Of allegiance. Tonight i ask as we recite the pledge of allegiance, we do so for those who are currently fighting, those who are missing, and those who are veterans. Please join me in reciting the prejudice allegiance the pledge of allegiance. All i pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america. , including his brother stephen and daughter. Could we ask everyone to stand so that we can thank you all for being here tonight . [applause] melissa also here with us this evening, our congressional medal of honor recipient, Lieutenant Colonel robert friend, one of the last surviving tuskegee airmen. Good to have you with us this evening. [applause] melissa thank you so much. We appreciate having you here. A very special thank you to lori baker who is the executive director of the hero foundation. [applause] melissa there are many things we get to do here as members of the reagan foundation. Had president george w. Bush here. Getting to know in meeting our countries here is our outweighs anything else i have the privilege to do. Getting to know tonights baker has been a highlight of my career. This happened because we were looking for speakers that could tie into our special exhibit. For those who are not seen the exhibition, it is an interactive exhibit that highlights how sciencefiction can become reality. It highlights how modern technology has been influenced by popular culture. It changes the way in which we live, work, move and play. How can we find a speaker that epitomizes our theme . We thought here is a guy who is literally wearing a robot. What better speaker could we find . Doing research for tonights program, i found this quote from the cofounder who makes the exoskeleton. Are helping people walk again who otherwise could not. We bought Science Fiction to reality in a short period of time. Chief foreign officer gary linfoot, retired. He served as a member of the armys elite 160th special Operations Aviation regiment. June saw in the video in 2008 his helicopter suffered severe failure. He suffered a broken back and was instantly paralyzed below the waist. He retired from the army in 2010 but continues to serve as a Flight Instructor. In 2013 come he became the First Military recipient of and access skeleton and access skeleton or home use. Exoskeleton for home use. He lostew months ago, his daughter down the aisle. Andus pay them tribute resolved to live up to their example. I can think of no better person whose example i would like to live up to. Ladies and gentlemen, you gary linfoot with his wife, mary. [applause] gary made it. Thank you. My legs are shaking. I am nervous. Good evening and thank you for joining us. It is an honor and pleasure to be here. I have the opportunity to speak with you. I would like to recognize and celebrate his sunday at 70th birthday. I am not good when i am your age. That good when i am your age. The film you saw, she did a fabulous job on it. It really captures the essence of what they are doing. Tonight i am going to tell you a story. My hope is that you hear the story of a family who has overcome and that challenges head on, never given up. It is a story of hope. It is our story. Let of 2008 is a day the me, my family and friends was changed forever. I have been a pilot for over 19 years. I have completed one combat rotation to afghanistan immediately following 9 11. All told, it was 861 days. We were known as the six guns. Our mission was to provide air support for special operations forces. I was at the apex of my career and there was no other job in the world i wanted. I was in my element and exactly where i needed to be. Hadou recall, the nation been at war for a most seven years at that point. We had been in iraq for five years. End of a very successful search. We had them on the run. For my family, the constant for a five to iraq times a year had become somewhat routine. I would tell my wife and kids goodbye. I would be gone for the next 90 days. Missing holidays, birthdays, special occasions, and life at home went on without me. All i could think about was being home again. When i was home, all he could think about was getting back to iraq. Years, and never really quite made it back home. That was our life. That was the routine. Im going to loosen this up, because i can hardly breathe. I call this my girdle. It gets my got sucked in. Gut sucked in. That was the routine for us. 2008, i wokeay in and walkedhowered over to our anger. Hangar. I walked over to our Operations Center to report the daily status of my aircraft. Wasre shaping up shaping up to be a routine night. We departed the airbase and headed for our Mission Support site in baghdad. We attended and operations brief. Brits are always fun to work with. Although we shared a common language, they were often very difficult to understand. Tom was the one who translated to american for us. Veryrief this night had a heavy accent. I turned over to my guys and said did anybody understand a word he said . Everybody shook their head no. We were able to get a good translation and clarification and were good to go. Our mission that night was simple, one we had performed hundreds of times. It was 30 minutes south of baghdad. The ground force with linked up with fighting vehicles. They would ride to the objective. They would be difficult at the vehicle dropoff and then undetected walk up to the objective, where they would surround the target building. Once surrounding, they would call out the person of interest, the target. Us, it was low hanging fruit. Things got loud, meaning they had the assaults building. In to providelled air support. We departed to proceed to our holding area. In one wastook of the rockets. Maximumits gross with thehe 650 engine rotor blades turning the