>> what does this day, memorial day mean to you? good monday morning on this memorial day. simple crime. somebody who died known only to god. this piece don't take the remembrance out of memorial day. share with you in part what he writes at the hill.com. what does memorial day mean to you? is a day off work, time spent grilling with family and friends. a day to grab the hottest discounts on cars and electronics. it seems over the years memorial day has come to represent the luxuries of to society and best sales since presidents day. those who served and the families of those who did not come home it is anything but a retail holiday. it is a day to honor the ultimate sacrifice so many of our brothers and sisters in arms have made for this exceptional nation. good morning from the hill newspaper. congressman republican from florida had to to say about memorial day. >> those heroes never thought about what was easy or popular to masses. or what they would get out of their actions. who will not reelection on the line for them. it was their life on the line and they gave it freely. as i think about memorial day, i wish we can daily see every heroic name across our wall and recall the story of the second world war and over 400,000 u.s. army marine and coast guard men who fought and died in europe and in the pacific and in africa for the freedom of the entire world. from being ruled by evil and tolerance empire. they died in places named and mid way in the canal. i wish we thought about each vote we took and looked a the names of over 36,000 service members. who would never return home from the frozen mud of korea and think is that what we thought for the chosen reservoir. i wish we can recount the name and stories and 58,000 service members who died in combat or while captured who went through torture and starvation before giving their life or while missing as a part of the vietnam war. i wish we saw the names of the service members who put their country first and themselves second while serving in the dominican republic. or iran or el salvador, beirut or persian gulf as we thought about what we will say when we're given the chance to speak. if our words will be worth each one second of their life. i wish we could think about the delta operators or army rangers or black hawk pilots who gave it all in the dusty sands of somolaia. they were devoted to their duty and their duty was to their brother and their country. or those who fought and died in bosnia and kosovo and fought in places we may never know because of threats to us that we never knew existed. we need to ask if they would give the last beat of their heart for the way in which we legislate our country. most personally for me, i would think deeply on the thousands of soldiers, sailors, marines airmen, coast guards men who defended this country with the last beat of their heart in a place like iraq or afghanistan or syria. would they be proud. these were the men and women i served alongside. men and women who served selflessly and repeatedly year after year knowing full well the hazards of their profession. i couldn't be more proud than to have the few moments that i did with the best and the most honorable that our nation has ever produced to sacrifice their whole self because it was best for the men and women to their left and right in battle because it was best for the freedom and the liberty and the security of every person. i don't know how to ever make the pain of their loss go away. i do know how to honor them. we do it with the way that we live each day going forward. they do not have the opportunity to live. they would want every american to cherish the gift of freedom that they have been given by god which was defended by those angels who's names are now etched in row after row of plain white markers in arlington national cemetery. they would want us all to live exactly as they lived. with no regrets loving this country more than we loved ourselves. fighting as hard as they fought. never quitting, never giving up. we owe it to to do so. to not ask on ask ourselves what we can take. but what ourselves can give. >> congressman brian mast who is veteran of the army. serving 12 years. he is a republican from florida. earned himself the bronze star, the medal of valor and the purple heart. we are live on the mall in washington d.c. and the three service men part of three memorials dedicated to those who paid the ultimate price during the vietnam war conflict. what does this day, memorial day mean to you? phone lines for those active military and family of military and all others. vincent is joining us from tulsa, oklahoma, good morning. caller: good morning. what amazed me is heroes, friends i've had relatives that were in the service that died in vietnam, world war i. i don't visit my grandmother's grave anymore, i have a sister that died of a heart attack. it's hurting my feelings. i don't visit my grandmother. host: vincent thank you. a day of respect for fallen home home heroes which should be everyday. we owe a debt of thanks to all veterans. just take car of them. proud for my son for two tours in afghanistan. there's finally this from david ross with this tweet. remembrance and history are our nation's only remaining common ground unaffected by politics, hear patriotism and pride. from michigan ron is