please welcome the speaker of the house of representatives. ladies and gentlemen, the honorable john boehner, speaker of the house of representatives. [applause] john boehner: ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, welcome to the united states capitol. in a few weeks americans will mark 70 years since the end of world war ii. when that war concluded on the deck of the battleship missouri, general macarthur spoke of his great hope that the carnage of that war would be a foundation for a future based - in his words -- on the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish for freedom tolerance, and justice. we know that world failed to emerge, especially in asia. and within a few years america was called upon to lead the free world against communist tyranny. president kennedy would later call this the long, twilight struggle. this struggle led us, first, to korea in the early 50s. later it led us to vietnam, a country few americans at that time had ever heard of. today, we gather to celebrate the vietnam commemoration and the 50 years since the deployment of america's first ground combat units. we do this consistent with the will of congress, and the president's proclamation. and we do this with obvious pride and appreciation. at this time, i'd like to ask two groups of heroes to please stand up. if you will hold your applause. first, as speaker, i am blessed to ask my congressional colleagues who served during vietnam to please rise. [applause] and i'd like to ask all vietnam-era veterans with us here, please rise. let's give them a big hand. [applause] today, we honor all veterans of the vietnam war, including those held as prisoners or still listed as missing. we honor their service and sacrifice on behalf of our nation, and we pay special attention and give thanks to the families of all these heroes. vietnam was a tough war, it was a long war. but the soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and coast guardsmen who served built a reputation for commitment and courage unparalleled in our military history. they faced rejection on the home front something that should never, ever happen again and yet they stood tall and did their duty without complaint. and so today is a very special day. because americans still want the things that macarthur spoke about on the missouri, dignity freedom, tolerance, and justice. these are things worth fighting for anywhere in the world. and i give special thanks to god we are defended today by warriors inspired by the example of our vietnam veterans. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen please down for the presentation of the colors, the singing of our national anthem, and the retiring of the colors. ♪ ♪ >> ♪whose broad stripes and stars was 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 star-spangled banners yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? ♪ ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, please stand as the chaplain, reverend patrick conroy, gives the invitation. reverend conroy: let us pray. god of heaven and earth, we thank you we are able to gather in the nation's capital to remember a reality of a generation of americans, the vietnam war da a half-century ago. we thank you for those thousands who served in a land far, far away. they lost many of their companions on the field of battle. grant to them those left behind your piece. and for those who mourn their loved ones grant not only whatever healing is needed, but also increasing hope toward a more peaceful future. may these veterans' faithfulness and commitment to the greatness of our nation be reflected in the service of in vietnam and remind us of who we are called to. americans engaged in the service of our nation, indeed to to our world and compatriots through history experience and choice. and may all that we do, the lives you have given us, before your greater honor and glory. amen. >> please be seated. ladies, the honorable jeff miller, representative from florida. >> america is a nation that has grown much since the vietnam war. it is my sincere hope that we will never ever again abandon a generation of veterans like we did to the vietnam generation. thankfully we seem to have learned that lesson. long before our culture accepted the idea that you can support our troops regardless of whether or not you support the policy decisions that sent them to war -- [applause] long before that time, a small group of americans made great sacrifices on our behalf. every generation has been asked to make their own sacrifices to protect to the values of america stands for. but only the veterans of the vietnam war were asked to do so, much without the support of a grateful nation. thankfully, today's different. we do not lead to the politics of the war cloud the memories that honor the valor of those who have served. we can gather here today to properly thank our vietnam veterans, you for all you have done. the video we are about to see was produced in 2014 for the virginia international tattoo held annually at norfolk and is narrated by sam elliott. it serves as a special tribute for our vietnam veterans and their families, capturing the heroism of those who served and reflecting on their legacy. this video was produced for 58,238 names on the memorial. since that time, even more names have been added to the wall. a reminder of the chew cost of the vietnam war -- the true cost of the vietnam war impacts us today. the sacrifice for our country has earned them are lasting gratitude and we are here today to say thank you. god bless you and god bless the united states of america. [applause] >> 9 million americans served during the vietnam war. they represented 10% of their generation. 