe me when I say

348
00:22:29,666 --> 00:22:33,000
Count on

349
00:22:33,466 --> 00:22:37,266
I can see it's hurting you

350
00:22:37,266 --> 00:22:39,900
I can feel your pain

351
00:22:40,733 --> 00:22:44,066
It's hard to see the sunshine

352
00:22:44,066 --> 00:22:48,033
Through the rain ohhhh

353
00:22:48,033 --> 00:22:55,633
I know sometimes it seems
as if It's never gonna end

354
00:22:55,633 --> 00:22:59,466
But you'll get through it

355
00:22:59,466 --> 00:23:02,700
Just don't give in

356
00:23:02,700 --> 00:23:05,133
'cause you can

357
00:23:05,133 --> 00:23:08,633
Count on me through thick and th

358
00:23:08,633 --> 00:23:12,133
A friendship that will never end

359
00:23:12,133 --> 00:23:16,200
When you are weak
I will be strong

360
00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:22,766
Helping you to carry on
Call on me, I will be there

361
00:23:22,766 --> 00:23:26,433
Don't be afraid

362
00:23:26,433 --> 00:23:30,266
Please believe me when I say

363
00:23:30,266 --> 00:23:33,133
Count on

364
00:23:33,133 --> 00:23:37,066
There's a place inside of all of

365
00:23:37,066 --> 00:23:40,766
Where our faith in love begins

366
00:23:40,766 --> 00:23:44,733
You should reach inside
to find the truth in love

367
00:23:44,733 --> 00:23:52,066
The answers' there within,
oh I know that life can make you

368
00:23:52,066 --> 00:23:55,700
It's much harder than it really

369
00:23:55,700 --> 00:23:59,233
But we'll get through it

370
00:23:59,233 --> 00:24:05,866
just don't give in

371
00:24:05,866 --> 00:24:07,666
oh

372
00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:13,366
Count on me
through thick and thin a friends

373
00:24:13,366 --> 00:24:17,633
when you are weak I will be stro

374
00:24:17,633 --> 00:24:23,266
helping you to carry on call on

375
00:24:23,266 --> 00:24:24,666
I will be there

376
00:24:24,666 --> 00:24:29,033
don't you dare be afraid

377
00:24:29,033 --> 00:24:32,900
please believe me when I say

378
00:24:32,900 --> 00:24:34,800
count on

379
00:24:34,800 --> 00:24:40,433
count on
count on

380
00:24:40,433 --> 00:24:43,500
count on me

381
00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:52,900
you can count on me

382
00:24:52,900 --> 00:25:04,033
[applause]

383
00:25:04,033 --> 00:25:05,700
-Thank you, Yolanda,

384
00:25:05,700 --> 00:25:08,100
for that moving tribute to men

385
00:25:08,100 --> 00:25:12,033
men like Smitty
and all who served with him in V

386
00:25:12,033 --> 00:25:15,933
and to their families back here

387
00:25:16,266 --> 00:25:22,033
We are honored to have with us t
10 Vietnam Veterans

388
00:25:22,233 --> 00:25:26,166
who like Colonel Harris suffered
years of deprivation in captivit

389
00:25:26,166 --> 00:25:27,833
as prisoners of war.

390
00:25:28,300 --> 00:25:32,466
We celebrate their resilience
and unwavering courage.

391
00:25:49,333 --> 00:25:50,966
Mike Brazelton,

392
00:25:53,266 --> 00:25:54,733
Tom Davis,

393
00:25:57,233 --> 00:25:58,900
Lee Ellis,

394
00:26:01,166 --> 00:26:03,066
Porter Halyburton,

395
00:26:04,733 --> 00:26:06,166
Ed Hubbard,

396
00:26:08,100 --> 00:26:10,000
Norm McDaniel,

397
00:26:11,333 --> 00:26:12,933
Charlie Plumb,

398
00:26:14,533 --> 00:26:16,133
Robert Shumaker,

399
00:26:17,966 --> 00:26:19,566
Gene Smith,

400
00:26:21,300 --> 00:26:23,533
Hubert C. Walker.

401
00:27:06,700 --> 00:27:11,900
Americans of every generation
have sacrificed for our nation

402
00:27:12,666 --> 00:27:15,166
and those who are members
of the greatest generation

403
00:27:15,166 --> 00:27:19,900
served in World War II,
the largest and most destructive

404
00:27:20,133 --> 00:27:22,133
in the history of our planet.

405
00:27:22,566 --> 00:27:25,100
-In the fight to end global tyra

406
00:27:25,433 --> 00:27:29,500
more than 80 million men,
women and children perished.

407
00:27:29,733 --> 00:27:33,600
From December 1941
until the final surrender of Jap

408
00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:36,166
in September 1945,

409
00:27:36,166 --> 00:27:39,766
16 million Americans served in u

410
00:27:39,766 --> 00:27:43,566
and more than 400,000 lost their

411
00:27:44,433 --> 00:27:46,233
The reality of war,

412
00:27:46,233 --> 00:27:50,966
for those heading to an uncertai
and for those who stayed here at

413
00:27:50,966 --> 00:27:53,733
is full of the pain of separatio

414
00:27:54,700 --> 00:27:58,933
Joining us to perform a song
that symbolized what so many fel

415
00:27:59,200 --> 00:28:02,100
is a star of stage and screen,

416
00:28:02,100 --> 00:28:03,966
Megan Hilty.

417
00:28:13,100 --> 00:28:17,100
-Cathedral bells were tolling

418
00:28:19,166 --> 00:28:21,966
and our hearts sang on

419
00:28:23,866 --> 00:28:27,633
was it the spell of Paris

420
00:28:29,366 --> 00:28:34,133
or the April dawn

421
00:28:34,133 --> 00:28:42,366
who knows if we shall meet again

422
00:28:43,500 --> 00:28:49,433
but when the morning chimes

423
00:28:49,433 --> 00:28:56,333
ring sweet again

424
00:28:57,566 --> 00:29:02,766
I'll be seeing you

425
00:29:02,766 --> 00:29:08,900
In all the old familiar places

426
00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:14,100
That this heart of mine embraces

427
00:29:14,100 --> 00:29:23,966
All day through In that small ca

428
00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:29,633
The park across the way

429
00:29:29,633 --> 00:29:34,233
The children's carousel

430
00:29:34,966 --> 00:29:37,566
The chestnut trees

431
00:29:37,566 --> 00:29:40,000
The wishing well

432
00:29:41,366 --> 00:29:46,266
I'll be seeing you

433
00:29:46,266 --> 00:29:51,833
In every lovely summer's day

434
00:29:51,833 --> 00:29:57,466
In everything that's light and g

435
00:29:57,466 --> 00:30:02,766
I'll always think of you that wa

436
00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:08,333
I'll find you in the morning sun

437
00:30:08,333 --> 00:30:16,466
And when the night is new

438
00:30:17,966 --> 00:30:21,766
I'll be looking at the moon

439
00:30:24,466 --> 00:30:27,600
But I'll be seeing you

440
00:30:41,866 --> 00:30:52,633
[applause]

441
00:30:52,633 --> 00:30:54,000
-Thank you, Megan.

442
00:30:54,900 --> 00:30:57,866
Performing with Megan
and joining us throughout our co

443
00:30:57,866 --> 00:30:59,633
as they do every year,

444
00:30:59,633 --> 00:31:03,433
is the National Symphony Orchest
once again under the direction

445
00:31:03,433 --> 00:31:05,900
of Maestro Jack Everly.

446
00:31:05,900 --> 00:31:12,400
[applause]

447
00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:16,500
-Now, a tribute to all
who served in World War II.

448
00:31:17,600 --> 00:31:18,600
[music]

449
00:31:40,500 --> 00:31:44,466
-The country had been attacked,
and it was a time in your life

450
00:31:44,466 --> 00:31:47,700
when Uncle Sam was asking for vo

451
00:31:47,700 --> 00:31:50,133
-It was an unbelievable time.

452
00:31:50,666 --> 00:31:52,866
As a kid, 18,

453
00:31:52,866 --> 00:31:55,800
going to war,
we didn't know anything about wa

454
00:31:56,066 --> 00:31:57,966
didn't know how to play the game

455
00:31:58,366 --> 00:31:59,666
learned fast,

456
00:31:59,900 --> 00:32:01,333
learned fast.