next retired military. good monday morning on this memorial day. what does it mean to you? caller: yes, sir. i want to ask the people that -- first of all, i want them to understand this is not veteran's day. this is a day for the guys. i can't pretend to speak for them. they are dead and i got out alive. all i want to ask -- i'm horrid of people of this nation to take a few minutes to remember. that's pretty much all i got to say. host: npr has the same message on its website. npr.com. i hope you're having a meaningful day. in might be one of the better things to say to a veteran this monday. you should probably avoid the common refrain, thank you for your service. most people know or should know, memorial day and veteran's day is different purpose. veteran's is to honor the service, memorial day is intended to remember those who died while serving. thanking veterans for their service isn't the most appropriate thing to say on memorial day. at least according to one vet. npr has storien their website. richard in arlington virginia, good morning. caller: good morning. memorial day means to me is looking at all the people who made the ultimate sacrifice. people i served with. just rae really reflecting on that. it seems like lot of people don't always remember that. just taking some time to remember fellow men and women who served and made that ultimate sacrifice. realizing that's why we have what we have today. host: thank you for the call. michael has this tweet on the comments of representative mast of florida. good speech but for c-span wj most never heard of his remarks. if you're interested, you can watch the full speech online any time c-span.org. on a cloudy, rainy morning. sun is expected to break through later today. those paying tribute to fallen heroes from vietnam war memorial. 58,000 that are etched in that marble stone. cornelius joining us. caller: i was national guard. i almost got a chance to go. i was under ronald reagan. i came in 1980 and got out in 1994. i saw war action. i almost went to war several times. i want to thank c-span and thank all the people out there. those people that gave the ultimate sacrifice and lose limbs and stuff like that, you just don't know. we love this country. we have volunteer force out. there's no dress up or anything. people ought to put flags out and stuff like that. you pay for a veteran, you see him in uniform. god bless you. thank you c-span. i hope everybody have a happy and blessed memorial day. host: we thank you for phoning in. of the 58,000 names on the vietnam veterans memorial in washington d.c. which opened during the reagan administration, more than 1200 remains missing in action. there are 800 listed here as well. i want to share with you a photograph in has gone viral. it's on a number of websites. let me read to you what the newspaper writes. for memorial day it was the perfect sign of respect. the photo of a sandwich board outside mayberry's bar and grill northern kansas city of washington. it pays tribute to the american service men who lost their lives fighting for their country. photo that has gone viral. we have 619,300 reasons to be closed on monday. it's writtennen the sign referring to u.s. deaths of world war i and world war ii. rea, iran, -- korea iran, iraq and afghanistan. richard is joining us from gardner, massachusetts. retired military. good morning. thanks for being with us. caller: good morning. i was in united states marine corps. i didn't go to war. i hope that any way that was in the military, has earned all respect for the boys that didn't make it back. caller: richard in the marines. victor has this tweet. what memorial day means to me, a warrior who net me who's actions affected my life. love you for that. next from nebraska a family of veterans, good morning argentina. you're on the air. caller: yes, sir. i'm from a very military family. it's something that the veterans are very dear to me. i wrote a portrait of our veterans. if you permanent me i -- if you permit me, i know you would appreciate this. they answered the country's fall to foreign land they went. they went with pride and gave their all. they left their family and home not knowing they would return. where the resting place will be, only the lord knows where they are. they who gave their lives for freedom, that freedom we enjoy today. we must never forget their sacrifice they made for the country and family safety and comfort. there are now and the lord's peace resting in eternal home. for the living veteran, i want to thank you. i want you to know how much i appreciate your service and your sacrifice for our country. be strong and know that you are all in my thoughts and prayers. today, and everyday. with heart felt thanks and respect a grateful american. host: did you write that yourself? caller: yes, sir. host: thank you very much for sharing that with us. we hope you enjoy your memorial day as well. thank you so much from nebraska. let's go to teresa from south river, new jersey. will be to the conversation. what does that day mean to you? caller: it means everything. i had six brothers month world war ii -- in world war ii. my brother douglas was in german prison camp for 13 months. i start my day out thanking god that he got home and thanking god for all the men and women who fought for our beautiful