night air. We lifted off into the sky. Climbing 300 feet, i called out our departure. Sometime after takeoff, when you hear a strange noise coming from rear of the aircraft. This was the first and only indication of an impending failure of the engine to transmission. My copilot and i discussed the sound. Unable to determine the source, everything reading normal, no unusual vibrations. We continued our mission. Eventually, the noise all but ceased. Midnight, zero illumination. Visibility was three miles. At thejust arrived holding area. We were at a speed of 70 knots. Suddenly, it was a muffled but loud explosion coming from the rear of the aircraft. What that was was the kfx. Ufflink we lost all power to our main rotor. Swerve to the left. We fell from the sky. A dissent and put the aircraft and a hard left turn. Into a hard left turn. Simultaneously i made a mayday call on the radio. We were too heavy and falling fast. This was going to be a hard landing. Landingmemory of the was seeing the green blur of the ground rushing up to us through the night vision goggles are i remember hearing the audio night vision goggles. I remember hearing the audio warning. We hit. Impact wascy the less than 10 seconds. It was very surreal. If you have ever been any violent highspeed crash, you can pretty much relate to what it felt like. After the sound of the aircraft , the air leaving the lungs of our body, there was an eerie silence. Upon impact, my vertebrae first burst. Paralysis was instant. I completed an emergency shutdown of the aircraft. Fearing we may be on fire, i yelled that we needed to get out. With my right hand i grabbed the door frame and attempted to step out. It was at that time i realized i could not move my legs. Then the pain kicked in. Greg had suffered a broken back and concussion. To this day, you have no memory of the crash or the events leading up to the accident. He was lying in paying at the front of the aircraft. Grabbed my rifle and wanted to signal our sister heirship. Shots and was a bit loopy. He thought we were being shot at. He held they are shooting at us. I told him it was only me. I stopped shooting. I tried to contact the other ship. There was no success. There was nothing but dark. Nothing but pain. I checked my legs, hoping to find out that they had just been broken and i was in some sort of shock. At this point, i knew i had suffered a spinal cord injury. Images raised their my mind. They all told me the same thing. This was going to suck. After about 10 minutes, my friend steve suddenly appeared at my door and asked if we have been shot down. I told him no, i believe it was mechanical failure. Greg. Myself and a short time, two of our blackhawks landed with about 20 rangers. They secured the crash site. Evacuated. Less than an hour after the crash, which is really remarkable, if you consider everything. Less than an hour, we were on our way to hospital. A hospital. A nurse handed me a phone and told me to call my life. I called mary. Mary had just walked into the phone rang. Hen the she was somewhat surprised to her my voice. I asked if anybody from the unit had contacted her. My voice was calm and clear and i told her that id been in a bad crash and have broken my back. Mary was saddened that i would live a life of back pain but was relieved that i was ok. Then i told her i could not move my legs. She immediately went into crisis mode and had the frame of mind that week to have me talk to the kids. It would be a sleepless night for her and the kids. I am sorry. Asked if this dad ever had to go back to iraq again. Less than 20 hours, surgery was completed. I was on my way to walter reed medical center. The first three hospitals, i would spend my recovery and rehab. With mary by my side, we began our unwanted journey together. A spinal cord injury and paralysis is a very unique and complex injury. There were effects of injury that i never thought of that were then discovered. Beyond the loss of movement to my legs, there was loss of control of my bladder. Then theres the pain that never goes away. Injury crueol l injury. In those three months removed from walter reed, to the v. A. And shepherd center. I would learn more about this injury. Ands focused on recovery getting home, while mary was focused on what we needed once we were at home, including home and vehicle modifications. Together, we made a pretty good team. The next year was really all about learning the reality of being a paraplegic. On theurs were spent phone coordinating with doctors and the v. A. To get things done. Yet a learn how to patiently navigate our way through. Was medically retired. That summer i began to work as a simulator Flight Instructor, teaching new aviators. Sometime that summer, if i remember correctly, at that time in my life it was pretty much a blur of change. I believe i fell into a depression. I fell into depression and a deftly know i took out a lot of my anger and frustration out on i definitely know i took out a lot of my anger and frustration out on mary. I was angry. I was ashamed of what i had become. I lost my selfworth as a , as a husband,an as a father. Being an elite special operations attack helicopter pilot, the apple mail alpha male fighting evil, to someone who could do very little for himself. In my mind, i was a failure. On the outside, i think i did a good job of covering it up. I tried to keep a smile on my face and a good attitude. I went to work, jumped around, tried to exercise you i tried to cover the pain and do my best not to complain. This injury was beating me down, and it was a death of a thousand cuts. I prayed to god that he would take this all for me. I prayed that it would just end. I wanted it all to be over. I have been to the edge and