again. even before the smoke cleared and the fires had been put out, americans began to answer the call to step forward, to serve this nation. and they did so by the millions. the lines outside recruiting stations across this country reached around the block in big cities and small towns. it s amazing to think in the 17 years since that day nearly 5.5 million americans volunteered to serve in the armed forces of the united states. those courageous men and women turned a day of tragedy into a triumph of freedom. as a nation, by their courage we rallied together to meet the
nowhere did i ever think i would rise to this level. you look younger their left left. [laughter] it has been a great 15 months. and the work done by the courageous men and women of the nypd interacting with the people of the city. you have a terrific responsibility we appreciate you handling that. thank you commissioner. thanks for having me. that attack that left for service members dead where military investigation is revealing about his death and flames are rapidly spreading against that southern california how much damage and how many homes are still at risk.
in honor of our bravest, we have the united states army tours and member of the marine band performing for us today. enjoy it. they re incredible. in closing, i want to say, god bless our troops and the courageous men and women who are also your sons and daughters. and god bless, their mothers, for all that you sacrifice, so that your children may keep this country safe. have a happy mother s day on sunday god bless you and may god bless the united states of america. first family there, speaking, addressing these military moms in the crowd, at the white house. husband dropping in as a surprise, again, of course, sunday is mother s day. i should also just remind
what people are telling them in terms of how injured they are? i think it s a fair point. i not there s a lot of times where folks may instead of going to jail may want to go to the hospital. and when you take someone s freedom, a lot of types of things can happen. but regardless of what you think the motivations are you need to stick to the policies and procedures. make sure you are caring for the health and well-being of folks. baltimore has wonderful, courageous men and women who patrol the streets. and what we ve seen over the past week is unfortunate because it s not the fiber of baltimore and who we are. we need to let justice run its course. the truth needs come out. it will come out. a lot of eyes and ears on this. at the end of the day, it s a search for the truth. we ve seen officers showing restraint and working to de-escalate situations. i want to get eugene back. fairly significant revelation today that that police van that freddie gray was in made a fourth previousl
freedom. we will work to empower women around the world to transform their countries, stand behind the courageous men and women who stepped forward to wear the uniform of the united states to defend our flag and our freedoms here at home. ultimately the success of a nation depends on the character der ter of its citizens. mr. president i have the privilege to see that character up close. i saw it in the first responders who charged up the stairs into the flames to save people s lives from burning towers. i saw it in the virginia tech professor who barricaded his classroom door with his body until his students escaped to safety. i saw the people of new orleans who made homemade boats to rescue neighbors. saw it in the service members who laid down their lives to keep our country safe and to make other nations free.