457
00:32:06,400 --> 00:32:09,866
-I think that you have to learn
to be part of a team

458
00:32:09,866 --> 00:32:12,533
and to respect your buddy soldie

459
00:32:12,533 --> 00:32:15,100
We learned to work as a unified

460
00:32:15,100 --> 00:32:17,733
and you take people for what the

461
00:32:17,733 --> 00:32:19,566
not color or religion.

462
00:32:21,933 --> 00:32:25,866
-I think our motivation was to f

463
00:32:25,866 --> 00:32:28,266
we were making a contribution.

464
00:32:28,266 --> 00:32:32,233
We wanted to still prove
that we loved our country.

465
00:32:40,233 --> 00:32:44,266
-What would have happened
had we not been able to make tha

466
00:32:44,266 --> 00:32:47,833
and go into Normandy and capture

467
00:32:47,833 --> 00:32:52,666
What would this world be like
if we hadn't done that?

468
00:32:54,166 --> 00:32:58,400
Well, I left a piece of me in No
when we came home.

469
00:32:58,733 --> 00:33:00,133
Your life is different.

470
00:33:00,133 --> 00:33:02,166
Your whole wide world is differe

471
00:33:02,933 --> 00:33:04,233
It changed everything.

472
00:33:12,966 --> 00:33:17,733
-World War II
saved the world and freed the wo

473
00:33:17,733 --> 00:33:21,466
gave us freedom throughout the w
not just America,

474
00:33:21,466 --> 00:33:23,600
and of course, it saved democrac

475
00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:34,933
-I almost cried
when I think of those young men.

476
00:33:35,600 --> 00:33:37,600
I think of them every day.

477
00:33:37,933 --> 00:33:40,400
They were a part of my life then

478
00:33:40,400 --> 00:33:42,900
and they'll always be a part of

479
00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:52,466
-I just think about
how much they could have been,

480
00:33:52,466 --> 00:33:54,866
how much they could have contrib

481
00:33:54,866 --> 00:33:58,733
to their community
their family, the country

482
00:33:58,733 --> 00:34:00,533
if they had lived on.

483
00:34:03,166 --> 00:34:07,566
-I tell my story for those
who can't speak for themselves.

484
00:34:07,966 --> 00:34:12,166
-We gave up our yesterdays

485
00:34:13,233 --> 00:34:14,733
for your tomorrows.

486
00:34:14,733 --> 00:34:37,133
[music]

487
00:34:38,833 --> 00:34:50,766
[applause]

488
00:34:50,766 --> 00:34:56,466
-Tonight we also pay tribute
to the 250,000 Merchant Marines

489
00:34:56,466 --> 00:34:58,766
who served in the Second World W

490
00:34:59,166 --> 00:35:02,466
They delivered critical
supplies and personnel

491
00:35:02,466 --> 00:35:06,333
for allied operations
in Europe and the Pacific.

492
00:35:06,866 --> 00:35:07,866
During that conflict,

493
00:35:08,066 --> 00:35:13,833
733 Merchant Marine ships
were sunk due to enemy attacks.

494
00:35:13,833 --> 00:35:20,700
609 Mariners were prisoners of w
and over 9,500 were killed.

495
00:35:21,166 --> 00:35:24,733
-The contribution
to our cause cannot be overstate

496
00:35:24,733 --> 00:35:28,633
for as general Dwight Eisenhower

497
00:35:28,966 --> 00:35:31,866
"No organization deserved more c

498
00:35:31,866 --> 00:35:35,733
for our final victory
than the Merchant Marines."

499
00:35:36,033 --> 00:35:39,933
Their heroic efforts
were formerly recognized in 2020

500
00:35:39,933 --> 00:35:42,100
when Congress passed

501
00:35:42,100 --> 00:35:46,500
the Merchant Mariners of World W
Congressional Gold Medal Act.

502
00:35:47,300 --> 00:35:48,700
With us tonight,

503
00:35:49,166 --> 00:35:52,200
our Merchant Marine Veterans
of World War II.

504
00:35:52,200 --> 00:35:57,633
Please join me in thanking them
and all who served with them

505
00:35:57,633 --> 00:36:00,800
for their courage
and dedication to our nation.

506
00:36:01,866 --> 00:36:35,133
[applause]

507
00:36:35,133 --> 00:36:37,566
-2023

508
00:36:38,900 --> 00:36:41,733
marks the 70th anniversary

509
00:36:41,733 --> 00:36:44,200
of the Korean War Armistice.

510
00:36:45,333 --> 00:36:48,633
World War II's long Shadow
had barely lifted

511
00:36:48,966 --> 00:36:52,600
when US troops joined those
of 16 other nations

512
00:36:52,600 --> 00:36:57,133
and answering their country's ca
to fight in the Korean Peninsula

513
00:36:58,100 --> 00:37:03,133
Since 1950, over 3 million Ameri
have served in South Korea.

514
00:37:03,666 --> 00:37:07,466
28,000 are still there today.

515
00:37:08,100 --> 00:37:10,866
Many at risk is a result
of lasting tensions

516
00:37:10,866 --> 00:37:13,000
along the demilitarized zone.

517
00:37:16,266 --> 00:37:19,900
Korean War exploded in June 1950

518
00:37:20,266 --> 00:37:24,300
when North Korea with support
from the Soviet Union and China

519
00:37:24,500 --> 00:37:28,033
launched a surprise attack
against South Korea.

520
00:37:30,133 --> 00:37:33,433
What became a three-year ordeal
of brutal fighting

521
00:37:33,433 --> 00:37:38,966
would come to involve
more than 1.7 million Americans.

522
00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:43,200
During the first months of comba

523
00:37:43,200 --> 00:37:47,366
the enemy sought to push Allied
off the Korean Peninsula

524
00:37:47,366 --> 00:37:49,466
at the Pusan perimeter.

525
00:37:50,933 --> 00:37:55,700
A daring US amphibious landing
at Incheon in September

526
00:37:55,700 --> 00:37:58,166
turned the tide of the war.

527
00:38:00,066 --> 00:38:07,033
Within two weeks of Incheon,
US troops retook the capital of

528
00:38:08,500 --> 00:38:10,000
Soon,

529
00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:14,966
US forces were marching
across the 38th parallel into No

530
00:38:14,966 --> 00:38:18,166
advancing to within miles
of the Chinese border

531
00:38:18,166 --> 00:38:22,866
along the frozen Yalu River
and the chosen reservoir.

532
00:38:23,233 --> 00:38:26,333
Victory seemed almost at hand.

533
00:38:28,300 --> 00:38:32,266
Then 300,000 battle-ready Chines

534
00:38:32,266 --> 00:38:36,100
struck hard and fast
across the entire front.

535
00:38:36,666 --> 00:38:42,033
Their unrelenting attacks inflic
massive casualties and instilled

536
00:38:42,766 --> 00:38:47,966
Nothing could prepare our troops
the incredible hardships that fo

537
00:38:49,566 --> 00:38:53,133
Conditions on the ground
became apocalyptic,

538
00:38:53,400 --> 00:38:55,766
savage, unforgiving winter weath

539
00:38:55,766 --> 00:38:59,833
compounded the effects
of the relentless onslaught.

540
00:39:01,433 --> 00:39:04,166
Ill-equipped for the harsh condi

541
00:39:04,400 --> 00:39:09,600
as many men froze in foxholes
as were killed by enemy guns.

542
00:39:17,533 --> 00:39:21,133
Korean Civilians
endured unspeakable suffering

543
00:39:21,133 --> 00:39:23,300
from the ravages of war.

544
00:39:24,400 --> 00:39:27,733
Three million people were left h

545
00:39:29,233 --> 00:39:30,500
A vicious,

546
00:39:30,500 --> 00:39:35,500
never-ending stalemate persisted
along hundreds of contested mile

547
00:39:36,566 --> 00:39:40,033
7,000 were taken prisoners of wa

548
00:39:40,400 --> 00:39:44,566
and 3,000 died
from deprivation and torture.

549
00:39:46,066 --> 00:39:49,000
The wounded numbered nearly 100,

550
00:39:49,733 --> 00:39:54,500
Invisible scars would plague oth
for the rest of their lives.

551
00:39:56,000 --> 00:39:58,666
36,000 Americans

552
00:39:59,733 --> 00:40:03,966
gave their lives in the course
of this fierce and brutal confli

553
00:40:05,633 --> 00:40:11,600
After two long years of negotiat
an armistice, not a peace treaty

554
00:40:11,600 --> 00:40:15,133
was signed on July 27th, 1953.

