Welcome and thank you all for coming to the 29th anniversary serviceman remembering pan am flight 103. My father was in seat 9h. We remember our friends and family taken from us today. You may notice the change in the sitting out here. You may notice a change in the seating, design there is a very tall man sitting up here, usually. Even last year when frank dugan became too well to participate up front with us, he still hiked all the way up and sat in the audience at the time. Audience. Illed that we have his picture of here, but it does not do justice to the gaping hole he left here when he passed, less than two months ago. It seems like the last two months have been a series of revelations of all the work that frank did for me, us, and without us realizing it. He was the backbone of our supports network, so much so that having grown up with this rather extensive pan am family, as an extension of my own, for a one time i thought he was another one of my various pan am uncles. 15 years after the bombing, i realized that wasnt a case. We adored frank. We stuck to him like super glue. The way that a good friend should always take. You may notice that different this year. We are adjusting to the loss of our superglue. We are taking this year to remember him, as well as the people we lost. There will be a lot of frank peppered in throughout our program. Please rise for the presentation of the colors and the national anthem. Show less Text National anthem music playing] oh say can you see, by the dons early light, what so proudly we hailed, by the twilights last gleaming. Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight what so proudly we hailed, or the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming. And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there oh say does that starspangled banner yet wave oer the land of the free and and the home of the brave. Right shoulder, arms thank , to the choir and the r guard. Rabbi bernstein is the widow of michael, who left behind her and their two children. She is a rabbi in virginia. She is a longterm board member of pan am flight 103 incorporated, and is arco is also our go to person for handling what we want to say intelligently and eloquently. Stephanie, if you could come up. Source of all blessings, he with us today as we gather at this place of secretary and remember parents who cared for us, guided us, talk to us and sacrificed for us. Taught us and sacrificed for us. Partners and spouses with whom we shared our lives. Who were there for us in good times and bad. Children and grandchildren, taken from us, when they still have so much like to live. Siblings, with whom we played and squabbled, and with whom we shared a rich tapestry of family heritage. Grandparents, ants and uncles, who gave us unconditional love. Aunts and uncles, who gave us unconditional love. Friends whose counsel and support enriched our lives. As we recall with gratitude, friends and neighbors whose acts of loving kindness saved us and who helped to keep the memories of our loved ones alive. As we give thanks for comrades, members of a club no one wanted to join, who cried with us, with whom we walked the halls of congress, and attended meetings too numerous to count. As we call to mind, those who worked to bring justice for our loved ones, Law Enforcement officers with Boundless Energy and long memories. Prosecutors, who took our loved ones into their hearts. Legislators, determined to seek the truth. Source of life, we are grateful to you for the ties of love that death cannot break, for memories that are our precious heritage. We thank you for the lives of our loved ones, and the gift of memory. May our memories of our loved ones be both tender and true. Undiminished by time and sentimentality. May we live our days, in a way that honors the lives of our beloved loved ones. And maybe forever hold the precious light of our loved ones close to our hearts. Amen. Hi, i am melanies mother, kathy. I also want to greet everybody here, and say thank you for coming. I want to tell some of the v. I. Ps who are here. Senator Jeff Sessions you will , hear from him in a few minutes. Mr. Christopher wray, the director of the fbi, was unable to come. Hopefully next year he will be able to, so nevertheless we would like to thank him. The United States attorney for the District Of Columbia is also here. He is waving back there. Mr. Ed callahan, Principal Deputy assistant attorney general of the National Security division at the u. S. Department of justice. And the assistant director in charge of the Washington Field office off the fbi. There are a number of other out whohat i have found some of them are, and there is a lot to say everyones name, but i will tell you that some of the us ae that have helped lot, this week and this month, since frank has left us a us, it really miss him. He did so much and we did not realize how much he was doing. The former fbi agent who said he sending usver the all in emails all the time, that that would be good [laughter] he would say that incessantly. There are also a couple of people who are not here that i would like to mention. Catherine terman from the fbi [illegible] as they retired, prosecutor with the department of justice. We also thank jerry for his they haveide halved us so much. I wanted to say, do not quit your day job by you are welcome every year. Our pay is not as good as what you receive there. Anyway, i