WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:06.780 I 00:06.790 --> 00:08.957 came in tonight . I actually passed by 00:08.957 --> 00:11.810 the color guard and they are as you 00:11.810 --> 00:13.977 probably noticed a pretty tall group . 00:14.340 --> 00:17.190 So given the time of year that it is , 00:17.190 --> 00:20.020 I asked him if any of them had teams in 00:20.020 --> 00:22.430 the tournament . I'm a Los Angeles 00:22.430 --> 00:24.374 native . I grew up as a basketball 00:24.374 --> 00:27.530 player under , under the umbrella of 00:27.540 --> 00:30.060 john wooden . So I do try to , well , I 00:30.060 --> 00:32.171 don't have much time right now . I've 00:32.171 --> 00:34.338 tried to pay a little attention to the 00:34.338 --> 00:36.393 tournament and , and I think in that 00:36.393 --> 00:38.449 group there were two buckeye fans to 00:38.449 --> 00:40.460 from Kansas and two from florida . 00:40.470 --> 00:43.150 There were no Georgetown left . Yeah , 00:44.040 --> 00:46.300 there were , there were no bruin fans 00:46.310 --> 00:49.870 left . Uh , but I'm also reminded when 00:49.870 --> 00:52.050 I see them and I see them all the time 00:52.540 --> 00:54.840 and they are perfectly while a little 00:54.840 --> 00:58.790 taller , perfectly Reflective of 00:58.800 --> 01:00.911 the young men and women who serve and 01:00.911 --> 01:04.840 who are on average 20 One or 22 01:04.840 --> 01:07.690 as it has always been the case in our 01:07.690 --> 01:09.857 country since we were founded and they 01:09.857 --> 01:12.490 do bear a great burden and they're very , 01:12.490 --> 01:16.380 very special people . I would like to 01:16.380 --> 01:20.130 thank Senator jOHn Warner and his wife 01:20.140 --> 01:23.060 Jeannie , who we've known for years now 01:23.440 --> 01:27.180 and who actually I consider a 01:27.180 --> 01:29.380 mentor in this town . And if you're in 01:29.380 --> 01:32.040 the military , given it's a political 01:32.040 --> 01:34.990 town , you actually need political 01:34.990 --> 01:37.760 mentors to make sure that we stay 01:38.630 --> 01:41.520 straight and true to what our military 01:41.520 --> 01:45.170 is , which is a 01:45.170 --> 01:47.900 political , even though we are 01:47.900 --> 01:50.570 certainly in the middle of a political 01:50.570 --> 01:53.240 environment and john's leadership and 01:53.240 --> 01:55.550 lifelong dedication to our nation . In 01:55.550 --> 01:57.730 fact we have a standing joke . He 01:57.730 --> 02:00.020 always reports as Petty officer third 02:00.020 --> 02:02.620 class Warner and I always respond as 02:02.620 --> 02:06.310 lieutenant mullin . Um , but senator 02:06.310 --> 02:08.810 Warner , it's a real privilege in my 02:08.810 --> 02:12.300 life that you would introduce me 02:12.310 --> 02:15.720 and David Ascher and to ambassador 02:15.920 --> 02:19.480 tom pickering . Uh , thank you as well 02:19.480 --> 02:22.870 for your , for your constant lifetime 02:22.870 --> 02:26.370 of service for caring about our country 02:26.370 --> 02:30.260 both in and out of government . And I , 02:30.270 --> 02:34.190 I reflect on what I saw tonight 02:34.640 --> 02:37.930 and yet there are so many people who 02:37.930 --> 02:41.390 care about our country and to look to 02:41.390 --> 02:44.270 the future and how to best move to the 02:44.270 --> 02:47.510 future . And nobody does that better 02:47.610 --> 02:50.890 from my perspective then you , David 02:50.890 --> 02:54.110 and tom and I really appreciate a real 02:54.110 --> 02:56.990 privilege to be associated with you and 02:56.990 --> 02:58.879 know you . And I just want to say 02:58.879 --> 03:02.090 thanks for that . I'd like to say hello 03:02.090 --> 03:04.990 to all of those current and past 03:04.990 --> 03:07.890 elected officials and also the 03:07.890 --> 03:09.446 ambassadors who were here , 03:09.446 --> 03:11.390 representatives of so many of this 03:11.390 --> 03:14.760 nation's friends and allies around the 03:14.760 --> 03:18.440 world . And of course Susan Eisenhower 03:18.450 --> 03:22.180 who uh , is a very special woman 03:22.190 --> 03:25.700 who carries on a legacy . That's I 03:25.700 --> 03:28.960 think all would argue is as 03:29.340 --> 03:33.090 as significant and as great as any in 03:33.090 --> 03:35.090 our country's history and you do it 03:35.340 --> 03:39.240 with wonderful dedication and class and 03:39.240 --> 03:42.750 spirit um , and persistence that really 03:42.750 --> 03:44.750 makes a difference . So it's a real 03:44.750 --> 03:47.028 honor to see you again tonight . Susan . 