country. thank you and i love c-span. host: any of your brothers still surviving today. caller: one, he's 92. host: amazing. how is he doing? caller: he's wonderful. he's praying. he can't move his legs anymore. host: did all your siblings come back safe after world war ii? caller: yes, thank god. they were hurt a little bit. hen they came oof the plane, one got hurt. god was good to all of us. host: thank you for sharing your story from south river, new jersey. if you're listening on c-span radio, our question, what does this day, memorial day mean to you? as we look at the scene along the mall, washington monument and the background. wreaths who paid tribute those who died in the vietnam war conflict. from arlington cemetery and world war ii memorial. this is dedicated by president george w. bush in 2004. shirley from south boston, virginia. good morning. caller: good morning. this day means to me my first husband john a. william gave his life in the vietnam war. he earned a purple heart and a bronze star and path the way from head to toe. i'm honoring his memory by putting out the flag and putting up the first division sign on the front door and a sign that also says that he's lifetime member of a honorary veteran of the vietnam war. that's how i'm remembering. it just dawned on me that we are gold star family because he gave his life for this country. thank you so much. host: thank you. tweets send us your tweet @c-span wj. an american may remember the sacrifices made by loved one for freedom. there's this from stella. this is a day to acknowledge that freedom is not free. may their souls rest in peace with the honor and respect they so well deserved. william fd oriley has that essay. americans should be embarrassed on memorial day. this is part of what he writes. we talk a lot on memorial day about americans who gave their lives for this country. in truth their lives were wrested from them in horrible ways in the prime of their live. there was no rhyme or reason why one american son or daughter made it home and one did not. essay by william fd. o'reilly. nathan joining us from pennsylvania. good monday morning, it is memorial day. what does it mean to you? caller: hi. i had a father who fought in the tail end of world war ii. and uncle was who korea and severely damaged mentally and time home. there's no flag over his grave. i feel he was cheated, he's one of these guys that had a lot of psychological problems. back then they just locked you up. he had a hard time. he was suffered all his life from being in heavy combat. they didn't take much care of him back then. he was never gived honor. he did serve. c-span is great because i hear information i never hear. you said about eight female name option that wall. that's interesting to me. i think it's a day when you become politically correct. i want to honor all male and females that serve, especially nowadays more females are in combat. it's time political correctness needs to go out the door. need to understand that huge majority of people, americans that took it on the chin died have been young men. we don't recognize young men. you look at the world war ii, 900,000 all together. close to one million wounded or killed. women did their part at the home front. i think we should understand our young men always give the blood sacrifice. be proud of them. also i think selective service something we should look into. young men still don't have to register selective service when they turn 18. i think that's unfair. we have to have all glass ceiling knocked down. i think women should make that sacrifice and be registered. i want to thank all men and women and nurses that died and things. let's not forget our men that took it on the chin. host: thank you for the call. vietnam veterans memorial is three memorials. the wall that was most famous. the three service men memorial. the second memorial is the vietnam women's memorial. located on two acres of land. almost midway between the washington monument and lincoln memorial. one of the most see sites in washington d.c. when you come to visit. let go to rick in wellington, illinois. retired military. good morning. caller: good morning. what memorial day means to me is cost of freedom that's buried in the ground. thank you. host: thank you for the call. l.a. times has this piece. memorial day everyday gold star families remembering the ultimate price they paid for and the impact for military families who lost loved ones while serving our country. you can read the full story. janet joining us from michigan. welcome to the conversation. caller: good morning. my daughter is overseas. first time in seven years. host: what branch of service? caller: army. my mother served in the navy during world war ii. my brother served during the vietnam war. my brother signed up right after 9/11. i guess maybe my daughter heard these stories. i asked her please, your dad left you money for college. i want to seb serve my country. that's what she's doing. host: janet thank you. wish her the best. and hope she remains safe. thank you on this memorial day monday. senator tom cotton written a piece yesterday on "washington post." he talks about the arlington national cemetery. a cemetery that's running out of space. we must act on the millennial project with 28,000 burial sites extending the