555
00:40:15,333 --> 00:40:16,733
Finally,

556
00:40:17,200 --> 00:40:20,133
our troops began to head for hom

557
00:40:21,466 --> 00:40:25,300
Tonight we honor those

558
00:40:25,300 --> 00:40:31,833
who fought and those who died in
what was once called "The Forgot

559
00:40:32,100 --> 00:40:33,600
With us this evening

560
00:40:33,600 --> 00:40:37,466
are veterans representing all th

561
00:40:37,466 --> 00:40:40,833
who served and sacrificed in Kor

562
00:40:41,700 --> 00:40:46,533
Please join us in thanking these
true American heroes.

563
00:40:46,533 --> 00:40:50,466
[music]

564
00:40:54,200 --> 00:40:55,500
Jerry Beydler,

565
00:40:57,233 --> 00:40:59,600
Narce Caliva,

566
00:41:01,133 --> 00:41:03,466
Steve Culbert,

567
00:41:04,433 --> 00:41:06,033
Paul Cunningham,

568
00:41:07,633 --> 00:41:09,233
James Diamond,

569
00:41:10,800 --> 00:41:12,100
Lew Ewing,

570
00:41:13,866 --> 00:41:15,900
Jack Keep,

571
00:41:17,066 --> 00:41:18,700
and Eleanor Porter.

572
00:41:18,700 --> 00:41:52,133
[applause]

573
00:41:52,133 --> 00:41:53,800
As always,

574
00:41:54,300 --> 00:41:58,966
we want to take a moment
to recognize Americas first res

575
00:41:58,966 --> 00:42:02,800
and make special mention
of the United States Capitol Pol

576
00:42:02,800 --> 00:42:07,400
and its members for their dedica
and to thank them for keeping us

577
00:42:07,400 --> 00:42:32,533
[applause and cheering]
[music]

578
00:42:32,533 --> 00:42:35,166
-Tonight, as we do every year,

579
00:42:35,166 --> 00:42:38,966
we recognize the families of the

580
00:42:39,500 --> 00:42:41,166
and offer them our love,

581
00:42:41,166 --> 00:42:44,600
our support,
and our thanks for their sacrifi

582
00:42:45,466 --> 00:42:49,900
They are Americas Gold Star Fam
and they can never be honored en

583
00:42:51,200 --> 00:42:53,700
-As we remember and honor the fa

584
00:42:53,700 --> 00:42:58,366
it is of critical importance
to stand by all our military fam

585
00:42:58,366 --> 00:43:00,700
when they face difficult times.

586
00:43:01,000 --> 00:43:02,733
It is up to all of us,

587
00:43:02,733 --> 00:43:05,600
members of our wonderful America

588
00:43:05,833 --> 00:43:08,800
to be there for them,
giving our support

589
00:43:09,066 --> 00:43:12,900
and reassuring them
they will never be left behind.

590
00:43:14,033 --> 00:43:17,933
With a song that speaks to just
please welcome,

591
00:43:18,133 --> 00:43:19,733
Phillip Phillips.

592
00:43:20,166 --> 00:43:26,800
[applause] [music]
[Gone, Gone, Gone by Phillip Phi

593
00:43:27,033 --> 00:43:31,066
When life leaves you high
and dry I'll be at your door ton

594
00:43:31,066 --> 00:43:32,933
If you need help

595
00:43:32,933 --> 00:43:37,200
if you need help
I'll shut down the city lights

596
00:43:37,200 --> 00:43:39,200
I'll lie, cheat, I'll beg, and b

597
00:43:39,200 --> 00:43:43,100
To make you well, to make you we

598
00:43:43,100 --> 00:43:47,400
When enemies are at your door
I'll carry you way from war

599
00:43:47,400 --> 00:43:50,833
If you need help, if you need he

600
00:43:51,066 --> 00:43:55,366
Your hope dangling by a string
I'll share in your suffering

601
00:43:55,366 --> 00:43:59,033
To make you well, to make you we

602
00:43:59,033 --> 00:44:02,800
Give me reasons to believe

603
00:44:02,800 --> 00:44:06,333
That you would do the same for m

604
00:44:06,333 --> 00:44:07,900
(come on sing)

605
00:44:07,900 --> 00:44:12,733
And I would do it for you, for y

606
00:44:12,966 --> 00:44:14,800
Baby, I'm not moving on

607
00:44:14,800 --> 00:44:16,933
I'll love you long after you're

608
00:44:16,933 --> 00:44:20,700
For you, for you

609
00:44:20,700 --> 00:44:22,666
You will never sleep alone

610
00:44:22,666 --> 00:44:27,966
I'll love you long after you're
And long after you're gone, gone

611
00:44:27,966 --> 00:44:31,933
You're my backbone
You're my cornerstone

612
00:44:31,933 --> 00:44:33,066
You're my crutch

613
00:44:33,066 --> 00:44:35,866
when my legs stop moving

614
00:44:35,866 --> 00:44:38,033
You're my headstart

615
00:44:38,033 --> 00:44:39,866
You're my rugged heart

616
00:44:39,866 --> 00:44:43,766
You're the pulse that
I've always needed (come on)

617
00:44:43,766 --> 00:44:47,766
Like a drum, baby,
don't stop beating (sing it)

618
00:44:47,766 --> 00:44:51,666
Like a drum, baby,
don't stop beating (come on)

619
00:44:51,666 --> 00:44:55,600
Like a drum, baby,
don't stop beating (sing along)

620
00:44:55,600 --> 00:44:58,566
Like a drum,
my heart never stops beating

621
00:44:58,566 --> 00:45:02,566
For you, for you

622
00:45:02,566 --> 00:45:04,300
Baby, I'm not moving on

623
00:45:04,300 --> 00:45:06,433
I'll love you long after you're

624
00:45:06,433 --> 00:45:10,233
For you, for you.

625
00:45:10,233 --> 00:45:12,033
You'll never sleep alone

626
00:45:12,033 --> 00:45:14,266
I'll love you long after you're

627
00:45:14,266 --> 00:45:18,233
For you, for you

628
00:45:18,233 --> 00:45:19,966
Baby, I'm not moving on

629
00:45:19,966 --> 00:45:22,166
I'll love you long after you're

630
00:45:22,166 --> 00:45:26,100
For you, for you

631
00:45:26,100 --> 00:45:27,866
You'll never sleep alone

632
00:45:27,866 --> 00:45:30,966
I'll love you long, long after y

633
00:45:30,966 --> 00:45:34,866
Like a drum, baby,
don't stop beating (sing it)

634
00:45:34,866 --> 00:45:38,666
Like a drum, baby,
don't stop beating

635
00:45:38,666 --> 00:45:42,433
Like a drum, baby, don't stop be

636
00:45:42,433 --> 00:45:47,266
Like a drum,
my heart never stops beating for

637
00:45:47,833 --> 00:45:51,966
And long after you're gone, gone

638
00:45:51,966 --> 00:45:58,866
I'll love you long
after you're gone, gone, gone

639
00:45:58,866 --> 00:46:13,233
[applause]

640
00:46:13,233 --> 00:46:17,866
-Americas all-volunteer militar
began 50 years ago.

641
00:46:18,700 --> 00:46:22,200
For over half a century,
our countrys bravest men and wo

642
00:46:22,200 --> 00:46:27,933
have willingly put themselves
in harms way to keep us safe an

643
00:46:28,566 --> 00:46:34,000
Many heroically served
multiple deployments in the long

644
00:46:34,000 --> 00:46:38,466
in our historyAfghanistan and i

645
00:46:43,800 --> 00:46:45,933
[gunshot]

646
00:46:45,933 --> 00:46:48,200
-Take cover.
-Operation Iraqi Freedom

647
00:46:48,200 --> 00:46:50,333
began twenty years ago.

648
00:46:51,233 --> 00:46:54,333
What was an anticipated
short-term action

649
00:46:54,333 --> 00:46:58,733
quickly grew into an ongoing mae
of bloody violence.

650
00:47:00,900 --> 00:47:05,900
Our servicemen and women
were asked to carry out their mi

651
00:47:05,900 --> 00:47:09,100
while facing threats from unseen

652
00:47:09,333 --> 00:47:11,666
ceaseless guerrilla action,

653
00:47:11,966 --> 00:47:14,000
rocket and mortar attacks,

654
00:47:14,300 --> 00:47:18,366
and the crippling
and often fatal blasts of IEDs.

655
00:47:24,700 --> 00:47:30,833
Injury or death came at any mome
in every town and on every road.

656
00:47:33,800 --> 00:47:37,600
At the peak of the war
over 170,000 U.S. Forces

657
00:47:37,600 --> 00:47:40,000
were stationed in Iraq.