03:47.028 --> 03:48.806 And I'm actually told that your 03:48.806 --> 03:51.090 grandfather once said that he could 03:51.090 --> 03:53.730 think of nothing more boring for the 03:53.730 --> 03:55.897 american people and to have to sit for 03:55.897 --> 03:59.250 a half an hour looking at him speak . 04:00.640 --> 04:03.060 So as I measured my remarks earlier , 04:03.640 --> 04:05.460 It was 97 minutes 04:07.440 --> 04:10.260 mm and you're in for a real treat . Mhm . 04:10.910 --> 04:13.077 Now the young students out there , not 04:13.077 --> 04:16.410 sure if I'm kidding or not Actually , 04:16.410 --> 04:20.330 it's 9 7 minutes and I just 04:20.330 --> 04:22.441 wanted to see if you were still awake 04:22.441 --> 04:24.552 and if I had a message for anybody in 04:24.552 --> 04:26.910 the audience tonight it would be to you . 04:26.920 --> 04:29.900 It would be to the young ones because 04:29.910 --> 04:33.510 the challenges that we see 04:33.510 --> 04:36.860 and I particularly appreciate the good 04:36.860 --> 04:39.570 Cardinal being here and he I prayed 04:39.570 --> 04:42.720 that he would give me and others wisdom 04:42.720 --> 04:45.390 with all the chances and challenges 04:45.840 --> 04:49.830 that we have and as sort of the senior 04:49.830 --> 04:53.590 cleric among us Cardinal , I would ask 04:53.590 --> 04:55.770 you to you know , pray to the big guy 04:55.770 --> 04:58.100 to see if he can just dial it back a 04:58.100 --> 05:01.440 little bit . Yeah , 05:02.640 --> 05:03.740 yeah , yeah . 05:07.740 --> 05:09.907 And what I'm here to do tonight really 05:09.907 --> 05:11.907 is to proudly accept the Eisenhower 05:11.907 --> 05:15.520 award on behalf of the men and women of 05:15.520 --> 05:17.464 the Armed forces and that has been 05:17.464 --> 05:21.260 spoken to um and were it not for them , 05:21.270 --> 05:24.520 I assure you I would not be here and 05:24.520 --> 05:26.076 when I look at the long and 05:26.076 --> 05:28.409 distinguished list of previous honorees , 05:28.409 --> 05:30.576 I'm humbled and proud that you include 05:30.840 --> 05:32.920 America's military in the company of 05:32.920 --> 05:34.940 such outstanding citizens as our 05:34.940 --> 05:38.240 presidents , our senators and justices 05:38.510 --> 05:41.060 of the Supreme Court . While I would 05:41.060 --> 05:42.782 never presume to speak for any 05:42.782 --> 05:44.949 president , I would like to think that 05:44.949 --> 05:48.940 as a soldier , a general , a commander 05:48.940 --> 05:52.190 in chief Eisenhower would be pleased at 05:52.190 --> 05:54.680 every opportunity to honor the service 05:54.690 --> 05:58.190 and the sacrifice of those who answered 05:58.200 --> 06:01.160 our nation's call . And tonight there 06:01.160 --> 06:03.350 are thousands upon thousands of young 06:03.350 --> 06:05.294 men and women as has been stated , 06:05.294 --> 06:07.890 doing just that , answering our 06:07.890 --> 06:10.760 nation's call in Afghanistan 06:11.240 --> 06:14.510 Iraq Japan and around the 06:14.510 --> 06:17.570 world . And I would like to single out 06:17.630 --> 06:21.100 if I can . Japan who is an 06:21.100 --> 06:23.610 extraordinary ally and friend with whom 06:23.610 --> 06:26.960 we have an unbreakable alliance 06:27.510 --> 06:31.490 and that our hearts and thoughts and 06:31.490 --> 06:35.250 prayers and significant support go out 06:35.260 --> 06:38.830 to the Japanese people and to the 06:38.840 --> 06:42.150 the that country who has I think as 06:42.150 --> 06:44.360 someone said earlier sustained this 06:44.370 --> 06:47.780 triple tragedy which is which 06:47.780 --> 06:51.190 continues even in the distraction of 06:51.200 --> 06:54.160 recent events continues to evolve 06:55.340 --> 06:57.451 And these young men and women include 06:57.451 --> 07:00.400 there , they serve off the shores of 07:00.400 --> 07:03.630 Libya as well where tonight they are 07:03.630 --> 07:06.010 flying and fighting to protect innocent 07:06.010 --> 07:08.350 people from their own government 07:09.740 --> 07:13.450 and they are doing a magnificent job . 