stared into that dark abyss. This is what i know. We are all here for a short amount of time, but we are here with and for a purpose. I truly believe that god has a plan for all of us. If it werent true, we would not be here now. , notvived that crash because of mice. Her flight skills, although if i will do you how good item. Im i am. I believe i survived that night because god had a purpose for me. He was not done with the yet. It is for this reason that i chooses, toy family continue fighting together. We have never given up. When i prayed to god and told him i cannot do this, it was as cannot do him say you this alone. That is why i gave you your wife, your children, your friends, and you have me. You more thanive you can handle is not correct. He will give you more than you can handle, but it is with him and through his strength that you will overcome and you will thrive. Mary and i have made a conscious choice to move on and live our lives to the best. We only not only to ourselves but our family and friends. Who we havehose lost. Ive been given a Second Chance that many of my friends and fellow warriors did not get. I elect to those who did not come home to live a life worth living. It has been a tough road. In the end, i believe it will all be worth it. We have benefited from the kindness and generosity of many people. The xo bionic skeleton purchased by the hero foundation. With this equipment we traveled the country, seeing and doing things i never thought possible. Talking to kids about advanced robotics and hopefully planting that small seed the mind of a child that will one day blossom into an idea to make changes in the world. We successfully completed an fda trial and it is now available to veterans of the v. A. That which was not too long ago thought impossible. I was honored to be the first paraplegic walk around the statue of liberty using the exoskelton. It was in april, for the First Time Since the accident that i was able to stand next to marry mary. I will never take for granted the Little Things in life. Little things like being able to get out of bed in the morning and using the bathroom unless in two minutes. Climb three steps or to stand and hug my kids. These things had been lost to me. Some of them, i am getting back. Beautiful to walk my daughter down the aisle on her wedding day. I would offer the following advice, trust in the lord, give thanks, and remember each day is a gift. Find your purpose, rewrite your story if needed, and discover what you why is. Why am i here . What is my purpose . It might not be what you thought it would be, but you have a purpose. Discover what it is and pursue it with everything you have. Surround yourself with people you love, people who support you, and will challenge you. These words of encouragement for each other. You never know what they will do for somebody. You may change a life. Bad things happen to good people. Throughout life, at some point, we will all face tragedies in andhe hardship hardship. Ultimately, you are responsible for your own happiness. You have to move on. Nobody ever said life would be easy. Except the challenge of life, play the hand you have been dealt to the best of your ability. In the end, it will have all have been worth it. Never quit. Thank you. [applause] we cant thank you enough for sharing that remarkable story with us. Lets give him another hand. [applause] watching you walk in and sit down here, can you explain how the exoskeleton works . As you see, it basically replaces the bone and muscles of my body. Distance around the outside of my body and mechanically and electrically will stand me up. Of it,will take control activate, tell it i am going to start moving. The way i walk with it is much like you would walk if you were going to step off with your left foot, you would put your weight over your right foot, and then shift forward. I did the same thing. Senses it, ite activates the step. As long as i am shifting my weight, it will continue to walk. Is it hard to learn how to use . It is very intuitive. Its strange because i cant feel anything below my naval. Its like balancing a broom on the tip of your finger, and a way. Once i was able to trust the machine that it was going to stand me up and not let me drop to the ground, it was just a matter of learning where those safe point works safe points were. It took about three days to learn it. E been using the device after a couple weeks to a month, it was easy. Of your sonsvideos helping you and other. How much are they doing in the movement . Once she stands me up, she has to activate the standing feature. She turns control over to me, and then she is there appear lay for safety purposes. , i canre to fall back catch myself. If i am in a situation where im unable to get the crutches, she is there to push me back into place. The you know how you came to be the first person to receive an exit skeleton . And exoskeleton . Kind of a long story. Ive been involved with an organization that is involved annually in an event hosted by American Airlines in dallasfort worth. Ive been involved with them for several years. Every year they have a different theme. In the past it has been welcoming home world war ii veterans or Vietnam Veterans or gulf war veterans. This particular year they were highlighting how robotics and andnology were helping influencing the lives of our returning veterans. One of the folks that was on the board that year, his company had just made a major investment into exobionics. He knew about the exoskeleton, and he thought it would be great to bring one out and demonstrate it. Said that is an excellent idea, but we are not going to use one of your guys. I know just the guy. They gave me a call and ask if i would be interested