capacity to 2041. southern expansion project began in 2014. it remains in the planning stages. it would and 60,000 burial sites surrounded by the nearby air force memorial and extend the cemetery's capacity for ten years more. to do this the cemetery must buy land if arlington county in virginia as well as address transportation challenges with authorities. congress must support the effort with funding the land acquisition. senator tom cotton republican of arkansas, he said yesterday in the of the "washington post." it's been the 30th year for rolling thunder, which was a military operation in vietnam. now motorcyclist come to washington d.c. for memorial day, a day of thunder and remembrance. especially those prisons of war and those who died in vietnam. harry is joining us from fort walton beach florida, retired military. thank you so much. caller: it means a lot. i did my four years and i lost a few friends in there. not through war but from different accidents. only reason i went, i graduated high school, couldn't find a job. they trained me and now i'm 63. i retired from business. you young and you don't have nothing to do, give the military a try. you'd be surprised what the outcome will bring you. i like to say semper fi everybody and have great day. host: nancy is joining us from pittsburgh pennsylvania, welcome to the conversation. caller: good morning. my older brother, he is older than myself. just passed away from rheumatoid arthritis. he served in vietnam for four years. he was wounded and has returned for another tour of duty. i wrote him constantly. i miss him terribly much. i have a small memorial of his photographs in my home. the one i wanted the most to be framed was in his marine uniform. host: robert with this tweet. pointing out 22 veterans day committing suicide. don't forget them. share your comments on our facebook page. what does this day mean to you. here are a couple of comments from steve rogers. remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. never forgotten. chief officer and those who died in those horrible circumstances. jim said remembering those who died in service of our country. scottie lewis said those who died to keep it free. free to keep it rid of criminals. also from tom, the heroes that sacrificed their lives so i may enjoy mine in a free country. hector join us next in fountain -- walter is next from north carolina. caller: good morning, thanks to c-span. one of the few places where i could always hear the comments from the general population across the nation. good, bad or indifferent. it came from the society. i've done more funerals than weddings in my 30 years. seen so many people die around me and so many different conflicts. so many people hijack -- today should be a memorial week. in that case business world. who cares or gives a rats ass about a race or about sales or 10% off some car sale or electronic thing. how many people go to and walk the grave yards. as a 5-year-old, i remember a world war i veteran, just couple of kids playing in the yard. he had fallen down. we helped him back. in 1965, i was just a little boy. my father was in the military, world war ii. he did 40 40 years. my grandfather was world world war i. go back to generations. i serve at the south carolina army national guard transfer to the reserve, college and graduate school. went into the army. so many people died and people would go and visit some of the veterans and nursing homes in them. go to some of the memorials and just read some of them in personal grave yards to people that served. host: thank you for the call. this is from the vietnam war memorial and vietnam women's memorial. one of three tributes to those who died. paid the ultimate sacrifice during the vietnam war. now we're joined by hector in fountain valley, california retired military. caller: like to voice an opinion. i volunteered for the vietnam war. for some reason they didn't take me. they sent me to germany. nevertheless i'm glad i didn't go to vietnam. i was ready to defend my country. i done have any bad memories of my military service. host: thank you for the call. the women's memorial located on two acres on the mall in washington d.c. this boy scout with his salute. this is from the los angeles veterans memorial. final resting place for those who died in conflict in southern california. michael is joining us from georgia, retired military. caller: this is michael sanders. we started to have summer school. also i -- by being a paramedic it's all about who you work with. i worked with two others. who also bed sick. sometimes you didn't know what they did until you found them and other brothers i met. they came from vietnam. i was injured. i went on -- host: thank you for the call. this tweet from another memorial, memorial day means to remember all who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country. we shall not forget on our facebook page. jerry says, bless the brave men and women who protect our country. sharon says a day to remember the grand helpers. linda says war is a waste of life. t.r. lewis said it means on this day, we should focus on the unacceptable amount of homeless uninsured veterans. never again should a veteran commit suicide in the parking lot of a hospital. nbc news.com, these people are marching to raise awareness of the true