Affairs secretary robert wilkie. Veterans Affairs Secretary robert wilkie. Halt. Playing the starspangled banner halt. [drumroll] playing]et [band playing] quakes ladies and gentlemen, the Vice President of the United States. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the procession of our nations colors and those of our Veterans Service organizations. As we march on the colors, the United States army band, pershings own, will play the National Emblem march. Please place your hand over the heart or render a hand salute. Playing] band playing] ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the invitation given by chaplain juliana lesher, National Director of Chaplain Service for the department of veterans affairs. Let us pray. Almighty and loving god, on this day we honor our American Veterans, the men and women of this nation who selflessly committed their very lives to honor and defend the freedoms that we cherish as americans. Our veterans know that freedom is not free, and comes with a significant sacrifice for those who faithfully serve, as well as for their families and loved ones. For the devoted service of our American Veterans, we are grateful. We are also grateful to you, god, for your strengthening presence. Our veterans have felt your sustaining presence while standing watch in the dark nights silence in a lonely outpost, worlds away from home, or on a ship in a distant and hostile sea. Our veterans have felt your protective presence in the horrible heat of combat, or flying amid darkening clouds across your infinite sky. Our veterans have felt your abiding presence as they attended to our wounded and tortured comrades in their cries of pain, and among those whose earthly struggle had ceased. For your strengthening, sustaining, protective, and abiding presence, we are grateful. May the ceremonies this day inspire our hearts to uphold the values of faith and understanding, life and human dignity, love and justice, and continued aspiration to Sacrificial Service as exemplified by our Service Members and veterans. We pray all of this in your most holy and loving name, amen. Now, i would like to invite mr. Frank kowalski, national commander, catholic veterans of the United States, to lead us in our pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Please be seated. It is now my distinct privilege to introduce the members of the Veterans Day National committee. The committee was formed by president ial order in 1954 to plan this annual observance in honor of americas veterans and to support veterans day observances throughout the nation. Please hold your applause until i have introduced the special guests. If you are able, please stand when your name is called. Mr. Thomas zampieri, president , National Veterans blind association. Mr. Harvey winer. National commander, jewish war veterans of the usa. Mr. Thomas burke, national Vice President , Vietnam Veterans of america. Mr. William doc schmits. Commanderinchief, veterans of foreign wars of the United States. Ms. Donna m. Jansky. National president , Fleet Reserve association. Ms. Jan c. Brown, national , am vets. Kenneth, national commander, army and navy union, incorporated. Mr. John ostrausky. President , noncommissioned Officers Association. Mr. Bruce fewerbok. Ional vice chimeric commander of the american legion. Mr. Charles eggleston, National Region one commander, military order of the purple heart. Mr. Dennis towbin, national commandant, marine corps league. Mr. William d. Roswoth. Executive director, military Chaplains Association of the usa. Mr. David zerflu. National president , paralyzed veterans of america. Mr. George m. Malone junior, national commander, legion of valor of the usa. Mr. Charles s. Chamberlin, commanderinchief, leader of military order of the world wars. Mr. Philip j. Helinski. , the retiredident enlisted association. Mr. Brian thacker, congressional medal of Honor Society of the usa. Mr. Stephen butch whitehead, national commander, disabled American Veterans. Mr. Dan mary, Vice President of governor government relations, military Officers Association of america. Ms. Karen munoz, board chair, commissioned Officers Association of Public Health service. Michael r. Carton, International President , air force sergeants association. Mr. Stephen wojikowski. Maryland state commander, polish legion of American Veterans usa. Dr. Paul h. Cunningham, National President , Korean War Veterans Association of the usa. Mr. Lawrence g. Romo, American National commander, american g. I. Forum of the United States. The associate members of the committee are located in the boxes to my left. I would like to ask the president s and National Commanders that comprise our associate membership to stand and be recognized. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in recognizing our Veterans National leadership with your applause. [applause] it is now my pleasure to introduce the executive director Army National military cemeteries, ms. Karen durhamaguilera. Good morning. On behalf of the secretary of the army, welcome to Arlington National cemetery. Thank you, mr. Vice president for being here today and for honoring our nations veterans. Welcome also to the honorable dan quayle, former Vice President , and his family for attending today. [applause] to secretary defense esper, mrs. Esper, secretary of the v. A. Wilkie, mrs. Wilkie, the senior officials before me, the duties of undersecretary of the army, the honorable jim mcpherson, chief of staff of the army, general mcconville, mrs. Mcconville, welcome. Mr. Frank kowalski of the catholic war veterans, thank you for being the veteran Service Organization host and for your participation in this Important National observance, and to all dignitaries, veterans and families here today, and everyone watching across this great nation, thank you. What a beautiful day. It is fitting that we are here in the center of these most hallowed grounds. Today is the celebration of honor, duty, and patriotism. Here at Arlington National cemetery, we are surrounded by over 400,000 soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen and coast guard men, and their families who have proudly served our nation in peacetime and in more. Their headstones are the brick that form the foundation of the city on the hill, that beacon of the hope that is our United States. Stories of the service and sacrifice we celebrate today are etched in marble around us to from the inscriptions on gravestones to the tomb of the unknown soldier. Most important are the patriotism, valor, and fidelity etched in the hearts and souls of our Service Members come up past, present, and future are who are the vanguard of our freedom and liberty. Today, as for the past 155 years, Arlington National cemetery is honored to serve our veterans and their families at the nations most sacred shrine. No place but Arlington National cemetery could be purchased. Each must be earned through honorable service. On behalf of our dedicated men and women who serve here, is my privilege to welcome you today. We are a great people honoring sacrifice and service to a grateful nation. Again, thank you and welcome to Arlington National cemetery. [applause] i would now like to introduce our Veterans Service organization host for 2019, the catholic War Veterans Association of the usa. The catholic War Veterans Association of america is honored to serve as the Host Organization for the 2019 Veterans Day National commemoration at Arlington National cemetery. The catholic War Veterans Association is incorporated as a Nonprofit Corporation that meets the requirements for a veteran Service Organization under section 501 c 19 of the Internal Revenue code of 1986 and is organized under the laws of the state of new york. Under its motto, for god, country, and home, the cap that the catholic war veterans is dedicated to serving returning war veterans. Together with other organizations, it seeks to educate and influence public opinion, promote good laws, and serve veterans as they look or benefits, counseling, representation, and employment opportunities. The catholic war veterans up War Veterans Association is represented today by their National President. Please welcome mr. Frank kowalski. [applause] mr. Vice president , members of the clergy, mr. Secretary, members of congress, my fellow veterans and guests, welcome. Today is an extraordinary day on our national calendar. We come here to this hallowed place for a sacred purpose. We set aside this day to honor and thank all of our veterans throughout our history, the least of whom are average citizens who proudly embraced and distinguished the uniform of our country. We are here to remember and pray for those who gave their last full measure of devotion, whether on land, at sea, or in the air. We give special thanks to those who returned safely to their families and resume their lives to help build this great country. In particular, we salute those who came home with the scars of war, who continue to fight daily against emotional, mental, and physical disabilities. We can never thank them and not enough. They are an inspiration to us all. Veterans day has become an important reminder of our national heritage. Our military forces have had a profound affect on our world. We reflect on the unselfish courage of the early patriots who fought a revolution to forge our freedom as soldiers on both sides of the civil war. It would divide the course of our nation. We cherish the doughboys of world war i who set standards of courage in combat. We admire the determination of our soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen who took the fight to the enemy in world war ii and prevailed by their valor and sheer power of will. Not only did they preserve our freedom, but they also made possible to pursue a world at peace. That same commitment to the cause of liberty has brought us to the mountains of korea, the jungles of vietnam, and the deserts of the middle east. In each time and place, our veterans have distinguished themselves for their bravery and care for those innocents caught in the horrors of war. We recall