in getting in the exoskeleton. I said absolutely, so we flew to california and got trained over three days. About a month and a half later, i will onstage with the exoskeleton. Are there limitations on how long you can use it . Or things you wish they could do that it doesnt do yet . The major limiting factor right now is battery power. That is definitely going to be an issue. Depending on how much i am walking, i can probably get about an hour to an hour and a half out of one set of batteries. Then we can switch out the batteries. In total we get about four hours from beverly ice from battery life. This device is limited to a flat, level surface without much of a rise. It can handle about three degrees of rise. Is unable to go up and down stairs at this point. Those are its major limiting factors right now. Trees. I could run, climb [laughter] i do know the answer, but i have to ask the question. Some people name their boat, some people name their cars. As you named your exoskeleton . We have. Meet newman. If you are member newman from remember newman from seinfeld. [laughter] you mention that you met president bush before. How did that happen . Shortly after returning from our first combat operation in afghanistan, we came home in april or may of 2002. There was a capabilities exercise for the president of the United States. Firstas president bushs exposure and detailed briefing of what the capabilities were. It was during some of our displays at that point when he was Walking Around meeting everybody that i had the opportunity to meet him and shake hands with him. Thats really great. And then you met him again last night. We know you did 19 overseas tours. What kept you going through all those . This is going to sound corny, but it is just a sense of duty, a sense of purpose. What we are fighting, this evil , is somethingere we have got to destroy. We are not going to do it sitting at home. Goelt that it was my job to down and take the fight to the enemy. If nothing else, i was going to help keep it over there and not allowed to come home to the United States. [applause] being able to be a Flight Instructor on the simulators, are you able to keep that sense of purpose going . Somewhat. It is not as exciting. Im not scaring myself every night chasing rockets to the ground, but i feel like i have my finger in the mix and i am able to some way influence and help our new aviators learn about the aircraft. A lot of it is not only are theeaching systems in simulator, but a lot of it is just relating our combat experience to folks so they dont have to ok, we embellish a lot of stories. We tell war stories. [laughter] but there is a purpose to that because many of the Lessons Learned in previous combat operations have been lost to us over the years. If we have people that can keep reminding us and telling us, teaching us these lessons we have learned, it will be forgotten, and they will continue on. Mary, can you share a few words about your journey through all of this . When gary when we first new he was going to go to war, i thought gary would either come home or he wouldnt. The whole thing about him coming home severely wounded didnt really enter my mind. Gary was a pilot. To be very honest, my other friends, their husbands either came home or didnt. People rarely survive a helicopter crash. This whole thing of him being severely injured was not on the radar at all. Considerery myself one of the lucky ones. I am very thankful that gary did survive and thankful that his mind is good and is still the same person. His shoes last a lot longer. [laughter] he is shorter. [laughter] anyway, im grateful that i still have him. Immediately after he was injured, it was just, lets figure it out. Modes my problemsolving for a very long time. And actually it still is. Last night, president bush made that if you look at things differently now that he whenpainter, and he said, i look into Ellen Degeneress eyes i think i can mix that color. [laughter] when i go into a room, i figure out how we are going to navigate, get a rental car with the equipment and get to the airport. Is constant problem solving, and honestly i am thankful for it. Is nice to have such nice family helping. [applause] a funny story about shoes, one of the guys i work with had an old pair of shoes and was fixing to get rid of them and get a new pair. They still looked pretty good, and i was like, those bottoms look wellworn. Can i have those shoes . It would make me look a little more normal. [laughter] i know i have asked you a ton. I was fortunate enough to spend some time with gary yesterday and today. You must get asked the same questions over and over again. Does it ever get tiring . No, because people are naturally curious and want to know. I will never felt someone for asking a question. Everyone has always been respectful. Where i was raised and where i came up in the army, everyone had a thick skin. If you were insulted, you got over it and about two seconds and moved on. So no, i welcome questions from people. There is a lot about paralysis and injuries that are a mystery to people out there. Of what itre aware is like, what it is about, maybe the challenges you face, i think it helps us all make the world a better place for folks that are dealing with special circumstances. Which i think is a great lead into taking audience questions. We are going to have you wait your hand have you raise your hand. Please wait for someone to bring a microphone to you. This is being recorded. Service. You for your did you have the option of jettisoning those rocket pods . Yes we did. It seems after any kind of aircraft accident, changes are made. One of the changes that was made to our aircraft was where the jettison panel for the