meaning of memorial day. volunteers spent the last month of may carrying the name of soldiers who did not come home, organized by the nonprofit group, carry the load. a 31 day trip that began in seattle for 4100 miles of west coast routes. the trip concludes with two meetings an a march in dallas texas. last year the event raising more than $2 million from donations and sponsorships. went to building homes for veterans. also training for those who came home injured. read the full story at nbc news.com. mike is joining us from phoenix arizona, good morning. caller: hello. i just wanted to remind people that they can honor those veterans resting in arlington that were independents and republicans and democrats americans. they should do what they did. they should lay down their partisan politics and do what's best for the country like those veterans that unfortunately gave their all. thank you. host: thank you mike. a beautiful view from the lincoln memorial and the reflecting pool and the washington monument as the rain is now stopped. should be cloudy and dry for the ceremony. arlington national cemetery will president trump will lay a wreath to the tombs of unknown. mineral virginia, good morning your thoughts. caller: how are you today? host: good morning. caller: thank you for taking my call. memorial day means to me that we thank all the people in out the service for us protecting us. you were talking yesterday about the statues where they taking the statues down. it's all that to do with the wars. i just don't understand why they would want to take them down. it's sad to me. host: thank you for the call. the earliest to remembrances, initially known as declaration day date back to civil war after the death of our 16th president, abraham lincoln. he's memorialized among them all. lincoln memorial. in 1868, veterans of the civil war began placing flowers on the grave sites for those who died in that conflict. john is joining us from rhode island, good morning. what does memorial day mean to you? caller: i would like to add to mike's comment. our congress should look at those entitlements and healthcare for the people of america. who will be called on to serve if needed. i wanted to add that. thank you. host: thank you john. more from the house of representative and congressman doug collins of georgia. he joined the air force back in 2002. he completed a tour combat in iraq in 2009. also a chaplain. talk about what memorial day means to him and how the country paid tribute to those who paid the ultimate price. >> we remember the brothers and the sisters in arms who willingly took on the responsibility and the burden of defense of this country. we are thankful for their sacrifice and remembrance of their families who saw them leave but did not see them return. i pray that we will always remember that measure of devotion and in every moment of silence that we remember that we are here and in great part by their sacrifice that we honor in this place on this day. for you have given us strength always let us have the courage to act upon it as these we remember from every branch of office. host: from congress, lawmakers pay tribute on this memorial day monday. we'll go back to your phone calls. roger johnstown pennsylvania, good morning. caller: hi. i like to think that language with remembering sacrifices made in war. we should remember is the fact that war is the great evil. that is the destroyer of life and our freedom. it's the sacrifices made to basically mass murder sanctioned by the state. it is not heroic. it maybe unfortunate necessary evil against people who believe in the same evil of war as heroic and conquest as being somehow glorious. it's really the lie of the devil. host: thanks for the call. arlington, cemetery. tombs of the unknown where president trump will lay a wreath. it takes place. one of those event it is you're in washington d.c., must see. you see the honor guard has he makes his way across that tomb. president trump will deliver remarks at 11:00 eastern time. we'll have it live here on c-span and c-span radio. wesley from oklahoma, good morning to you. caller: good morning sir. i made it to virginia. my sister served for four years. i want to let everybody know there is a god out there who care about us. we serve our country. regardless what branch or service or if you're not active, maybe disabled or you have family member who are still active. i have cousins still in the air force. i want to let everybody know, we need to thank these individuals. we need to remember that america is the home of the free and land of the brave. this is only country you can be free to walk and do. one thing anybody else can thank god everyday. i thank god for one person. that's the president of the united states. he made some decisions to show people that we care. america does put everybody else first. i want everybody to understand just because you don't die over there in war -- [indiscernible] have a great memorial day and be happy. thank you. host: wesley from enid, oklahoma. we'll get back to your call and and comments in a moment. news over the weekend. jared kushner in his involvement trying to create back channel to communications with russian leaders. kushner's role in the white house is under strain. from the "washington post," of another shake up or