just want to say how much i miss frank and his wife, out here. When we have frank sitting up. , i would when we have frank sitting up the, i would always be the one to have them sit next to me. When frank was sitting here, i would always be the one to speak to him. Im a had a schedule, he never knew when it was time to speak. Even though he was coordinated, he would never know that. So i had had a schedule, he never knew when it to poke he stood up. Anyway, i miss that. Anyway, i would like to ask everybody for a moment of silence before we read the names. We remember them. John Michael Gerard herne. Sarah margaret h or. [calling names] [continues to call names] Michael Stuart bernstein. Stephen boland. Glenn bouckley and paula bouckley. New coal boulanger franciess boyer. Francis boyer, nicolas bright. Alfred hill. Katherine hollister. Josephine hudson. Melina hudson. Sophie hudson. Roger hurst. Alexander loewenstein. We remember them. Elizabeth ivell. Khalid jaafar. Robert van houten. Paul avron jeffreys. Rachel jeffreys. Mary lincoln johnson. Timothy baron johnson. Christopher andrew jones. Julianne Frances KellyJay Joseph Kingham we remember them. Patricia ann klein gregory kosmowski elke etha kuhne minas christopher kulukundis, Ronald Albert lariviere maria nieves larracoechea robert milton. Wendy lincoln. Lloyd ludlow. Maria lurbke. James macquarrie. We remember them. Wendy malicote. Douglas malicote. Elizabeth merrick. Lewis marengo. Noel martin. Diane maslowski. William john mcallister. Daniel mccarthy. Robert mccollum. Charles mckee. Bernard mclaughlin. Jane melber. We remember them. Suzanne marie miazga. Joseph kenneth miller. Jewel mitchell. Jane ann morgan. Eva morson. Helga mosey. Ingrid mulroy, sean mulroy, john mulroy. Mary murphy. Karen elizabeth newman. Thomas mitchell. We remember them. Daniel emmett oconnor. Mary Denice Oneill robert owings. Martha owings. Kristof Michael Papadopoulos peter pierce. Michael pescatore. We remember them. Sarah s. B. Philipps james Andrew Campell pitt. David platt. Walter porter. Pamela lynn posen. William pugh. Crisostomo estrella quiguyan. Rajesh tarsis priskel ramses. Anmol rattan. Garima rattan. Suruchi rattan. Anita reeves. And my husband, elia strattas. We remember them. Mark allen rein. Jocelyn reyna. I represent Louise Rogers of Syracuse University. Edina roller. Janos roller. Andrea victoria rosenthal. Daniel peter rosenthal. Myra josephine royal. Arnaud david rubin we remember them. Scott saunders. Teresa saunders. Johannes otto schauble Robert Thomas schlageter Sally Elizabeth scott. I represent amy schapiro. Mridula shastri joan sheanshang martin simpson. We remember them. I represent cynthia joan smith. Ingrid smith. James smith. Mary edna smith. Geraldine stevenson. John and charles stevenson. Rachel stevenson. Michael Gary StinnettCharlotte Ann stinnett stacy leeann Stinnett James stowe. Anthony swan. Laura swire. We remember them. Mark alex tager Hidekazu Tanaka andrew teran anthony thomas. Mark tobin. David trimmersmith. Alexia tsairis barry valentino. Tomas floro vantienhoven asaad eidi vejdany milutin velimirovich nicholas Andreas Peter volucci. We remember them. Raymond wagner. Janina jozefa waido thomas walker. Jerome weston. Jonathan white. Bonnie lee williams. Eric john williams. Brittany lee williams. Stephanie lee williams. John somerville. Lindsay ann somerville. Paul somerville. Robert somerville. We remember them. George waterson williams. Kelsey woods. Debra lynn woods. Joe nathan woods. Joe woods junior. Andrew c. G. Wright mark james zwynenburg joanna flanigan. Kathleen flanigan. Thomas flanagan. Marie henry. Dora henrietta henry. Mary lancaster. My uncle. We remember them. Army special forces captain, joseph curry, my brotherinlaw. [ choral once again, id would to welcome another longtime friend, ellen englehart, the widow of anthony hopkins, who left behind her and her son. She is a dedicated and ferocious activist and has been a part of this pan am family for as long as i can remember. She is going to come up and say a few words about our frank come up and say a few words. Ellen determined, maybe. That song just wiped me out, thank you. This is a tribute i never wanted to give, and didnt expect to. I had to be here to do it. Frank, i think i met frank the first time he came to one of our early group meetings, in a rather dingy hotel in hudson, new york. Not quite sure why we were meeting there. Except that in the early years, we were trying to go up and down the east coast to be near some of the places where so many of us lived. The plane had been filled with people whose homes were all over the country, as far away as california. We went up as far as boston, i dont remember quite how far south we would meet but we went up to the Central New York area, and at that time, it was very early, the months following, there was a lot of unclaimed jewelry, watches and such, that were still in lockerbee. They had been brought over to try and be identified. And frank was there, not with that team, but another team from the justice department, i believe, was trying to locate get to know the Family Members, might knoweople who others who had booked on the flight and then withdrawn at the last minute, or at least to assemble a list of what point in time their relatives had made a reservation. Because there was a peculiar pattern, it seemed, once a seat was empty four days before christmas, it was believed maybe