658
00:47:40,300 --> 00:47:44,400
More than 32,000 American troops
were wounded in action.

659
00:47:44,766 --> 00:47:46,100
Countless more came home

660
00:47:46,100 --> 00:47:50,333
with Traumatic Brain Injuries
and Post Traumatic Stress.

661
00:47:53,866 --> 00:47:58,200
Over 4,000 American troops
lost their lives.

662
00:48:00,533 --> 00:48:03,700
Even as the war began to wind do

663
00:48:03,700 --> 00:48:06,666
Iraq remained a very dangerous p

664
00:48:08,533 --> 00:48:13,300
The one constant our troops
continued to volunteer and serve

665
00:48:13,300 --> 00:48:16,933
knowing they might lose their li

666
00:48:18,766 --> 00:48:20,766
They left behind parents,

667
00:48:20,766 --> 00:48:22,100
spouses,

668
00:48:22,433 --> 00:48:24,500
siblings, and children.

669
00:48:34,266 --> 00:48:37,333
US Army Sergeant
Anthony Oneal Magee

670
00:48:37,600 --> 00:48:42,766
from Hattiesburg, Mississippi
served two tours of duty in Iraq

671
00:48:43,433 --> 00:48:47,666
Here to share the story
of 3 generations of his family a

672
00:48:47,966 --> 00:48:51,166
acclaimed actors S. Epatha Merke

673
00:48:51,166 --> 00:48:52,733
Dulé Hill,

674
00:48:52,733 --> 00:48:54,666
and Chosen Jacobs.

675
00:48:54,666 --> 00:48:56,200
[music]

676
00:48:56,200 --> 00:48:59,666
-Anthony was the perfect child.

677
00:48:59,666 --> 00:49:01,366
Everybody loved him.

678
00:49:01,666 --> 00:49:04,300
I had him when I was 18.

679
00:49:04,533 --> 00:49:08,766
My husband Tony and I didn't kno
a thing about raising kids,

680
00:49:08,766 --> 00:49:12,866
but we decided to stick together
no matter what,

681
00:49:12,866 --> 00:49:17,400
to raise our family like
a family is supposed to be.

682
00:49:17,966 --> 00:49:20,400
-My brother Anthony was the elde

683
00:49:20,400 --> 00:49:23,133
then Monica, LeRon and me.

684
00:49:24,133 --> 00:49:27,000
Anthony was that kid
everybody wanted to be around.

685
00:49:27,000 --> 00:49:28,300
He was a giver,

686
00:49:28,300 --> 00:49:29,900
and he was a straight A student.

687
00:49:30,866 --> 00:49:32,166
Instead of college,

688
00:49:32,166 --> 00:49:33,700
I joined the Air Force.

689
00:49:34,166 --> 00:49:35,833
Been in 19 years.

690
00:49:36,233 --> 00:49:42,100
-I did not want Anthony to join
because he would be away from us

691
00:49:42,600 --> 00:49:46,033
and you can bet
we had a good fight about that,

692
00:49:46,033 --> 00:49:48,566
but he wanted to serve his count

693
00:49:48,566 --> 00:49:52,066
and he said he could afford to t
of his son, Kameron better

694
00:49:52,300 --> 00:49:54,633
if he joined the military.

695
00:49:55,333 --> 00:49:58,900
-It was hard having a dad
who was always deploying somewhe

696
00:49:59,566 --> 00:50:01,533
I remember times he came home,

697
00:50:01,533 --> 00:50:03,333
we used to be happy and all that

698
00:50:04,033 --> 00:50:05,100
He was real good to me.

699
00:50:05,100 --> 00:50:06,333
Always.

700
00:50:07,200 --> 00:50:12,500
-When the Army called about Anth
it was the day before Tony's bir

701
00:50:12,500 --> 00:50:17,266
We had planned a crawfish boil,
but it started raining.

702
00:50:17,266 --> 00:50:18,633
The phone rang,

703
00:50:18,833 --> 00:50:23,966
LeRon answered and said, "Mom,
somebody needs to speak to dad."

704
00:50:23,966 --> 00:50:26,533
Then I heard Tony say,

705
00:50:26,533 --> 00:50:28,466
"Anthony Magee?"

706
00:50:29,100 --> 00:50:32,733
When he said that, I hit the flo
I said, "Lord,

707
00:50:33,000 --> 00:50:35,466
please don't let it be Anthony."

708
00:50:35,833 --> 00:50:38,700
-Anthony had been talking
to a friend outside his tent,

709
00:50:38,700 --> 00:50:40,600
helping him through a hard time.

710
00:50:41,166 --> 00:50:44,100
When he turned to go inside,
a rocket exploded,

711
00:50:44,100 --> 00:50:48,700
and a piece of shrapnel went rig
into the back of his head.

712
00:50:49,533 --> 00:50:51,400
They medivacked him
to Landstuhl in Germany

713
00:50:51,400 --> 00:50:52,800
near where I was stationed.

714
00:50:55,133 --> 00:50:56,866
When I walked in that room,

715
00:50:58,000 --> 00:51:00,233
I knew I'd never talk to my brot

716
00:51:00,533 --> 00:51:02,200
-My faith was so strong.

717
00:51:02,200 --> 00:51:04,800
I just thought,
"When I get over there, I can pr

718
00:51:04,800 --> 00:51:08,200
and God will touch him and make

719
00:51:08,700 --> 00:51:13,100
When I saw Anthony,
it looked like he was just sleep

720
00:51:13,400 --> 00:51:14,900
I fell on my knees.

721
00:51:14,900 --> 00:51:17,200
I held Anthony's hand

722
00:51:17,200 --> 00:51:21,100
and Tony and I begged
God for our son's life.

723
00:51:21,100 --> 00:51:25,866
-By the time my mom finished pra
every doctor, every nurse,

724
00:51:25,866 --> 00:51:27,900
anybody who was
within the sound of her voice

725
00:51:27,900 --> 00:51:30,100
was on their knees right there w

726
00:51:30,333 --> 00:51:33,566
There had to be 30 people
in Anthony's room.

727
00:51:33,900 --> 00:51:35,633
Every one of them was crying.

728
00:51:36,566 --> 00:51:40,166
-They told us that
he had been hit in his leg,

729
00:51:40,166 --> 00:51:42,400
his arms, and his side,

730
00:51:42,600 --> 00:51:47,766
but they hadn't told us right aw
about the shrapnel in his head.

731
00:51:48,166 --> 00:51:50,233
We talked to the doctor.

732
00:51:51,866 --> 00:51:53,566
Anthony was dead.

733
00:51:54,566 --> 00:51:56,600
I knew in that moment

734
00:51:56,866 --> 00:51:58,900
I had to let him go.

735
00:51:58,900 --> 00:52:01,333
He was God's child now.

736
00:52:02,433 --> 00:52:05,133
-It was hard going back
to Hattiesburg after that.

737
00:52:05,933 --> 00:52:08,966
The whole town came out
to pay their respects.

738
00:52:08,966 --> 00:52:11,100
There were cars
on both sides of the highway

739
00:52:11,100 --> 00:52:13,066
stopped with their blinkers on,

740
00:52:13,066 --> 00:52:17,066
people waving their flags
as Anthony's coffin rolled past.

741
00:52:17,666 --> 00:52:20,833
It was powerful seeing
strangers standing there,

742
00:52:20,833 --> 00:52:23,866
sharing your grief for a person
they've never known.

743
00:52:24,700 --> 00:52:26,433
It hits them because people thin

744
00:52:26,433 --> 00:52:32,000
"That could have been my son
or my daughter or my husband or

745
00:52:32,866 --> 00:52:35,533
-I was five around the time my d

746
00:52:36,166 --> 00:52:37,166
Really,

747
00:52:40,100 --> 00:52:42,366
it's hard when you're young

748
00:52:42,700 --> 00:52:44,000
and you lose a parent.

749
00:52:45,133 --> 00:52:47,100
You start asking questions like,

750
00:52:47,633 --> 00:52:48,700
You wish it all never happened.

751
00:52:48,700 --> 00:52:52,000
You wish that your parent
was there for you,

752
00:52:54,566 --> 00:52:55,766
and he isn't.

753
00:52:56,200 --> 00:52:58,233
-We thought time would heal,

754
00:52:58,233 --> 00:52:59,566
it hasn't.

755
00:52:59,566 --> 00:53:03,466
Not a day goes by
that we don't think of Anthony.