change in his communications team. the president overnight defending jared kushner, his son-in-law married to ivanka trump. he reads as follows, jared is doing a great job for the country. i have total confidence in him. he is respected by virtually everyone and is working on programs that will save our country billions of dollars. in addition to that, in perhaps more importantly, he is a very good person. that's from the president of the united states. over the weekend on the sunday shows, lot focus of this including the chair of the senate foreign relations committee, including bob on meet the press. >> jared said he's willing to answer all questions. they reached out to us yesterday to make sure we knew that was the case. i'm sure he's willing to do so. i look at what the reports have said about asking questions of him. it seems to me that he's based on just the reporting, he and others are making, he's not a target. i think i would just wait. like he's more than glad to talk about all of these things. instead of getting wrapped up into a lot of hyperbole as these things can do, i think talking with him directly and getting him to answer any and all questions as he said he would do would probably the course of action. >> i understand that. can you think any good reason, -- let's take the "washington post" bombshell and clearly the white house hasn't said much publicly. they seem to be talking anonymously to the "new york times." they implied that well the meet meeting clear who suggested the back channel and involves mike flynn in syria. why would anybody want to set up something like that if it was about syria and not let the pentagon know about it? >> i have no idea again. i think it's best to talk directly with these people. i know that from a military standpoint. we have ways of deconflicting with russia on things that relative to syria. chuck, because i just don't know. these sources are not people who willing to give their names. it's hard to respond to things like this that again, no names attached. no dates attached. let's let this unfold. i spent at the do of time with jared. he was over recently in a bipartisan way briefing us on the upcoming trip. they achieved all their goals. he seems to be a very open person. i ellett -- i let him speak for himself. at that time we can actually render judgment on the reality of what did or didn't take place. host: senator bob corker on "meet the press." heard coast to coast on cirrous xm. developments over the weekend developing jared kushner. front page headline officials defend kushner's overtures. here's the reporting by amy philip. as the white house defends jared kushner, experts question his become channel move. something the administration arguing over the weekend that back channel communications are acceptable in building dialogue with foreign governments. part of an effort to minimize fall out about creating a secret conduit to the kremlin as a russian diplomatic compound. it's the latest to tie the senior ranks of the president's administration to moscow and multiple investigations into russian interference in the election. it comes as president trump returned to washington from his first international trip renewed his tweets about unfair media coverage and eyed a major retooling of his white house staff to deal with r russia related scrutiny. could deepen the administration's woes. congressional investigators and a newly named special counsel robert mueller probe his contacts. go back to your calls. we have another 12 minute on this memorial day. what does it mean to you? show you the scenes along the mall here in washington d.c. memorial paying tribute to those who paid the price. from minnesota, retired military. good morning. caller: good morning. first off, let me say that my family started in the early 1700's they came from austria. two of them fought in general washington in the war of independence. i had an uncle that won the medal of honor in world war ii. i put 30 years with the marine corps. what does my country mean to me? god, country and core. that was top to men when i was 17. it's about the man on my left and the man on my right. it's to the death. semper fi. i love my country. host: thanks for the call. another memorial, those who served during the korean conflict in the 1950's. relatively new memorial. on the mall in washington d.c. joe, west plains, missouri, good morning. caller: good morning. i wish you would have kept the news headlines off this segment. it was just for us veterans we can catch the news later. first of all, when you are a combat veteran, there's a brotherhood almost. you feel it when you talking to the other guy. second, the place, arlington national cemetery. you know who owned all that property. robert e. lee. what happened in new orleans was a disgrace. today is a day to honor veterans of all wars. as far as abraham lincoln goes, i wouldn't urinate on his memorial. host: next in lawrenceville, georgia, good morning. caller: good morning. that guy was doing okay until that last part. my wife and i are both veterans. my father-in-law and father both fought in world war ii. my father-in-law lost a brother eugene in world war ii. something about him today -- you mentioned earlier about the beginning of the memorial day in 1868. it comes from some leads in columbus, georgia, started