there was advance notice given to some people. Anyway, frank introduced himself and got to know us. I think at that point, he realized by looking at addresses and things, that tony had lived in brooklyn with his family, though tony was english, he had married an american woman, a brooklynite. Franklin is from brooklyn. You can take the boy out of brooklyn, but you know the end of that phrase, he and i bonded over brooklyn. We kept that going for the next 29 years. We would joke about it, we would ask questions about brooklyn or he would, and i would bring him up to date. He would send me little notices, that he found scrolling through the web about brooklyn. Do we remember the days when . We were approximately the same age, same era. So that we had known the same kind of brooklyn. Brooklyn patriots are very loyal. We had that. We would email sign letters to each other. We would sign email letters to each other, your friend in brooklyn. He was generous to bring people together. To invite me to various meetings and opportunities to speak or include me and projects that involved Family Members. I realize the scarf i brought aday symbolizes frankmediated encounter when one of the retired policeman from lockerbie who worked on our case was visiting new york for the first time and got in touch with frank as the president of our organization to meet with some Family Member in the new york area, he thought about me and a number of other people got in touch with me and asked if i interested andas available. I was. My son and i had dinner with this lovely couple, and this was their gift to me. A scottish tartan, warm wool, scarf. To share my connections with him that i think the group became very close and supportive for him. After his own daughter was in a terrible accident and survived. Her recovery was very perilous, and he grew strength from us. He attached himself to us. It has been mentioned, became much more than a guide to the byways of the washington bureaucracy. He became a dear friend to us all. I regarded him as a personal friend. In fact, in looking through some of the requests i edited for six years, hoping to find six years something i could share with you, i found something i had forgotten about. The last column i wrote before i stepped down as editor in november of 2001. At the end of the article that i wrote, thanking everyone who helped me get this publication to look professional and out in to get out on time, i came to the end of the article and thanked my readers. Your letters have meant so much to me. I have printed them as they reached me and i held back one i received last december. It seemed too personal to share with the world, but to do so now and i will do so now. 12 five 2000 1252000. The november issue was wonderful, and addition to the physical effort, it must tear the guts out of you every time you edit one of these truth quests. Your treatment was fair and balanced. I had given a book review of two books. Case. Ere about our if you ever wrote a book yourself, i know it would be terrific, but you dont have to. What you get for all of us with truth quest is as much a legacy and a tribute to tony as any book. All the best. Your friend, frank. I cannot think of a finer accolade. Thank you, helen, that was beautiful. I have the distinct pleasure of introducing someone, attorney general Jeff Sessions. He has worked in and around Law Enforcement for nearly 40 years. For 14 years, he served as a federal prosecutor, including 12 years as a United States attorney appointed by president ronald reagan. He then served as attorney general of alabama, and for 20 years as a United States senator. Today, he serves as the 84th attorney general of the United States. I would like to introduce a fellow seven or and more importantly, fellow american, Jeff Sessions. [applause] a. G. Sessions thank you, very much. Thank you for the introduction and the hard work you are doing to make this service so special. I especially want to thank the Law Enforcement professionals who are here, including United States attorney jesse lou who is returning to her office and in washington, d. C. As a u. S. Attorney where she served for a number of years. To mike and jessie and dick of the fbi and ed, jonathan, brianna, jerry, and heather of our National Security division in the department of justice and to so many others who are here in the department of justice. I would like to take a moment to remember frank dugan. Your attorney whom we lost last month. Everyone knows he was tough and a most able advocate for the victims of pan american 103. He will be missed. And to thank his widow, i think you are here, during this difficult time. On behalf of the president , i want to offer my condolences to all of the families of the victims of pan am 103. Your strength today and over these past years is an inspiration for all the people in our country. In particular, i want to mention those of you who are part of the department of justice family. I think it symbolizes just how impactful this tragedy was. Justanie bernstein, who gave that beautiful invocation, she lost her husband michael, a doj attorney who was in vienna on department of justice business, working on deporting former nazis to the United States and he was on his way home to her. Former u. S. Attorney rick, who lost his 21yearold sister lynn, assistant united state attorney and who lost her uncle, and we remember them and all of those names who we heard so beautifully read. 29 years later, we continue to heal, you continue to heal. I believe we owe it to the victims and to you, their families, to ensure that justice is done. I want to assure you that your loved ones are not forgotten and neither are you. Our investigators and prosecutors meet regularly in the United States, in scotland, and elsewhere to advance the case and bring those responsible to justice. They continue their efforts to gather witnesses and recover evidence from libya, despite challenging conditions. They are engaged with the libyan prosecutors and officials and will continue their work as long as it takes. 