6 million of them were volunteers. they were the oldest and best educated force america ever sent into harms way. 97% would be honorably discharged and today the vast majority of them testify with their actions and their words that they are proud of their service and would serve again if called. november 14, 1965, elements of the seventh calvary touchdown at landing zone and ray. within 30 minutes, the battle began. the first major battle fought by the american army in vietnam. over three days, american forces would hold out and repel enemy forces. they would never lose a major engagement during the ensuing eight years of combat operations. known as the wall, the vietnam memorial stands in honor of those who served in the vietnam war. the names of the men and women who give their lives are inscribed in the order they were taken from us. 58286 names. the youngest was a private, 15 years of age. the oldest was 62. there are three sets of fathers and sons. one set of stepbrothers. 39 pairs of brothers. eight women. 16 clergy. 155 medal of honor recipients. let us not forget there are still more than 1600 missing and unaccounted for personnel. to our vietnam veterans who answered the nation's call to serve, we thank you. your greatness is etched in history from the battlefields of southeast asia to the neighborhoods of hometown america, where you continue to bring blessings and inspirations to your families and your country today. to the families of our vietnam veterans, we thank you for the greatness of your support sacrifice, vigilance, and compassion. and to our allies who stood by us, 50 years ago, we thank you. the greatness that was earned by this generation never left you and it never will. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen the honorable johnny isakson, united states senator from georgia. [applause] johnny isakson: on this day july 8 1959, 1950 3, 56 years ago, two americans were the first to lose their life in vietnam. army sergeant chester. a few years later, six years later, lyndon johnson signed into law the vietnam service medal commemorating the sacrifice of those who served in vietnam and for me personally, in 1967, my best friend lost his life in the battle in vietnam. this is a personal day for me as it is every member here today to honor those who sacrificed died, or were injured in a terrible war america participated in. many of them came home without the recognition they deserve. this is all about ensuring that 50 years later they had that recognition. the program has three parts. first is the recruiting of volunteers and individuals to commit to sponsor two events a year to commemorate the service of americans in vietnam. i'm proud as a member of the senate that one of the first partners recruited was the congress of the united states and the commemoration is the first event we will sponsor in our commitment to honor those in vietnam. the second commitment begins today and i am proud of that. the third phase of the -- is to never, ever forget to show the love and respect and appreciation all of us have for the veterans, the survivors, and the families of the veterans of the vietnam war. for their sacrifice was great we live in peace and serve america because of what they did in the 1960's. we honor them as part of the 50th anniversary program and i'm honored to be a part of it today. god bless america. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen the honorable ashton carter, secretary of defense. [applause] ashton carter: good afternoon. speaker boehner, leader pelosi leader reid, thank you for your leadership. your commitment to the men and women of the department of defense for which we are ever grateful. and your work to honor veterans from the vietnam era and other wars. members of congress, distinguished guests, colleagues from the department of defense past and present, members of the vietnam commission advisory committee, thank you for being here. in q2 the organizers partners of this important event and thousands like it's across the country. and the entire vietnam commemoration effort. and most importantly to the vietnam veterans and their families who joined us. you honor us with your presence. in a year of anniversaries, this year marks the 150th anniversary of the end of our civil war, the 70th anniversary of the end of world war ii, the 65th anniversary of the start of the korean war today we gather to remember the vietnam war and to honor those who served in it. we remember the 50th anniversary of president johnson's order establishing the vietnam service ribbon and we honor our 7.2 million living t vietnam veterans. their fallen comrade in arms including those unaccounted for and families of all those who served. those plowed -- proud marines and coast guardsmen are part of a deep line of warriors, patriots, who served and fought in lexington and concord and gettysburg and midway and more recently in falluja. some of those veterans are here today. some bear the wounds of war or the where of age. some carry with them of fallen comrades american