756
00:53:03,900 --> 00:53:06,766
On holidays when the family gath

757
00:53:06,766 --> 00:53:11,400
somebody mentions him,
tells stories, but he's not ther

758
00:53:11,666 --> 00:53:15,800
A piece of my heart
just faded away the grief,

759
00:53:16,300 --> 00:53:18,366
I can't really let it come out.

760
00:53:18,633 --> 00:53:21,233
I just keep it balled up inside

761
00:53:21,466 --> 00:53:23,800
-My mom didn't get
that moment of mourning for hers

762
00:53:23,800 --> 00:53:26,933
because she was trying to make s
everybody else was okay.

763
00:53:27,666 --> 00:53:29,566
We're all broken from him.

764
00:53:29,933 --> 00:53:32,666
My dad still wears Anthony's dog

765
00:53:32,966 --> 00:53:34,933
Kameron started having trouble i

766
00:53:35,300 --> 00:53:38,133
especially if somebody said
something about his dad.

767
00:53:38,933 --> 00:53:41,866
-I was angry for a long time,

768
00:53:42,733 --> 00:53:46,200
but meeting up with other
Gold Star Families really helped

769
00:53:46,800 --> 00:53:48,900
We share stories about our paren

770
00:53:49,166 --> 00:53:50,466
their lives.

771
00:53:51,266 --> 00:53:54,266
We understand each other's pain

772
00:53:55,300 --> 00:53:57,633
Having someone to talk to,
it means so much.

773
00:53:58,000 --> 00:54:01,700
-When I think about it now,
we would've been better off

774
00:54:01,700 --> 00:54:05,033
if we had talked to somebody, a

775
00:54:05,033 --> 00:54:07,900
My daughter, Monica
is the only one who did,

776
00:54:07,900 --> 00:54:10,333
and it really helped her.

777
00:54:11,333 --> 00:54:12,866
-The healing is still going on.

778
00:54:14,033 --> 00:54:15,666
It's just not the same.

779
00:54:16,166 --> 00:54:17,600
It's a stinging,

780
00:54:17,866 --> 00:54:19,100
lasting,

781
00:54:19,100 --> 00:54:22,100
enduring hurt, it's like a rolle

782
00:54:22,100 --> 00:54:24,133
Anthony had so much going for hi

783
00:54:25,133 --> 00:54:27,633
It's hard to believe it's been 1

784
00:54:27,900 --> 00:54:30,966
-I'm not ever forgetting my son,

785
00:54:30,966 --> 00:54:37,933
but the little things like a lea
falling off a tree are starting

786
00:54:38,333 --> 00:54:43,466
I understand and I had to unders
that Anthony had done

787
00:54:43,466 --> 00:54:47,000
what he came to do on this Earth

788
00:54:47,333 --> 00:54:53,333
He had done so much for so many,
he lived a whole life by 29,

789
00:54:53,333 --> 00:54:55,266
and when I see Kam,

790
00:54:55,900 --> 00:54:57,766
I see Anthony.

791
00:54:57,766 --> 00:54:59,833
He's in his boy.

792
00:55:00,333 --> 00:55:02,466
-They say my dad and I act alike

793
00:55:03,433 --> 00:55:07,066
They tell me stories about him,
so I'll have more memories of hi

794
00:55:07,600 --> 00:55:09,600
It makes me happy to know
I'm just like him.

795
00:55:11,433 --> 00:55:15,233
From my senior prom, I had my da
printed on the back of my suit

796
00:55:15,800 --> 00:55:17,633
and I rocked it. [laughs]

797
00:55:17,933 --> 00:55:19,766
Yes, everybody loved it.

798
00:55:20,466 --> 00:55:23,566
In a way, it felt like my dad wa

799
00:55:24,133 --> 00:55:27,600
-We've always been a tight famil
and are going to be that forever

800
00:55:28,433 --> 00:55:30,833
When Anthony passed, it hurt eve

801
00:55:31,333 --> 00:55:35,533
It was a chain and we lost one l
but it's still strong.

802
00:55:35,533 --> 00:55:37,966
We just tighten it up a little m

803
00:55:39,766 --> 00:55:42,400
Sometimes I sit and think about
how different life would be

804
00:55:42,400 --> 00:55:44,266
if he was still here.

805
00:55:45,166 --> 00:55:49,433
It makes Monica, LeRon, and me a
that Anthony would never know ou

806
00:55:49,433 --> 00:55:51,100
and they will never know him.

807
00:55:52,166 --> 00:55:53,333
We lost a big heart.

808
00:55:54,033 --> 00:55:56,233
The man he would've become.

809
00:55:56,500 --> 00:55:59,533
-Kameron's turned into a fine yo

810
00:55:59,533 --> 00:56:01,833
in his first year of college.

811
00:56:01,833 --> 00:56:04,633
He'll always love and miss his d

812
00:56:04,833 --> 00:56:07,200
I don't want him to forget him.

813
00:56:07,200 --> 00:56:09,600
Too many others already have.

814
00:56:09,800 --> 00:56:12,066
-They give you Memorial Day,

815
00:56:12,366 --> 00:56:14,733
they give you Veterans Day, and

816
00:56:15,133 --> 00:56:16,233
"Okay,

817
00:56:16,233 --> 00:56:19,066
these are the days
when we recognize service and ou

818
00:56:19,066 --> 00:56:20,266
Right?

819
00:56:20,533 --> 00:56:23,600
Then it's over. Like that's enou

820
00:56:24,600 --> 00:56:26,100
But it's not enough.

821
00:56:26,600 --> 00:56:29,466
-That first Memorial Day
after Anthony passed,

822
00:56:29,466 --> 00:56:32,733
we probably got 100 calls
from folks saying

823
00:56:32,733 --> 00:56:34,566
they were thinking of us.

824
00:56:35,000 --> 00:56:39,800
But the next year it dropped
to maybe 75 then 25.

825
00:56:39,800 --> 00:56:43,833
Pretty soon,
Memorial Day would come and go

826
00:56:43,833 --> 00:56:45,700
and the phone wouldn't ring.

827
00:56:45,966 --> 00:56:50,266
I have no words to tell you
how that makes a parent feel.

828
00:56:51,500 --> 00:56:52,966
-My grandma told me

829
00:56:53,533 --> 00:56:56,466
that my dad served this country
to make things better,

830
00:56:57,000 --> 00:56:58,833
not only for him but for everyon

831
00:57:00,633 --> 00:57:03,200
I'd like people to know
that my dad was a hero,

832
00:57:04,200 --> 00:57:05,833
and I hope I make him proud.

833
00:57:06,866 --> 00:57:09,466
-It's important to remember thos
who gave their lives

834
00:57:09,466 --> 00:57:11,200
for something they believe in

835
00:57:11,200 --> 00:57:13,166
and honor their families.

836
00:57:14,000 --> 00:57:15,966
That's why we're free,

837
00:57:16,566 --> 00:57:19,100
because of other people's sacrif

838
00:57:20,566 --> 00:57:24,233
-Memorial Day used
to be just a holiday for us.

839
00:57:24,600 --> 00:57:27,533
I never really thought about
what the day meant

840
00:57:27,533 --> 00:57:30,133
until we lost Anthony.

841
00:57:30,133 --> 00:57:33,066
We have a whole new perspective

842
00:57:33,066 --> 00:57:36,566
Our lives have been changed fore

843
00:57:37,066 --> 00:57:38,900
and in our house,

844
00:57:39,300 --> 00:57:42,466
every day is Memorial Day.

845
00:57:44,633 --> 00:58:31,133
[applause]

846
00:58:31,133 --> 00:58:35,233
-With a special tribute
to all our Gold Star Families,

847
00:58:35,233 --> 00:58:37,433
here is an Iraq War Veteran,

848
00:58:37,433 --> 00:58:40,800
Michael Trotter Junior
and Tanya Trotter,

849
00:58:40,800 --> 00:58:43,633
The War, and Treaty.

850
00:58:46,833 --> 00:58:50,433
-This is for all my brothers and
who gave their rise in the war.

851
00:58:51,300 --> 00:58:53,000
-God bless you all.