29 years ago, this was the deadliest terrorist attack on american civilians in our nations history. 270 innocent people from 22 countries were targeted for death by statesponsored terrorists. 189 were americans traveling home for christmas. The victims include a twoyearold, a threeyearold, a couple on a honeymoon. Every year on december 21, the men and women of the department of justice are honored to join you here. This day reminds us of what is at stake in the work that we do. It inspires us and the news our renews our determination. The first and most foremost job of any government is to protect the safety and rights of citizens. Terrorists target unarmed and unsuspecting, innocent people going about their lives. Watching a soccer game, commuting to work, or flying home for christmas. Ours is the difficult task of staying one step ahead of them at all times. It is not enough just to prosecute terrorism, though that is important, we must prevent terrorism. Over these last 29 years, terrorists have certainly continued to target us. They have inflicted other attacks on us and our allies. From San Bernardino to boston, from the pentagon, a mile and a half away from this very spot, to orlando and london. At the same time, we have improved our Law Enforcement training, our tactics, and we are more determined than ever to defeat terrorism. Not to accommodate it, but to defeat it. The department of justice has achieved a number of victories. We have secured convictions of more than 500 terrorists since 9 11. Since 2013 alone, we have charged more than 145 terrorist fighters, homegrown extremists, and isis supporters, and more in more than 40 districts throughout the United States. We are not letting up. The fbi currently has ongoing investigations in all 50 states. In my time as attorney general, nothing has impressed me more. I meet with the fbi director and his Counterterrorism Team three mornings per week. We recognize our responsibility and are determined to prevent as many attacks as possible. Of course, that is not easy. We are not perfect, but we are working resolutely every single day to reach the highest level of success. I am very impressed, amazed really, at how how effective our at how effective our team has been in preventing attacks, prosecuting terrorists before they carry out their murderous aims. Terrorists seek to intimidate, they seek to coerce us, but they will fail. The American People will not yield. That is what we owe the victims we remember today. That is what we owe you, their families, to bring terrorists to justice and make sure other families dont have to endure what you have. President trump and his department will remain relentless in doing that. I want to thank all of you for being here, and for your being relentless and honoring the memory of those beautiful lives we lost. God bless you all. God bless the United States of america. [applause] thank you so much, attorney general sessions, for your words. The first time you used the word determined, made me sit up straight. I like hearing that. You used the same word at least two more times and that hit home so we appreciate your time and your message today. So thank you for your coming. If i may ask you to step forward, i have something to present to you. This is a rather thick book. Many of you will recognize it, on eagles wings with pictures and little biographies of each one of our loved ones lost. I would like you to have that, as well as a book looking for lockerbie written by a professor at syracuse which gives a look at lockerbie beyond the pan am 103 occurrence. It is a wonderful book about this little town. We would like you to have that. Thank you, very much. Mary my name is mary and i serve as board chair of the victims of pan am flight 103 incorporated and i lost my husband on the flight. As others have mentioned today, frank duggan served as our president. Besides being a wonderful friend, i hosted him at my home with his wife fay for our summer meeting and it was delightful to have him as a Family Member. He served as our president and i served alongside him and he was indispensable to me, to our work as a board and as an organization. His attention to detail in seeking and sending us articles that in any way related to pan am 103 was an educational loan. Education alone. He always had his antennas out keeping up us to date with news here in the United States and in the u. K. , and beyond. He would arrange for Conference Calls with representatives from administrations, regardless of which administration was in office, from a white house chief of staff, to the director of the cia, fbi, senators, people in congress, regardless of party affiliation. He knew it was important to us never to be relegated to a back burner, but to keep our cause and our case