fathers, uncles, brothers and sisters who did not make it home. and others proudly wear vietnam veteran the pelicans and goldstar buttons -- lapel pins and goldstar buttons. on behalf of president obama and the department of defense, i think all of you for your service. thank you for those sacrifices and for the lessons you have taught all of us and continue to teach us. one of the reasons the united states has excelled is that as a nation, we learn and innovate. one reason why we have the finest fighting force the world has ever known is our military is a learning organization. we learn from successes, from setbacks. we take time to delve into our experiences and always strive to do better. the vietnam war taught us many lessons, some difficult to swallow. all of them have made us a better country and a better military. there are two that are particularly important to remember. first, we leave no one behind. we are not the only military with that ethos, or with a mia accounting effort. there are few that have such a steadfast and sustained commitment which is more about raising the iconic symbol around the nations. it is about the promise we make and we work hard to keep. thanks to the staunch advocacy of vietnam veterans and families, the department of defense has over 650 people devoted to accounting for the missing and searching for recovering and identifying the remains including the 1627 still missing. i saw some of that continuing effort on my trip last month where i visited one of our p.o.w. m.i.a. accounting offices. the second lesson is that we must support our warriors regardless of our feelings about the war. unfortunately that was a lesson some learned the hard way in the vietnam era. i am pleased by, and we have many veterans to thank for it the support for today's veterans and service members including the post-9/11 g.i. bill. and how our troops today are welcomed home. i want to take this opportunity to thank you, our vietnam veterans, for that lesson and to again welcome all of you home [applause] . the non-veterans and their families helps america learn those lessons -- the it not veterans and their families helps america learn those lessons. some did it quietly and are traveling to airports to welcome home those returning from the wars in iraq and afghanistan. some do so publicly, continuing their service and government offices in this capital. elsewhere in washington and across the country, including secretary john kerry and senator john mccain. some are with us today and i want to take a moment to say a few words about the next speaker. chuck hagel was a soldier and has been a senator and a distinguished secretary of defense. he remains one of our most thoughtful statesmen and i am proud to have been able to call him a friend for many years. in vietnam, sergeant hagel led an infantry squad. stories of his bravery and sacrifice are well known and throughout the rest of his life he dedicated himself to those who served to improving relations of vietnam and bringing home those still missing and to ensuring we remember the vietnam war's lessons. thank you. [applause] and thank you again to all of the vietnam era veterans here and around the country. may god bless you and your families for years to come. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the honorable chuck hagel, former secretary of ends. -- secretary of defense. >> to my friend ash carter, thank you. i appreciate your kind and thoughtful words. they could be applied to every the anon veteran --vietnam veteran in this audience and across the country. thank you for your continued leadership and support. and thank you, all for being here. mr. speaker, distinguished leaders and guests, thank you for allowing me to participate. as a former united states senator, i don't follow scripts so you can't follow anything am going to say on the monitor. that is one of the few prerogatives we have. that has not always had me in good stead, not following scripts. as most of you understand. those independent streaks vietnam veterans have an all veterans possess america is better for it. i take some liberty in saying that on behalf of all vietnam veterans and their families, thank you. and thanks to the leadership of the congress for recognizing the sacrifices and service of our vietnam veterans and their families. today's ceremony is one day after the president met with the leader of the communist party of vietnam. as we look to the future, not the past, to build a more hopeful world for all to. -- for all people. we also learn from the past. we are determined not to make the same mistakes in the future. in 2000, president clinton signed a bill that congressman ron kind and my dear friend senator max cleveland and i it has been ably administered by the library of congress. many of you here today have given interviews and presented your oral history of your service to the military, particularly our vietnam veterans. you will hear some of those oral histories today recorded as a result of the project. i will read two brief passages from an interview i gave a few years ago for the book "voices of war." my brother tom and i served together side-by-side in vietnam in 1968. we work one of those 39 pairs of brothers that serve in vietnam. 