fondly the courageous sacrifice of our doctors, nurses, clergy of all faiths, merchant mariners, rosie the riveters, and entertainers who stood shoulder to shoulder on front lines, factory yards, shipyards and at home to demonstrate the best that america had to offer. Our commitment to peace remains the highest priority of these United States of america. It is the debt we owe to those who ironically had to go to war to preserve the peace. May we never forget the enormous sacrifices made by those who served. It is my great honor to also represent all veterans of every race, creed, color, and service on this special occasion. The catholic War Veterans Organization is honored to act as your host today. We join forces with you to say may god bless all of those who served, and may god bless these United States of america. [applause] it gives me great pleasure to introduce the secretary of veterans affairs, the honorable robert wilkie. Before coming to the v. A. , mr. Wilkie was the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, the principal advisor to the secretary under deputy secretary of defense on total force management. As undersecretary of defense, mr. Wilkie served james mattis as assistant secretary of defense, serve both Donald Rumsfeld and robert gates. Before that, mr. Wilkie was special assistant to the president for National Security affairs and senior director for the National Security council. Currently, he is a colonel in the United States air force reserve and previously served in the navy reserve, in the joint forces command, and the office of naval intelligence. Ladies and gentlemen, secretary mr. Robert wilkie. [applause] secretary wilkie thank you, mr. Kowalski, and to the catholic war veterans for this glorious day. Mr. Vice president , to my colleagues in the cabinet, to the veterans of the United States, to the chairman of the House Veterans Affairs committee, on behalf of the president of the United States, welcome to arlington. Today, we honor veterans. Just across that river in the 1860s, Abraham Lincoln would ride alongside ambulances full of Wounded Soldiers as they were taken to hospitals just north of the white house, and he would constantly ask, how are things going . What are you seeing . In those days, the weary president was constantly looking for ways to honor and to respect those who carried the nations future on their bayonets. He knew that if we were going to have a nation at all, it would be these men that would deliver our future. He thanked, in 1864, the 199th new york volunteers when he said, to you who render the hardest work in support of this nation should be given the greatest credit. It was lincoln who set the tone for what we see today as our department of veterans affairs. Generations after president lincoln, Sergeant Alvin york showed america what it means to revere our country, and to revere those who defend our country. York was americas greatest hero, but having returned from world war i, he was besieged by advertisers and hollywood types begging for his endorsement, so they could profit from his heroics. He declined all those offers as only a mountain man from east tennessee could. He said this uniform aint for sale. Years later, as the guns of europe began to get closer and closer to the shores of our country, york reminded americans again why his veterans fought. He said liberty and freedom and democracy are so very precious that you do not fight to win them once and then stop. Liberty and freedom and democracys democracy are prizes awarded only to those people who fight to win them and keep fighting eternally to hold them. But in some times, despite what our veterans deliver, support for veterans in this country has been fragile since alvin york returned from france. In the 1930s, veterans marched on this city and were greeted with tanks. Franklin roosevelt knew what was going on, and as veterans saw his wife pass amongst them to say that all things would come right in the end, one private from alvin yorks division said, they send the army a few weeks ago, and roosevelt sent eleanor. A soldier of the first order, the first war, harry truman knew what had gone wrong. To make sure those things did not happen again, he ordered his fellow Missourian Omar Bradley to take hold of the department of veterans affairs, known then as the veterans administration. General bradley built 150 hospitals. He administered educational benefits to 7. 5 million returning veterans and he set america on the course for doing the right thing, that it had forgotten in between the two great wars. But things did not continue in that way. When my father went to vietnam, the tide had turned again. We forgot why we send americans overseas, and the wisdom of taking care of those who put this nations freedom on their backs. There were no welcome home parades, and my father, a senior officer in americas most decorated combat division, was not even allowed to wear his uniform off of fort bragg. There was such neglect that our friends at the Vietnam Veterans of america created the most