rockets were. Where they were at the time of my accident were below the collective control. It was very difficult to get to. My copilot, because we were going into combat operations, he was hanging out the door with his rifle. I was on the controls. When this all happened, it happened so quick there just wasnt time in that 10 seconds or less to reach down and jettison those rockets. Now they have moved the jettison panel up to the Center Console where it is very easy to reach. There is one right here on the end. Read here. Right here. My question is about the exoskeleton. . S this a first generation will there be new and improved wants to come . How many people do you think are eligible . Will they be able to provide them with an exit skeleton . This particular exoskeleton is secondgeneration. They are constantly working to improve their devices. On monday we are going to berkeley, california to help with some tests for the next model. So yes, they continue to improve. They want to make it lighter, more powerful, more functional. Because of the successful fda trial, these devices are available paraplegics through the veterans administration. They have to get tested out and meet all the criteria. There are three manufacturers, much like ford, chevy, and dodge. They did the same thing, but each a little different. There is competition to drive innovation. Is an individual meets the criteria to safely be fitted for and operate these devices, they are now eligible to have them at home through the v. A. You, sir. E want to thank you for your , and thanks to your lovely wife mary, because hurt job is special. After spending time in a wheelchair and now a fair amount of time in the erect position as the physiology changed . A little bit. Upt i found is that being and moving around helps with the circulation and swelling in the legs. It helps with bowel and bladder when youre up and walking. The human body is not meant to sit for long periods of time. Im ready to get up and walk around. There is physiology of the body that seems to be better. Bone density, from the scans ive had, has improved a little bit. Has not got as bad as they would expect it to for someone. So it has helped decrease the amount of bone density i lose overtime. Then there is just the ability to stand up and converse with someone, look them in the eye. Walking my daughter down the aisle was something it made me cry. Something at was in a way was looking forward to the day that she would get because the character she married is a really good guy. [laughter] dreaded, but i always getting her down the aisle because i didnt know how i was going to do it. I didnt want to do it in a wheelchair. So when the exoskeleton came along, it was a match made in heaven and a dream come true. Im glad we were able to do it. It meant a lot to us. High, gary. I want to thank you for your service. You did 19 to hers, and that is a lot. How many do you think you would have done if you had gotten in the accident . I probably would have kept going until i hit 30 years of service. [laughter] i have friends that kept the point after i stopped, and they numbered upwards around 30 or so. Keep in mind, our rotations over there were some red different were somewhat different. Going over there for 10 to 15 months. Hours were anywhere from 30 to 90 days. We would go over there four or five times a year, depending. As a c4 level quadriplegic, i unfortunately can relate to a lot of what you have been discussing today. Is as youn to you pursued things constantly trying to get recovery, use technology to your advantage, you have any suggestions or knowledge that might help people that cant use their arm . Is difficult. Thats difficult. It is hard for me to understand completely what someone who has no use of their arms is going through. One of the gentlemen i shared my room with had a high neck injury. He was able to stand, but couldnt use his hands. He was a craftsman. For him, he was just saying, if only i could have my hands back. I understand it, but i really dont know completely. Iat i would say is participate in a program called the congressionally directed medical research program. I see a lot of the research that has been proposed for all levels of spinal cord injury. There are a lot of great ideas coming down the pipeline. I would say just dont give up hope. Have,he best of what you and always be hopeful that tomorrow we will learn something more about this injury and how to overcome it. Theres a lot of similarity between you and Johnny Ericsson todd and what she did through the Wheelchair Ministry a few miles from here. Was just curious what lessons you might have learned from her experience, which happen when she was only 19 years old. Im not familiar, im sorry. It is a wheelchair administration a few miles from here. Age 19t into a lake at and was paralyzed from the neck down. As someone who went before you in losing so much of her body use, i was wondering if you had learned some lessons, but it sounds like cap not like perhaps not. I have because there are so many people who have gone before me who have been injured. I see what they are able to accomplish. I see people who are high level quadriplegic spec and still drive cars. When i see people that are injured more severely than myself and what they are able to accomplish and do, it is like, how can i stop when they are doing so well . Thank you so much for your service. Helohe incident your first crash . First bad one. [laughter] ive been involved in one worry crashed in downtown baghdad a couple years prior. More of a hard landing due to some fuel contamination. My crash wasas the first and last bad one, i guess. Thank you for your service. I really do admire both of you. , waselicopter