1968 was the worst year in vietnam. hard to imagine today, but we sent over 15,000 young americans home dead in one year. the astounding sacrifices and leadership and commitment that i witnessed, the uncommon valor i witnessed during that year i have never seen since. it is projected not only in the film that sam elliott narrated but also in the souls, the minds, the hearts of everyone here. i think now throughout america. after one year back from vietnam, i was finishing college along with my brother and i was working full-time as a reporter for a local radio station in omaha. i attended my first veterans day ceremony after coming back from vietnam. this is what i said in the interview in oral history -- anyone who was ever served their country in uniform and has experienced what no one else has experienced can never be decoupled from that experience. your recognition of all the other people who also served and had been through what you have been through just to be near them is something special. to be near somebody and know that he or she knows what you know. i think that is why the vietnam veteran memorial is so powerful. you don't have to say a word. a word may not be uttered. that first veterans day after i returned from vietnam i wanted to be near those other veterans. i did not expect any recognition. i just wanted to be a part of a group of people who did something very special for their country. it did not meet any of us were any better americans, any more patriotic or any more smarter, but we have done something most people will never do. there is not a day that goes by where you don't pull back on some little thing about your life because life is not about the big things. there are very few big things that happen to each of us in our lives. it is the day to day small things that matter. you recall your experiences in the amount andn vietnam and with others in the army, in vietnam -- a tolerance and understanding. reaching beyond to understand more than the obvious. i will conclude with this short paragraph. as tom and i were waiting early one morning after our armored personnel carrier had been ambushed and a lot of our colleagues had been wounded, we were waiting for medevacs to pick us up early in the morning. it had been a bad night. as i remember sitting on that track, both my brother and i wounded and my brother being unconscious, waiting for that dust off, i said to myself if i ever get out of this, i will do everything i possibly can to ensure that war is the last resort. the last resort that we as a great nation, as a free people, as people ever called upon to settle disputes -- the horror, the pain, the suffering -- people don't understand unless they have been through it. it is always fought by the little guys at the bottom. there is no glory in war. only suffering. we are a better, stronger nation today because of the tremendous sacrifices that our vietnam veterans and their families made to this country and am very proud to be part of that generation and here today representing our vietnam veterans. thank you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the honorable karen brown representative from florida. ms. brown: god has blessed america because of your service. when you are born, you get a birth certificate. when you die you get a death certificate. in between is what you have done to make this a better place. let's give the vietnam veterans a hand. [applause] ms. brown: thank you so much for your service. i have to acknowledge that my personal senator from florida is a vietnam veteran. let's give him a hand. he is here. [applause] ms. brown: now, to my assignment -- honoring the sacrifice. a new winner of the war responded to the condolences of the mother of her husbands best friend. she shared the respect that should be given to all soldiers and the faith, hope and healing from sacrifice. dear mr.s sms. smith, thank you for your beautiful letter. words fail me now. they really do. i don't know what to say except thank you for remembering me. i'm glad you and mrs. smith and michael knew. i felt words would reach michael and i'm glad they did. i love james and i will always love him. he was my world. even though we have only one year of marriage, we had other years of just loving and sharing. i feel privileged to be the wife of such a wonderful, warm man such as he was. i'm very proud of all that he stood for and all that he was and all of the courage it took for him to make this supreme sacrifice. life without him is almost inconceivable, but he is in a better place now where nothing can hurt him. i know that. everything he did was based on his love and faith in god and how i must live my life for ourselves and our child based on that same strength. my relationship is no longer physical. it is almost divine. my words sound hollow to me as i read over them because it is impossible to express my feelings. i want you to know i appreciate your thoughts and concerns. i want you to know that i feel as i do about his death. i have to accept it was god's will and james' way of wanting to die. the way he would want me to feel and love him as i do, it would be wrong to be better. itter. he was buried with the dignity and honor that he deserved. a full military funeral. i know michael would want me to know that. now, i'm expecting a blessing in october -- our baby. i will have part of james to love and cherish and i will have a purpose once again. i let you know when my little treasure arrives. love susan. god has blessed america. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the honorable scott riddle, representative from virginia. rep. riddle: honoring the warriors' spirit. a renowned sociologist says the warriors spirit is not easily defined. it is based on the motive that drives the man to seek success in combat regardless of his personal safety. now, hear how one retired army major general describes his memory. solisoldiers are amazing people. it is a matter where they come from an all volunteer force, draft force or whatever else. i've always expected a lot from the people i work with and hope they expect a lot from me. the one thing over the years is when i was at west point and i was the commander of a company. they only had two regiments at the time. one was a guy named bill. he became a lieutenant. he was in my company at west point. he showed up as one of my platoon leaders in vietnam. in this one instance, he went on to visit one of the platoons and then on his own. we were getting ready to go out. it was supposed to be easy. a milk run. it was not. we ended up right in the middle of a pretty good fight. we got into a bunker and fighting in the bunker complex. it is a dirty business with candidates -- hand grenades. bill pulled the pin on his grenade. somebody yelled throw it and he did. yet, it blew up a foot from his face and his arm was gone. half his face was gone and his leg was hit. the medic said it did not look like he was going to make it. that usually means you are not going to make it. i retired 16 years ago and i was told a west point graduate moved in down the street. it was bill. he made it. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen the honorable richard blumenthal, united states senator from connecticut. senator blumenthal: i'm a united states senator, but i'm still new so i still follow scripts. i have the honor to say thank you to all the vietnam veterans who are here today and across the country and to read a memorandum honoring the performance of duty written by admiral thomas moreore, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff between 1970 and 1974, to all active military in december of 1973. subject, performance of duty. upon termination of the longest and the most difficult period of combat in our nations history i give you my personal salute for a job well done. your tremendous sacrifices and the supreme efforts by our comrades who were lost during the war have not been in vain. we were called upon by our nation's leaders as we have been in the past to carry out orders andin furtherance of national policy and objectives. few can argue against the termination -- determination showed by our forces. you have performed superbly. your spirit has remained steadfast throughout. the human qualities and greatness passed down from generation to have remained undiminished. now the long conflict has come to a close but our tasks remain. we must make every effort to account for those still missing in action while we prepare ourselves for the future. as we move ahead, i have every confidence that when our accomplishments and your accomplishments are chronicled in the pages of history, it will be written that you performed second to none in the longest most difficult and in many cases the most frustrating and complex war in the history of our nation. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, united states army band downrange combo. ♪ >> ♪ what you want baby, i got it. what you need. a little respect ♪ just a little bit, just a little bit ♪ ♪ [applause] ♪ ♪ [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen the honorable nancy pelosi, democratic leader of the house of representatives. [applause] rep. pelosi: good afternoon. that's quite an act to follow, isn't it? music of the era. while they were singing "respect," secretary hagel noted that in 1968 when he was in vietnam, that was the number one song of the time. so that, combined with his beautiful, moving story - really, what a beautiful day for all of us. thank you, secretary hagel. thank you all for being here - mr. speaker, leader mcconnell, leader reid. speaking for the commemorative partners, senator johnny isaacson -- what a beautiful presentation to set us off this commemorating day. 50 years ago, president lyndon johnson signed the order creating the vietnam service medal. 50 years later, it is our privilege to come together to once more recognize and honor the veterans and families of the vietnam war - the men and women whose strength and humility and humanity and valor echoes so powerfully through each of the letters that were just read. highlighting those values is the heart of this 50th-year commemoration. as we recognize the courage and sacrifice of these men and women, let us also recognize that we have not done full justice in meeting the needs of our vietnam-era vets and their families. let us also recognize the vietnam vets formed their own self-help grassroots organizations. and i especially want to recognize one in my district swords to plowshares, founded in 1974. the decades have healed much of the enmity between the united states and vietnam as we mark the 20th anniversary of normalized relations between our countries. as was mentioned by secretary carter, many of the vietnam war veterans and veterans of other wars served in the congress. we were all very proud when our colleague, congressman peterson became ambassador peterson, an