decorating confederate day, they called the memorial day. it was adopted by the north and actually came together to celebrate memorial day over the years. the segment of the news, gave me another thought. like to see -- we remember and think about those who died to protect us from our enemies outside. we give some thought to what we can do to help the political discourse we have today. i think we all have unique time. we all take a step back. think about those who died with us and what they did. maybe we can talk a little bit more civilly to each other. host: freedom is not free. michael is joining us from new york. good morning welcome to the conversation sir. caller: good morning. i had a cousin and wife had a cousin. both of boys lost their lives in vietnam. they are so similar, they were born in february. they both died october 1962 other died okay 1966. i want to tell you that my cousin came here from cypress. he chose he was on a visa. when his visa was up, he was supposed to be deported back to cypress. he wanted to stay in this country. he happen to join the service. they asked him to join the service. that's how he would stay. he did. he wanted to serve this country. he was there when he lost his life. he was 23 years old. miguel was 19 years old. miguel valente. he was my wife's cousin. both boys, one was in the marines, miguel was in the marines, 19 years old he lost his life. thaddeus was in 101st airborne division, he lost his life in 1966. host: michael thank you for the call. thanks for sharing your story with us. the tomb of the unknown soldier. the honor guard there day and night, rain or shine winter and summer at arlington national cemetery. john f. kennedy for america's forever young president, he turned 100. he would have been 100 years old today. he was born on this day 1917. later in the program we'll introduce you to steve rothstein. as we reflect on the kennedy legacy and centennial of john f. kennedy's birth. back to your calls on this memorial day. tim from pennsylvania, retired military. good morning. caller: i'm retired from the air force. i served my two brothers served. my son is in air force retired. i have numerous cousins that served in all branches of the military. host: when you get through we get some feedback if there's a delay, we ask that you turn down the volume. korean war memorial in washington d.c. ken burns historian has vietnam's unhealed wounds. an essay this morning from the "new york times." on april 23, 1975, president gerald ford delivered an address tulane, university new orleans. the president smoke to vietnamese troops approaching saigon. overrun all south vietnam in three days. 30 years after u.s. became involved in southeast asia and ten years after the marines landed. for which more than 58,000 americans had died which on the verge of defeat. decades later the division by that war continue. ken burns in the "new york times" on the vietnam war. tom is joining us from malibu, california. good morning. caller: good morning steve. i come from military family and over the years i seen patriotism just come apart. there was a picture of burning american flag. i got very upset about it. i like to read you something. it take about minute and a half to tribute to old glory. she's similar of our country. flag of our nation. she's held up right, and proud. her banner can never touch the ground. she's up in the morning and down in the evening at taps. she has a wonderful history. she cross the delaware with georgia washington. she went to tripoli, was bloodied in gettysburg. she was at the halls of montezuma. remained in havana harbor. she went to europe. she was blown off her stat from pearl harbor into the ground and went down york town midway. she was down but she came back and how hard she came back with a vengeance. she was on the ground with red ball express. she made it all the way back to solomon wall. she did her duty in korea. she went to the gulf when and came home with honor. she's old glory. symbol of my country flag of my nation. she's to be admired and respected and honored. she's never to be treated with disrespect, trampled or burned by any american for any reason. especially when i'm around to honor and protect her and she's protected me. she's my flag. she's old glory. i wish people would remember that. host: tom thank you. by the way, if you come to washington d.c. at smithsonian museum of american history, old glory the symbol of the star spangle banner is flying proudly. some is pissing. some tweet, this is from joe, a chance to show thanks and respect in unity. there's this from harriett, a day to remember our veterans, thank them for their sacrifices, promise to resist people who attempt to dissolve their country. thanks for sharing your thought and comments on this memorial day. we'll have more coming up later in the program. up next, turn our attention to veterans issues and joining us will be dan caldwell. he is the director of concerned veterans of america to discuss some of the public policy issues affecting veterans and later michael beckel who's with the advocacy group issue one on a new report about congressional fundraising. tomb of the unknown soldier at arlington national cemetery. we'll show you some scenes around washington d.c. monday morning may 29th, happy memorial day.