852
00:58:58,866 --> 00:59:05,033
I've held the hands of an angel

853
00:59:05,966 --> 00:59:10,066
and it was hard to let go

854
00:59:12,400 --> 00:59:18,166
I've heard the sound
of heaven knocking at the door

855
00:59:19,333 --> 00:59:23,133
when it was time to claim a soul

856
00:59:24,566 --> 00:59:31,366
When the roll is called up yonde
[when the roll is called up yond

857
00:59:31,366 --> 00:59:44,466
when the roll is called up yonde
[when the roll is called up yond

858
00:59:44,466 --> 00:59:47,666
I'll look for you

859
00:59:47,666 --> 00:59:52,333
and I'll be there [I'll be there

860
00:59:52,666 --> 00:59:59,633
I've always wondered
when the rain pours

861
00:59:59,633 --> 01:00:05,733
is it the son having a cry

862
01:00:06,066 --> 01:00:11,566
I reckon it must be hard on Jesu

863
01:00:13,133 --> 01:00:17,933
when teardrops fall from our eye

864
01:00:18,233 --> 01:00:24,900
When the roll is called up yonde
[when the roll is called up yond

865
01:00:24,900 --> 01:00:38,000
when the roll is called up yonde
[when the roll is called up yond

866
01:00:38,000 --> 01:00:41,333
I'll look for you (You look for

867
01:00:41,333 --> 01:00:44,533
and I'll be there, [Ill be ther

868
01:00:44,533 --> 01:00:47,566
Lord have mercy now

869
01:00:58,800 --> 01:01:05,566
When the roll is called up yonde
[when the roll is called up yond

870
01:01:05,566 --> 01:01:18,733
when the roll is called up yonde
[when the roll is called up yond

871
01:01:18,733 --> 01:01:22,233
I'll look for you (You look for

872
01:01:22,233 --> 01:01:25,233
and I'll be there, lord [Ill be

873
01:01:25,233 --> 01:01:28,900
I'll look for you (You look for

874
01:01:28,900 --> 01:01:32,700
and I'll be there, lord

875
01:01:32,700 --> 01:01:38,066
I'll be right there

876
01:01:38,066 --> 01:01:39,866
-[?]

877
01:01:50,000 --> 01:02:11,766
[applause]

878
01:02:18,866 --> 01:02:20,733
-At this concert tonight,

879
01:02:20,733 --> 01:02:23,133
and tomorrow on Memorial Day,

880
01:02:23,133 --> 01:02:24,533
we remember all those

881
01:02:24,533 --> 01:02:27,666
who made the ultimate sacrifice
for our nation.

882
01:02:28,166 --> 01:02:32,433
-From 1776 until today
over one million Americans

883
01:02:32,433 --> 01:02:37,166
paid the supreme price
for our peace and for our freedo

884
01:02:37,533 --> 01:02:40,900
-It is for them that we have Mem

885
01:02:40,900 --> 01:02:42,466
-It is for them

886
01:02:42,800 --> 01:02:45,533
that we now play Taps

887
01:02:50,200 --> 01:03:48,300
[Taps]

888
01:03:51,566 --> 01:03:54,733
-Please welcome, Jo Dee Messina.

889
01:03:54,733 --> 01:04:01,766
[Heaven Was needing a Hero
by Jo Dee Messina]

890
01:04:05,166 --> 01:04:10,066
-I came by today to see you

891
01:04:11,800 --> 01:04:17,266
Though I had to let you know

892
01:04:18,000 --> 01:04:23,700
If I knew the last time that
I held you was the last time

893
01:04:23,900 --> 01:04:25,666
I'd have held you

894
01:04:25,666 --> 01:04:30,366
and never let go

895
01:04:31,933 --> 01:04:37,833
Oh, it's kept me awake nights wo

896
01:04:37,833 --> 01:04:40,133
I lie in the dark,

897
01:04:40,133 --> 01:04:43,666
just asking "Why?"

898
01:04:45,233 --> 01:04:48,800
I've always been told

899
01:04:49,066 --> 01:04:55,833
You won't be called home
until it's your time.

900
01:04:57,633 --> 01:05:03,500
I guess heaven was needing a her

901
01:05:05,066 --> 01:05:11,433
Somebody just like you

902
01:05:12,766 --> 01:05:16,133
Brave enough to stand up

903
01:05:16,133 --> 01:05:19,833
For what you believe

904
01:05:19,833 --> 01:05:24,333
And follow it through

905
01:05:24,566 --> 01:05:31,133
When I try to make it
make sense in my mind

906
01:05:31,666 --> 01:05:38,366
The only conclusion I come to

907
01:05:38,366 --> 01:05:44,200
Is that heaven was needing a her

908
01:05:44,766 --> 01:05:51,500
Like you

909
01:05:59,966 --> 01:06:05,500
I remember the last time I saw y

910
01:06:06,833 --> 01:06:12,366
Oh, you held your head up proud

911
01:06:13,066 --> 01:06:19,833
I laughed inside when I saw how

912
01:06:20,033 --> 01:06:25,200
Standing out in the crowd

913
01:06:27,100 --> 01:06:32,466
You're such a part of who I am

914
01:06:33,400 --> 01:06:38,533
Now that part will just be void

915
01:06:39,766 --> 01:06:46,033
No matter how much I need you no

916
01:06:46,900 --> 01:06:52,666
Heaven needed you more

917
01:06:52,666 --> 01:06:57,633
Heaven was needing a hero

918
01:06:59,266 --> 01:07:04,433
Somebody just like you

919
01:07:06,933 --> 01:07:10,233
Brave enough to stand up

920
01:07:10,500 --> 01:07:13,966
For what you believe

921
01:07:13,966 --> 01:07:18,833
And follow it through

922
01:07:18,833 --> 01:07:25,200
When I try to make it
make sense in my mind

923
01:07:25,733 --> 01:07:32,266
The only conclusion I come to

924
01:07:32,500 --> 01:07:38,600
Is that heaven was needing a her

925
01:07:38,600 --> 01:07:45,466
Like you

926
01:07:46,266 --> 01:07:52,600
Heaven was needing a hero

927
01:07:53,666 --> 01:08:03,000
That's you

928
01:08:05,933 --> 01:08:21,866
[applause]

929
01:08:22,300 --> 01:08:23,666
-Thank you, Jo Dee.

930
01:08:24,300 --> 01:08:27,533
As we remember those we lost,
we must always make sure

931
01:08:27,533 --> 01:08:31,500
to stand by our brothers
and sisters in need.

932
01:08:31,866 --> 01:08:34,733
-If you or someone you know
is experiencing

933
01:08:34,733 --> 01:08:37,633
symptoms of emotional distress,

934
01:08:37,866 --> 01:08:39,700
mental illness,

935
01:08:39,966 --> 01:08:42,266
or having thoughts of suicide,

936
01:08:43,700 --> 01:08:48,300
help is available
at the number on our screen.

937
01:08:48,300 --> 01:08:50,700
Don't suffer in silence.

938
01:08:50,700 --> 01:08:52,266
Please reach out.

939
01:08:53,133 --> 01:08:56,500
-With us tonight is someone
who knows firsthand

940
01:08:56,500 --> 01:08:58,233
how important this is.

941
01:08:58,500 --> 01:09:01,033
We're joined by Michael Trotter

942
01:09:01,033 --> 01:09:05,266
and his wife Tanya
from The War and Treaty.

943
01:09:07,700 --> 01:09:10,433
Michael, as a veteran
of two tours of duty in Iraq,

944
01:09:10,433 --> 01:09:14,033
you faced some difficult times
when you came home.

945
01:09:14,533 --> 01:09:18,500
Do you have a message
for our veterans or service memb

946
01:09:18,500 --> 01:09:19,766
who are struggling?

947
01:09:19,766 --> 01:09:22,066
-Yes. Thank you, Joe.

948
01:09:22,066 --> 01:09:26,366
I'm a living testament that
there is light at the end of the

949
01:09:26,733 --> 01:09:29,433
Several years ago, I was despond

950
01:09:29,433 --> 01:09:32,566
suffering from post-traumatic
stress disorder

951
01:09:32,566 --> 01:09:34,333
after my service,

952
01:09:34,333 --> 01:09:36,500
contemplating suicide.

953
01:09:36,800 --> 01:09:40,100
But then the love and support
of everyone overwhelmed me,

954
01:09:40,400 --> 01:09:42,933
especially the love of my wife T

955
01:09:43,233 --> 01:09:47,300
and I'm able to be here tonight
standing on this stage.

956
01:09:47,766 --> 01:09:52,300
-Every single day since then
I see the joy in fire in Michael

957
01:09:52,300 --> 01:09:55,733
and I thank God he made it out
of the wrenching situation

958
01:09:55,733 --> 01:09:57,666
and that his passion for music,

959
01:09:57,666 --> 01:10:01,366
people and love is still there
and always will be.

960
01:10:03,666 --> 01:10:10,866
[applause]

961
01:10:10,866 --> 01:10:12,933
-Thank you, Tanya and Michael.