known to those in power. Spring, as our board elections were to be discussed, frank indicated he would like to step down as president but still remain on the board. We understood and respected and wanted to honor that decision, and were happy he still wanted to serve on the board. Our board holds several meetings during the year, and at our summer meeting last july, we managed to keep a secret from him. He was present but we managed to keep a secret that we had voted to honor frank with the title of president emeritus. In late october, we held our annual general meeting in october in Syracuse University and made the announcement, even though he could not be with us that day, about bestowing this honor on frank. The word emeritus means in latin, veteran soldier. You may have heard it used to dedicate a retiring professor, pope, or president. As a mark of distinguished service awarded only to a few on their retirement. It is most fitting to bestow this title on frank. The first and only person to be so honored by our organization. He was, indeed, our veteran soldier for the victims of pan am 103. It was presented on october 29 and franks death was four days later. He will remain our president emeritus and always in our hearts. When frank indicated he decided to step down as president , we needed to search for a new and. A new one. Well, we did not have to search far. Not too far, because our new president is not exactly new to the position. Our new president served as our president prior to franks tenure. When she was 15 years old, she lost her brother richard on pan am 103. As a young woman, she stepped up andserved as our president , was an amazing spokesperson and leader during some very trying and complicated times for us. She and her husband joe began to start their family and are now the parents of three really great sons. We turned back to kara to see if she would serve as president and grateful to have our Younger Generation involved, she said yes. I would like to introduce or reintroduce our new president. [applause] thank you, mary kay. This is like riding a bicycle, right . I am privileged to be a peer as your president to represent the Family Members and our love ones we lost 29 years ago today. I would like to thank the remembrance scholars and lockerbie scholars that are here today. Thank you for all the work you do at syracuse to represent and remember, not only the 35 syracuse students, but all of the pan am 103 victims. Anniversaries have an amazing power to bring us back to the moments in time some happy, some sad, some lifechanging. As i reflect on this anniversary, i am struck by something my mother said when to return from remembrance week at syracuse this year. She said that it seems more emotional this year and she was right as usual. Dont tell her that. [laughter] kara the amount of time that has passed does not dictate our emotions and while some may seem 29 years is so long ago, we know that in instant we can be transported back to that moment. Everyones trigger is different. For me, it is a special report on the news. I had a moment like that last week on a bomb went off in the new york port authority. I went back to that afternoon when i was home alone seeing the news reports for the first time. When i think back on the afternoon, besides the shock and less than gentle way i told my mom when she arrived home from work what was happening, i remember the generosity of an old friend i lost touch with years before. As i was waiting to hear back from my brothers girlfriend to confirm if it was ricks flight, i knew i needed to talk to somebody. My closest friends were either at sports or afterschool clubs. I went through my mental rolodex because we didnt have cell phones back then. I called a girl i befriended in elementary school. When she picked up, i said, just talk to me. I do not care what about and i did not explain by the grace of god, she did what i asked. She talked to me until my brothers girlfriend called back on the house phone and heard me on the phone. When i came back to her, not able to comprehend what this meant, all she said was, i will be right there. A few minutes later, she and her father arrived at my door. They were with me when my mom arrived home from work and she spent the rest of the day with me, just being there. She was my lifeline that afternoon. She never questioned why i called. She was just there to help me anyway she could. Not long after the tragedy, another person entered my life. Our lives, that have a profound impact. Frank dougan became the Commission Liaison for the bush demonstration to our families, a position that probably should have lasted a few months but it never really ended. We could not shake frank, nor did we want to. He held our hands through many situations, advised us, led us, and give us a swift kick in behind when it was warranted. He loved us and our loved ones who he never had the pleasure of meeting. To that end, he became one of us. He fought for us and with us all with love and passion. When i became president the first time, almost 15 years ago, i knew i had big shoes to fill following my fathers footsteps. My second stint as president , i know that franks shoes are ones i can never fill. My hope is to continue to lead families with the same passion and love as frank. I will do my best to honor rick and all our loved ones but frank duggan who became family to so many of us. Thank you. [applause] this