early ambassador to vietnam. he had been there before as a tenant of the hanoi hilton. so, it was quite remarkable to see him go back as the ambassador. and while we're mentioning heroes, let me recognize sam johnson, our colleague, who is a bonafide american hero. [applause] rep. pelosi: but as we recognize the time that has passed, let us recall president lincoln once warned us of the silent artillery of time wearing away at our memories of the sacrifices of past conflicts. the passing years must not cannot dim the honor and bravery of the three million american men and women who answered the call to serve our country in a war a world away. time will never diminish the sacrifice of the millions of families whose loved ones were fighting in a difficult and divisive war overseas. we will never forget the memory of those who lost their lives and the families of the 58,253 americans who were killed in the vietnam war, the tens and tens of thousands who were wounded and the more than 1600 missing in action, as has been mentioned anytime any of us goes to vietnam or interacts with vietnam leadership, this is a subject that we discuss. a moment ago, the band played what secretary hagel said was the number one song in 1968. we all remember that - well, some of us weren't born yet, but the rest of us remember that. it is r.e.s.p.e.c.t. - respect. it is respect that has brought us all here today, respect that has drawn thousands of people in communities across the nation together for their own 50th vietnam war commemorations across america. today, 50 years after the creation of the vietnam service medal, gathered together in the halls of the united states capitol, at the heart of our democracy, we stand united to express the immense respect and recognition our vietnam veterans have rightly deserved. in deed, as well as in words, we must repay this great generation of american veterans who served in vietnam. god has truly blessed america with the men and women who have served our country in uniform from every era. but today, on behalf of the american people, we say a special thank you to our vietnam veterans. thank you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen the honorable harry reid, democratic leader of the united states senate. [applause] sen. reid: the number of americans that serve in vietnam. today, we honor almost 7 million servicemen and women who fought in vietnam and the millions of others who served during the vietnam era. we especially today onhjononor the sacrifice made by 58,282 countrymen. i have had the good fortune to serve in the senate with veterans of the vietnam war. they are my friends. i have come to understand the plight of their service. what they did as mere boys and become my heroes. senator bob cary of nebraska is a hero. after college, he and listed the navy and became a seal. i asked him one of the first times we were alone tell me about the engagement you had. it was a very dark night. it was an island off the coast of vietnam. he climbed up a big cliff. he said it was the darkest night in the history of the world. he knew exactly where the enemy group was located but nobody was there. they had their shoes off, of course, having climbed the cliff and started walking back to where they came from. in the dark of the night, they ran into the enemy. immediately somebody drop a grenade and severely injured bob cary. i said what did you do then? these are not the words he used but -- the enemy was dispersed. he had a way with words. i so admire bob cary. he was awarded the medal of honor, bronze star, purple heart. chuck hagel secretary of defense, senator from nebraska, as was bob carried. he is here with us today. he is a hero of mine. chuck was just 21 when he arrived in vietnam eventually being assigned to the same unit with his brother tom. tom saved chuck's life. he saved his brothers's life grabbing and diffusing a live grenade. chuck also saved his brother's life. pulling his brothers unconscious body from an armored vehicle after it was hit by a mine. chuck hagel was awarded a couple of purple hearts, commendations metalsdal senator max cleveland, i have some at ever admiration for him. i think of him and what he has done to honor his country. if there were a hero in the world he is it. he is 6'4", he lost both legs and one of his arms in vietnam. the at phnom service medal silver star, bronze star. senator john mccain is a hero. he came to the house -- we came to the house together. we came to the senate together. he was a combat pilot when his plane was shot down. he was taken prisoner quickly and confined to a north vietnamese prison for five and a half years. he was brutally tortured. he was awarded the silver star, bronze star, purple heart legion of merit, navy commendation medal. senator larry pressler, a harvard graduate, undergraduate law degree. these serve to combat tours in vietnam. secretary of state john kerry certainly is a hero, as is every the non-senator i have talked about. a lieutenant in the navy charged with command of a swift boat navigating the rivers of vietnam, awarded three purple hearts, silver star, bronze star for his gallantry. flew hundreds of hours in p 13 orient surveillance. jim webb was a marine lieutenant during the war. awarded the navy cross, silver star. he has authored several books about vietnam. senator tom harkin was a navy pilot in the vietnam era. check