962
01:10:14,866 --> 01:10:18,333
All of our military
and their families need our supp

963
01:10:18,933 --> 01:10:21,533
On our website,
you'll find links to organizatio

964
01:10:21,533 --> 01:10:23,200
dedicated to helping veterans,

965
01:10:23,200 --> 01:10:27,100
Gold Star Families, active duty
and their families.

966
01:10:28,600 --> 01:10:30,700
If you are a wounded,

967
01:10:30,700 --> 01:10:33,766
ill or injured veteran in need o

968
01:10:34,200 --> 01:10:36,066
please reach out.

969
01:10:38,000 --> 01:10:39,100
-It's been a tradition

970
01:10:39,100 --> 01:10:41,633
from the beginning
of the National Memorial Day con

971
01:10:41,633 --> 01:10:46,633
to salute all the men and women
from every branch of our armed s

972
01:10:46,933 --> 01:10:51,000
Please welcome the Chiefs
of the Military Services.

973
01:10:51,233 --> 01:10:52,533
[music]

974
01:11:08,500 --> 01:11:09,866
-And now,

975
01:11:10,666 --> 01:11:12,866
Maestro Jack Everly,

976
01:11:12,866 --> 01:11:18,700
our orchestra and military chour
perform the Armed Forces Medley.

977
01:11:18,700 --> 01:11:22,866
Whether here or watching at home
if you are able, please stand

978
01:11:23,266 --> 01:11:25,800
when your service is presented.

979
01:11:26,700 --> 01:11:35,233
[music]

980
01:11:35,233 --> 01:11:38,700
-[sings] Were always ready for
-The United States Coast Guard.

981
01:11:38,700 --> 01:11:42,666
-We place our trust in Thee

982
01:11:42,666 --> 01:11:46,633
Through surf and storm
And howling gale

983
01:11:46,633 --> 01:11:50,800
High shall our purpose be

984
01:11:51,133 --> 01:11:54,633
Semper Paratus is our guide

985
01:11:54,633 --> 01:11:58,533
Our fame and glory too

986
01:11:58,533 --> 01:12:02,500
To fight to save
Or fight and die

987
01:12:02,500 --> 01:12:06,633
Aye Coast Guard we are for you

988
01:12:07,200 --> 01:12:10,433
-United States Space Force.

989
01:12:10,433 --> 01:12:14,433
-We're the mighty watchful eye

990
01:12:14,433 --> 01:12:17,966
Guardians beyond the blue

991
01:12:18,433 --> 01:12:22,333
The invisible front line

992
01:12:22,333 --> 01:12:26,466
Warfighters brave and true

993
01:12:26,466 --> 01:12:30,466
Boldly reaching into space

994
01:12:30,466 --> 01:12:34,433
There's no limit to our sky

995
01:12:34,433 --> 01:12:38,533
Standing guard both night and da

996
01:12:38,533 --> 01:12:42,900
We're the Space Force from on hi

997
01:12:42,900 --> 01:12:45,633
-United States Air Force.

998
01:12:51,000 --> 01:12:54,900
-Off we go into the wild blue yo

999
01:12:54,900 --> 01:12:58,400
Climbing high into the sun

1000
01:12:58,866 --> 01:13:02,733
Here they come
zooming to meet our thunder

1001
01:13:02,733 --> 01:13:06,700
At 'em boys, Give 'er the gun!
(Give 'er the gun now!)

1002
01:13:06,700 --> 01:13:10,666
Down we dive,
spouting our flame from under

1003
01:13:10,666 --> 01:13:14,066
Off with one helluv a roar

1004
01:13:14,066 --> 01:13:18,000
We live in fame or go down in fl

1005
01:13:18,000 --> 01:13:21,933
Hey Nothing'll stop the U.S. Air

1006
01:13:23,200 --> 01:13:25,166
-United States Navy.

1007
01:13:26,433 --> 01:13:30,400
-Anchors Aweigh, my boys

1008
01:13:30,400 --> 01:13:33,733
Anchors Aweigh

1009
01:13:34,266 --> 01:13:37,766
Farewell to foreign shores

1010
01:13:37,766 --> 01:13:42,166
We sail at break of day-ay-ay-ay

1011
01:13:42,166 --> 01:13:46,100
Through our last night ashore

1012
01:13:46,100 --> 01:13:49,500
Drink to the foam

1013
01:13:50,066 --> 01:13:57,000
Until we meet once more
Here's wishing you a happy voyag

1014
01:13:58,333 --> 01:14:00,733
-United States Marines.

1015
01:14:05,133 --> 01:14:08,966
From the Halls of Montezuma

1016
01:14:08,966 --> 01:14:12,700
To the Shores of Tripoli

1017
01:14:12,700 --> 01:14:16,466
We fight our country's battles

1018
01:14:16,466 --> 01:14:20,333
In the air, on land and sea

1019
01:14:20,333 --> 01:14:24,200
First to fight for right and fre

1020
01:14:24,200 --> 01:14:27,833
And to keep our honor clean

1021
01:14:28,133 --> 01:14:35,833
We are proud to claim the title
of United States Marine.

1022
01:14:37,600 --> 01:14:39,966
-United States Army.

1023
01:14:43,800 --> 01:14:47,666
First to fight for the right
And to build the Nations might

1024
01:14:47,666 --> 01:14:51,500
And the Army goes rolling along

1025
01:14:51,500 --> 01:14:55,333
Proud of all we have done
Fighting till the battles won

1026
01:14:55,333 --> 01:14:59,133
And the Army goes rolling along

1027
01:14:59,133 --> 01:15:03,633
Then its hi! hi! hey
The Armys on its way

1028
01:15:03,633 --> 01:15:07,066
Count off the cadence loud and s

1029
01:15:07,066 --> 01:15:10,933
For whereer we go
You will always know

1030
01:15:10,933 --> 01:15:17,433
That the Army goes rolling along
Rolling along

1031
01:15:17,433 --> 01:15:25,533
[applause]

1032
01:15:25,533 --> 01:15:28,433
-I am privileged to introduce
the Vice Chairman

1033
01:15:28,433 --> 01:15:30,500
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,

1034
01:15:30,500 --> 01:15:33,100
Admiral Christopher W. Grady.

1035
01:15:33,100 --> 01:15:45,066
[applause]

1036
01:15:45,066 --> 01:15:47,800
-It is our honor to introduce

1037
01:15:47,800 --> 01:15:51,566
the distinguished Chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

1038
01:15:51,566 --> 01:15:54,966
-Please, welcome General Mark A.

1039
01:15:55,266 --> 01:16:12,900
[applause]

1040
01:16:12,900 --> 01:16:14,266
-Good evening everyone.

1041
01:16:15,000 --> 01:16:18,700
In this 155th Memorial Day,

1042
01:16:19,366 --> 01:16:22,666
we honor the more than
1 million Americans,

1043
01:16:22,666 --> 01:16:25,566
who gave their last full measure
of devotion

1044
01:16:25,566 --> 01:16:28,333
in service to our great nation.

1045
01:16:28,633 --> 01:16:32,266
Behind every one of these men
and women is a family,

1046
01:16:32,266 --> 01:16:34,100
many of whom are here tonight.

1047
01:16:34,533 --> 01:16:37,800
A husband or a wife, a mother, a

1048
01:16:38,166 --> 01:16:40,433
a brother, sister, son, or daugh

1049
01:16:40,866 --> 01:16:42,700
For these families,

1050
01:16:42,966 --> 01:16:46,133
every single day is Memorial Day

1051
01:16:46,566 --> 01:16:50,866
The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen,
Marines, Guardians, and Coastgua

1052
01:16:50,866 --> 01:16:53,933
represent the highest ideals
of America.

1053
01:16:53,933 --> 01:16:57,933
Each of them paid
in blood for the freedoms

1054
01:16:57,933 --> 01:16:59,900
that we enjoy every day.

1055
01:17:00,166 --> 01:17:02,633
Their families carry on the drea

1056
01:17:03,100 --> 01:17:06,000
that our fallen never realized.

1057
01:17:06,400 --> 01:17:11,033
These brave men and women willin
enter the crucible of combat

1058
01:17:11,566 --> 01:17:13,133
knowing the price

1059
01:17:13,433 --> 01:17:15,166
they may be asked to pay.