is glen johnson, whose daughter was on the flight. I am jane davis, mother of shannon. On this very exceptional day, we have some good news. Our first legacy Award Recipient is present among us. And you will know who it is in a few minutes. Was asked, how did the legacy award come about . I thought about Committee Hours i spent with lynn on nominations, and i thought about all kinds of brainstorming and talking about aging, and who was going to carry on. I thought about all of those things. I stand here today full of pleasure for you to see the young members of our family who are stepping forward to carry on the work of the victims of pan am flight 103, incorporated. How did that legacy award come about . By the collective dedication and the combined energies and talents of many soulshattered people 29 years ago now. We gathered ourselves together. We struggled. We became known as citizens lobbying group in washington and elsewhere. Our voices united for airport and airline security. First, we committed ourselves. Secondly, at the appropriate time, we began mentoring our Second GenerationFamily Members. And they are becoming our leaders. Then we still have more things to talk about and think about. Somehow, i do not remember the minute, but i do know that glenn may have said something to me that started the new idea that lets reach beyond ourselves. With 35,000 collected, we have resources to help to award students who want to continue our organizational goals. That is what the legacy award is about. Hold in your heart the name of your Family Member, and quietly rejoice with our committee, that our loved ones have helped bring about this beautiful legacy award in these 29 years. Thank you. [applause] as you have heard about the legacy award, and those who first conceived the idea, we were so impressed by the caliber of the students who applied for this award. I was on the Reading Committee that read the applications. We had 22 applicants from all over the United States. Each one presenting fascinating, intriguing, purposeful, and meaningful ideas to their careers in counterterrorism. They all had merit. It was so encouraging to see the keen interest among this generation of upcoming scholars to pursue this field. Allison miller was our standout. If i may ask allison to come forward at this time. [applause] to tell you a little bit about her, she has a ba in Political Science from Old Dominion University and obtained her m. A. In Political Science from Virginia Tech in may of 2017. She served four years in the u. S. Navy, and we thank her for her service. She began her interest in studying the topic of antiterrorism during her first semester of community college. When she enrolled in a course called political terrorism. That course was taught by a former member of the fbi. Allison told us in her essay that she was enthralled by the various terrorist organizations being studied by the fbi. She sought to take every course possible relating to the topic of terrorism. Even branching out to Homeland Security through the lens of criminal justice. And her core studies focused on terrorism, counterterrorism, espionage, and intelligence. To list a quote from her essay, she shared that she is fascinated by the study of how an individual becomes radicalized, and steps that can be implemented to lead him or her away from that. Consequently, her concentration is on deradicalization, and she has worked in the state department and educating from religious diversity training in detroit. She has undertaken several projects during her graduate studies. One of note is the ongoing project in detroit trying to bring communities together with a multistate approach. With a Research Methodology of ethnographic fieldwork, she has with the diplomacy left with the u. S. Embassy in tunis, analyzing radicalized messaging on social media. I will let allison share more with you about her work and aspirations for utilizing our award. At this time, i would like to make the formal presentation and introduce allison as i read your certificate. The victims of pan am 103 are proud to present the initial legacy award to allison miller. To pursue studies at the school of public and International Affairs as a phd student in planning, governance, and globalization at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and state university, presented this day, december 21, 2017. [applause] congratulations. Allison, i would like to take a moment to thank you for the work you intend to do. I think it is important that people like you do this to prevent one has happened to us. In my own case, 29 years ago today, i was at the mall. I was buying a gift for my daughter for christmas. I remember the saleswoman looking at me and saying, is there something wrong . Is there something wrong with you . I took care of my purchase and left. The whole way home, i am thinking, did i have a stroke . What was wrong . I blacked out. When i found my wife running down the driveway, screaming, i realized, at the time i blacked out, our daughter beth was leaving us. To help you continue your work, the Legacy Committee would like to present you with a check for 5,000. [applause] and also a copy of on eagles wings. We would like you to have that. Excuse me, but it is time for a commercial. Come and stand close. You are going to receive a white card, and here it is, with the exact information for everything you need to know. Please keep this