robs, -- senator chuck robb's\s, senator bob smith of new hampshire with united states névé. -- navy. i have the good fortune of serving on a committee for him to investigate service members who were missing in action. or were thought to be held as prisoners. all he rose, every one of them without any distinction or exception. who participate in that war in one way or the other. sadly we have heard today that these veterans of vietnam haven't always received the praise and gratitude they earned. hopefully today brings a lap back and tells them how we appreciate everything they did for us. much has changed over the past 50 years. even our relationship with vietnam has changed, since our two countries reestablished diplomatic relations 20 years ago. what started that relationship? to vietnam veterans, no to more important than john kerry and john mccain who swallow a lot of private they have always be courageous and they started talking and made it easier for the rest of us to do so. i admire these two men for all the reasons i have mentioned. think about that as we have heard today. the leader of the communist party, and the person that runs the vietnam reestablishing in a more deeper form relationships. what hasn't changed in this 50 years is our debt to the american vietnam veterans. today we thank you. your second prices will always be remembered. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the honorable mitch mcconnell. [applause] senator mcconnell: bars of light stream across the dome, a whole democracy brightens with renewed purpose. overlooking it, like poor zen to 200 tons of granite and more than 1100 engraved names, each a kentuckian who made the ultimate sacrifice in vietnam. an enormous sundial casting a solitary shadow marks the anniversary of every kentuckian who fell that same day so many years ago. kentucky's vietnam veterans memorial perched above a potent symbol of our democracy powerfully honors the fallen and the 125,000 kentuckians who serve. it reminds us that don beckons for our country because of the sacrifices of the men and women of our armed forces. it reminds us that americans live free through their courage and their determination. the data gratitude our country owes to veterans is enormous. americans routinely demonstrate gratitude to our military men and women today. we showed it after world war ii but circumstances were different in the vietnam arrow -- era. spit, not roses scorn, not gratitude. what a cruel homecoming for them. what a heartbreaking tragedy for their families. it should redouble our determination to ensure america's debts are repaid to them. the ceremony is but one example of our country's resolve. it is hardly the only one. over the years americans have worked hard to show those who fought in vietnam gratitude an deferred will not be gratitude denied. so often they have done so with two simple but powerful words. thank you. saying thank you to every american who served in vietnam. saying thank you to the millions of veterans still with us. say thank you to those who dreaded every knock on the door and every sleepless night. also saying to the thousands of americans who fell in service to their country, to those who still remain unaccounted for, to every loved one left behind. that our country will not forget you. not just today, but every day. kentucky honors its fallen victims in granite, overlooking a symbol of enduring democracy. in washington, the wall of the vietnam memorial sits just beyond the capital reminding of the sacrifice, the honor, and the facts each of us so to so many others. our country will not forget it. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen the honorable john boehner, speaker of the house of representatives. speaker boehner: the lapel pin has been created for those who served from 1955-to may 15, 1975. i would like now to invite representatives from the vietnam veterans, leaders of the united states army, navy, marine corps air force, postcard to the front of the room in front of the stage for a ceremonial pinning. the pen in your program is available to those who served in active duty in the vietnam war. please stay seeded and hold your applause until the end. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the united states army corps band. ♪ >> now, the armed forces madly. -- medley. we invite you to join in as your song is presented. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please stand as dr. barry black, the chaplain of the night it states -- the united states senate gives the benediction. >> let us pray. eternal god, superintendent of nations, owner of the world and all that dwell therein. we thank you for what our eyes have seen, our years have heard and our hearts have felt. lord we are grateful for this opportunity to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the vietnam war, to acknowledge the sacrifice of our veterans and their families, to show gratitude for the contributions of diverse, individual groups agencies organizations, and allies. as we receive inspiration from the lord of our lives, inspire us to also live with exemplary excellence. may we more than self, our country love, and mercy more than light. lord, empower us to lead the world, better than we found it. as we strive to do your will on earth, even as it is done in heaven. we pray in your sovereign name amen. >> ladies and gentlemen ple