1060
01:17:15,900 --> 01:17:20,100
Their blood spilled
on the slopes of Bunker Hill,

1061
01:17:20,100 --> 01:17:23,666
the fields of Gettysburg,
the forests of the Meuse-Argonne

1062
01:17:23,933 --> 01:17:26,366
sands of Normandy and Iwo Jima,

1063
01:17:26,366 --> 01:17:28,933
the frozen tundra of the Chosin

1064
01:17:29,200 --> 01:17:30,633
the jungles of the La Drang Vall

1065
01:17:30,633 --> 01:17:35,100
and the sands and mountains
of Iraq and Afghanistan.

1066
01:17:35,400 --> 01:17:36,566
They fought.

1067
01:17:37,066 --> 01:17:41,633
They fought thousands of miles
from their homes and their birth

1068
01:17:41,633 --> 01:17:44,066
In these moments of carnage,

1069
01:17:44,066 --> 01:17:46,400
death, and destruction,

1070
01:17:46,933 --> 01:17:48,033
ordinary Americans

1071
01:17:48,033 --> 01:17:52,066
displayed extraordinary characte
and uncommon valor.

1072
01:17:52,400 --> 01:17:53,900
In these moments,

1073
01:17:53,900 --> 01:17:58,933
the courage of a few inspired
a nation of many.

1074
01:17:59,433 --> 01:18:00,566
They fought for humanity

1075
01:18:00,566 --> 01:18:04,266
and they laid down their lives
on the altar of freedom.

1076
01:18:04,866 --> 01:18:06,766
So we pause.

1077
01:18:07,066 --> 01:18:11,566
We pause here and now
on this Memorial Day to remember

1078
01:18:12,366 --> 01:18:13,366
No matter the cost,

1079
01:18:13,633 --> 01:18:18,500
America's brave men and women
will always answer our nation's

1080
01:18:18,900 --> 01:18:23,733
Now it is up to us, we,
the living to stand and watch

1081
01:18:23,733 --> 01:18:26,600
to ensure that our fallen
did not die in vain,

1082
01:18:26,966 --> 01:18:30,800
to ensure that this experiment
in liberty continues,

1083
01:18:30,800 --> 01:18:34,600
so each generation to come
can enjoy the blessings of life,

1084
01:18:34,600 --> 01:18:37,900
liberty, and the pursuit of happ

1085
01:18:37,900 --> 01:18:40,933
On behalf of the Joint Chiefs of
thank you all.

1086
01:18:41,266 --> 01:18:44,200
Thank you to all those
who have made sacrifices,

1087
01:18:44,200 --> 01:18:48,666
so much to protect and defend
the Constitution against all ene

1088
01:18:48,666 --> 01:18:50,233
foreign and domestic.

1089
01:18:50,533 --> 01:18:51,933
We in uniform,

1090
01:18:51,933 --> 01:18:54,866
we swear to you the American peo

1091
01:18:54,866 --> 01:18:57,866
that we will never turn
our back on the Constitution,

1092
01:18:57,866 --> 01:19:00,300
and we will never turn
our back on our fallen.

1093
01:19:00,300 --> 01:19:02,333
We must always honor them,

1094
01:19:02,333 --> 01:19:05,533
and we must forever cherish the
that is America

1095
01:19:05,900 --> 01:19:08,566
and the cause for which they die

1096
01:19:08,833 --> 01:19:11,100
May God bless
the United States of America,

1097
01:19:11,333 --> 01:19:15,500
and we of the Joint Chiefs salut
each and every one of you.

1098
01:19:16,000 --> 01:19:29,933
[applause]

1099
01:19:29,933 --> 01:19:32,600
-Thank you for joining us tonigh

1100
01:19:33,066 --> 01:19:35,233
-The concert will repeat immedia

1101
01:19:35,233 --> 01:19:39,633
following this live broadcast
on most PBS stations.

1102
01:19:39,900 --> 01:19:41,033
And now,

1103
01:19:41,233 --> 01:19:44,766
please take out your phones,
turn the flashlight on,

1104
01:19:45,000 --> 01:19:47,566
hold them high,
keep them shining

1105
01:19:47,566 --> 01:19:50,833
and wave them to a song
that speaks to the unity

1106
01:19:50,833 --> 01:19:53,400
that is so important to all of u

1107
01:19:53,400 --> 01:19:56,433
Once again, The War and Treaty.

1108
01:19:57,833 --> 01:20:01,266
[music]

1109
01:20:01,266 --> 01:20:07,633
We have lost so much

1110
01:20:08,733 --> 01:20:14,200
It's hard to hold on without tou

1111
01:20:14,200 --> 01:20:21,166
But we can't let each other fall

1112
01:20:22,133 --> 01:20:29,233
So remember I'm just a call away

1113
01:20:29,233 --> 01:20:32,233
We are one
We are one

1114
01:20:32,600 --> 01:20:35,800
We are one

1115
01:20:36,033 --> 01:20:37,766
We are one

1116
01:20:37,766 --> 01:20:42,466
We are one

1117
01:20:42,466 --> 01:20:46,100
And the world is still so beauti

1118
01:20:46,100 --> 01:20:49,433
Together we'll stand
and not lose hope

1119
01:20:49,433 --> 01:20:52,733
'Cause we are one
We are one

1120
01:20:53,033 --> 01:20:56,433
We are one

1121
01:20:56,433 --> 01:20:59,600
Can't you see it all around

1122
01:20:59,600 --> 01:21:03,233
In every heart, love can be foun

1123
01:21:03,233 --> 01:21:06,333
We are one

1124
01:21:06,533 --> 01:21:08,133
We are one

1125
01:21:16,066 --> 01:21:22,833
When you're afraid

1126
01:21:23,600 --> 01:21:29,766
Together, we will fight here

1127
01:21:29,766 --> 01:21:36,733
You're not invisible

1128
01:21:37,266 --> 01:21:41,200
I see you holding back tears

1129
01:21:41,200 --> 01:21:44,366
but I'm here

1130
01:21:44,366 --> 01:21:49,733
We are one

1131
01:21:51,033 --> 01:21:57,466
We are one

1132
01:21:57,466 --> 01:22:01,100
And the world is still so beauti

1133
01:22:01,100 --> 01:22:04,500
Together,
we'll stand and not lose hope

1134
01:22:04,500 --> 01:22:07,900
'Cause we are one
We are one

1135
01:22:07,900 --> 01:22:11,200
We are one

1136
01:22:11,200 --> 01:22:14,433
Can't you see it all around

1137
01:22:14,433 --> 01:22:17,900
In every heart, love can be foun

1138
01:22:17,900 --> 01:22:24,366
We are one

1139
01:22:24,366 --> 01:22:27,833
The world is still so beautiful

1140
01:22:27,833 --> 01:22:31,000
Together,
we'll stand and not lose hope

1141
01:22:31,000 --> 01:22:34,700
We are one (we are one)

1142
01:22:34,700 --> 01:22:38,000
We are one

1143
01:22:38,000 --> 01:22:41,133
Can't you see it all around

1144
01:22:41,133 --> 01:22:44,600
In every heart, love can be foun

1145
01:22:44,600 --> 01:22:47,933
We are one
We are one

1146
01:22:47,933 --> 01:22:53,700
We are one (we are one)

1147
01:22:54,966 --> 01:23:00,066
We are one

1148
01:23:06,300 --> 01:23:12,266
[applause]

1149
01:23:12,266 --> 01:23:23,900
[music]

1150
01:23:23,900 --> 01:23:28,966
God bless America,

1151
01:23:29,166 --> 01:23:33,900
land that our love

1152
01:23:33,900 --> 01:23:36,166
Stand beside her

1153
01:23:36,166 --> 01:23:38,800
-To learn more about
the National Memorial Day Concer

1154
01:23:38,800 --> 01:23:43,333
and find links to organizations
to helping veterans and military

1155
01:23:43,333 --> 01:23:47,500
please visit our website
at pbs.org/memorialdayconcert

1156
01:23:47,500 --> 01:23:50,633
or join the conversation
on Twitter and Facebook.

1157
01:23:52,933 --> 01:23:56,600
The National Memorial Day
Concert is made possible by

1158
01:23:56,600 --> 01:23:58,366
the National Park Service,

1159
01:23:58,366 --> 01:23:59,900
Department of the Army,

1160
01:23:59,900 --> 01:24:02,333
the Corporation for
Public Broadcasting,

1161
01:24:02,333 --> 01:24:05,100
and by contributions
to your PBS station

1162
01:24:05,100 --> 01:24:06,766
from viewers like you.

1163
01:24:06,766 --> 01:24:08,133
Thank you.

1164
01:24:09,700 --> 01:24:11,500
-You're watching PBS.