card close to your checkbook so that you can contribute regularly, because i know you are going to want to. [laughter] hi, everybody. I do not think i quite understood the magnitude of importance until today. It is truly an honor to receive this. I am at a loss for words. I was asked to talk a little bit about my research and what i plan to do going forward. I researched for my masters thesis Community Cohesion and countering violent extremism, and i used Metro Detroit as a case study, so i was interested in looking at the community and talking to Community Members to see what aspects of Community Development can serve to counter violent extremism. I found, at least within Metro Detroit, an impressive network of interfaith dialogue and interfaith activism. I really kind of held onto that. I plan to explore that in my phd dissertation, and with this award, i plan to take this across the water to lujan in the u. K. That is a hotbed of extremism. I will repeat the same message as far as looking at Community Development, and trying to figure out what aspects of community make a strong community, and one that is essentially resilient to violent extremism. [applause] every time i touch this thing, i get shocked. [laughter] i want to thank all of you for coming. I want to thank these wonderful people, our choir from Pender United Methodist Church in fairfax, virginia. That is pretty close. They have been coming every year for, i dont know, a long time. I would say at least 10 years. Thank you very much for coming. We have this lovely wreath, and i would like to ask attorney general Jeff Sessions and franks widow to come and take it up over here closer. Would everybody stand, and we will have our bugler play taps. Under his wings i am safely abiding under his wings usually it is like, two or three planes. More this time. Before i introduce our chaplain to offer the benediction, i have a few announcements. After the service, everyone is welcome to join for food and relaxation and beverages at the marriott crystal gateway restaurant in crystal city. They open up early for us, and it is a good time to decompress and catch up with each other. Next, i wanted to take a moment to thank Teresa Carpenter and the pender choir, who have come to sing with us for years. Our piper, our chaplain, the military color guard, our bugleer, our speaker, Jeff Sessions. My other counterpart, maxine, who arranges the dinner time at the hotel. Syracuse university for sending all of their students and staff to us and helping us out every year. And the staff at Arlington Cemetery for hosting us once again. And franks wife, faye. Chaplain major willie has been the deputy commands chaplain for military affairs at Arlington Cemetery since june. His time serving in the military has included two combat tours in iraq, and he has received two bronze star medals and the combat action batch for being present and engaged by enemy forces during combat operations. Please join me in welcoming the chaplain as he performs the benediction, after which our piper will play one more song before we close the program. Thank you. Chaplain . Please join me in prayer. Bless our gathering, o lord, with the spirit of unity and love. Anoint those gathered here to do your purpose on earth. Grant us the courage to champion the wellbeing of ourselves and our neighbors. Enable us to since the urgency of lifegiving service and activity that nurtures body, mind, and spirit as we seek to live selflessly as a witness to you and your greatness. Dismiss us now with your blessings, your peace, and the calm assurance that you are always with us. May the lord bless you and keep you. May he lived his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen. Thank you, that is all. [laughter] 12 ven,i questions of collusion between the Trump Campaign and russia. He was also asked how officials view the president s ability to serve. Let us go back to the 25th amendment. Did you have any evidence that plotting actively inside the cabinet, the administration to make that removal . That would be the mechanism for that to happen. Not people in the senate, not pundits, inside his own white house. Tom, like you, i work my sources and i believe there are some who have had this discussion. This is both outside the cabinet and in. I think it is the fall back plan for the establishment. Trying to sound the clarion call. You will cnn normas uptick in these irresponsible stories smearing the president as not up to the job and so on. Particularly, if mr. Mueller shoot and miss. I am being realistic about what i believe is the result of many in the political establishment to remove the president under any means necessary. Who are we talking about . Secretary of state . Defense secretary . Vice president . Like you, tom, i cant reveal those sources and am not prepared to do so. I am not asking you to reveal your sources but who are your sources telling you . Who would be doing this . There are members of the cabinet who have had this discussion. Let me leave it at that. You can watch the rest of that interview with roger stone this sunday at 10 00 a. M. And 6 00 p. M. Eastern here on cspan. Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell held a year and News Conference to highlight congressional achievements this last year and offer a look ahead to what people can expect. Health care,e immigration, and Sexual Harassment on capitol hill. This is about 25 minutes