malfunction it due to equipment fatigue, or was there some kind of defect . Has that been resolved . They were never quite able to determine exactly why the couplings failed. What they did suspect was that somewhere in the maintenance process, the driveshaft was not totally aligned, and that over time, the vibrations continued to build up until it reached a critical point and failed. Throughout our entire fleet, they inspected all the aircraft and all the driveshafts and couplings, and determined that it was just an isolated event. I have a question about the exoskeleton. I was curious whether you are able to put it on by yourself or if you need assistance, and how hard that process is. I need assistance putting this one on. It is not very difficult, but takes just about five minutes. Mary does help me get my legs put in position and get the straps and everything proper. I just want to thank you and your wife and whole family for coming. This has been awesome. And for your service, thank you. I want to know his, how much that this cost . Will it be available to regular civilians . Also, do you do any counseling with paraplegics . I do. With anolved Organization Called the care coalition. Anytime we have a soldier, active duty or retired, that is injured in any sort of spinal cord injury in my local area, we will go talk to them and hopefully mentor them. As far as costs, the current cost of the endoskeleton is about 110,000. It is very cost prohibitive. As these systems develop, they will become cheaper. There are other manufacturers that have been able to bring down the cost point of their device. I think in time we will see these continue to drop in price and become more affordable and more available to everyday consumers. We are only going to take two more questions, what over here and one over there. Thank you both. I was looking forward to this program very much. I have a question for both of you. What role did physical therapy play in your recovery . Injury andarticular the level of injury, there wasnt a lot of physical therapy a lot that physical therapy could do to recover function. My physical therapy pretty much consisted of learning to get into the wheelchair, how to get back up to it from the ground, and learn things to preserve the functionality in the body i have. I was no Spring Chicken when this happened. I needed to learn how to preserve the function i had as long as possible as i age. Was remember when gary first injured it was also foreign. Just getting him in and out of the bed was a production. Trying to get in and out of bed, he had this fresh back injury where his spine had just been fused. The only strength he has is his arms and shoulders. What i never thought about when i saw somebody in a wheelchair was, he doesnt have abdominal muscles. He has very few of donald muscles. Not only do you few of donald muscles few abdominal muscles. He had to learn how to sit again because we just said, but he had to learn how to sit again because he didnt have that muscle and that strength. We hit it everyday hard and figured it out. There was one time in particular i was a passenger in a car, and a speed racer was driving [laughter] she turned the corner and i wasnt expecting it, and i just flopped over. It was like hey, im just a torso over here. [laughter] pass to gogoing to somewhere to her three weeks after he was injured, so i was very protective of him, of course. He wanted to go look at some magazines or something. I was like, well i cant leave him. Grade. S not in second i couldnt find him because he was so short. [laughter] i was looking, trying to look over everything, but he is down here. Couldnt see him over close racks over clothes racks or anything. I call him on his cell phone and he didnt answer. I was about ready to have security look for him, and pretty soon i find him and say i, ive been calling you. He said, oh, the phone was on vibrate and under my leg. [laughter] weve learned a lot. Did you have one final question . No . We thank you so much for sharing your journey with us here at the library and everyone at the audience. It has been incredible to meet you. Thank you so much. [applause] cspan, where history unfolds daily. In 1979, cspan was created as a Public Service by Americas Company and ison brought to you by your cable or satellite provider. Tomorrow morning, a conversation about north korea and asia related Security Issues hosted by the International Institute for strategic study. Live at 10 00 a. M. Eastern. Life after brown versus board of education, the landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision that declared state laws establishing separate state schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional. Over the next two hours here on cspan, commencement addresses from around the country, with new jersey senator cory booker, the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, general joseph dunford. We start with senator booker, who spoke to graduates of the Commitment Ceremony at the university of pennsylvania in philadelphia. [applause] senator booker thank you very much. O be here, and i want to thank you all for inviting me to be a part of this day of history in your lives, i want to thank you for allowing me to be a small part of this extraordinary community. I want to congratulate the graduates, and i want to thank everyone who helped to make this possible and when i say everyone, so many people helped to make this day possible. I want to thank the parents and the grandparents, and the family members. I want to thank everyone from the incredible president and astounding provost, all the way up to those people who cleaned floors and manicured lawns and served food, to contribute to this community. [applause]