07:15.140 --> 07:17.640 And tonight I'd like to thank those 07:17.650 --> 07:19.761 with us who have done the very same . 07:20.040 --> 07:22.207 In fact we have several generations of 07:22.207 --> 07:24.360 service members here this evening 07:24.940 --> 07:27.270 represented by the dev and the Iraq and 07:27.270 --> 07:30.360 Afghanistan Veterans of America , You 07:30.740 --> 07:33.940 your families and all the veterans you 07:33.940 --> 07:37.270 represent especially those who will 07:37.270 --> 07:40.530 never return to hear these words have 07:40.530 --> 07:43.350 my unyielding support and my deepest 07:43.350 --> 07:45.572 gratitude for all that you have done in 07:45.572 --> 07:49.570 service to our nation . Your actions 07:49.570 --> 07:51.730 and your dedication to duty stand as 07:51.730 --> 07:53.980 stark testament to President 07:53.980 --> 07:57.480 Eisenhower's words that we cannot build 07:57.480 --> 08:00.260 peace on Desire Alone 08:01.840 --> 08:03.951 and I will take that one step farther 08:03.951 --> 08:06.062 and say that while Desire Alone won't 08:06.062 --> 08:08.310 build a better future for our nation or 08:08.310 --> 08:12.240 our world , you have . I see 08:12.240 --> 08:14.184 so many of our young men and women 08:14.184 --> 08:16.700 coming home who want the same things , 08:16.710 --> 08:18.280 their grandparents or great 08:18.280 --> 08:21.630 grandparents wanted a job , a 08:21.630 --> 08:24.700 family , a piece of the rock if you 08:24.700 --> 08:28.390 will . But while there wants have not 08:28.390 --> 08:30.001 changed compared to previous 08:30.001 --> 08:32.860 generations , some of their needs have 08:34.040 --> 08:36.800 traumatic brain injury and post 08:36.800 --> 08:40.450 traumatic stress . I'd also liked 08:41.190 --> 08:43.430 say hello to and she'll kill me for 08:43.430 --> 08:45.652 doing this . But there's a woman in the 08:45.652 --> 08:47.986 audience by the name of Tenley Albright , 08:47.986 --> 08:49.910 some of you might know who was 08:49.910 --> 08:53.630 reasonably famous some time ago as an 08:53.630 --> 08:57.580 olympic gold medal champion , who 08:57.580 --> 09:00.710 has now leading an effort that is a 09:00.710 --> 09:03.970 national effort to figure out how to 09:03.970 --> 09:07.720 solve the enduring challenge of 09:07.720 --> 09:11.170 post traumatic stress with which we are 09:11.170 --> 09:13.650 burdened and will be for decades to 09:13.650 --> 09:16.800 come . So 10ley , it's great to have 09:16.800 --> 09:20.760 you here and thanks for your service , 09:21.140 --> 09:27.270 that 09:27.280 --> 09:29.640 traumatic brain injury , post traumatic 09:29.640 --> 09:31.670 stress , These signature wounds of 09:31.670 --> 09:34.700 today's wars profoundly affect some of 09:34.700 --> 09:37.950 our veterans in ways we do not fully 09:37.950 --> 09:41.120 comprehend and our nation knows her 09:41.120 --> 09:43.287 veterans and their families have needs 09:43.287 --> 09:45.590 that deserve to be met needs like 09:45.590 --> 09:48.410 access to appropriately appropriate 09:48.410 --> 09:52.130 medical care , education and jobs . And 09:52.130 --> 09:54.297 we know the desire and the capacity of 09:54.297 --> 09:56.460 the american public to help or what I 09:56.460 --> 09:59.780 like to call the Sea of goodwill is out 09:59.780 --> 10:02.550 there . It's been spoken to tonight . 10:03.640 --> 10:05.807 What is missing in a lot of cases is a 10:05.807 --> 10:08.980 connection between those at the local 10:08.980 --> 10:12.680 level and those who serve . And as it 10:12.680 --> 10:15.640 turns out , the hometown is also often 10:15.640 --> 10:17.862 home to the best solutions for both the 10:17.862 --> 10:21.280 individual and the community . And 10:21.280 --> 10:23.502 while the Department of Defense and the 10:23.502 --> 10:25.724 Va's certainly have large roles to play 10:25.724 --> 10:29.050 here , I believe that main street USA 10:29.540 --> 10:31.700 will not get a tailored program 10:31.700 --> 10:34.380 delivered from Washington better than 10:34.380 --> 10:37.190 the working solutions you will find in 10:37.190 --> 10:40.780 communities on your own with veterans 10:40.780 --> 10:42.891 ready and willing to continue serving 10:42.891 --> 10:44.947 in their communities as they are and 10:44.947 --> 10:47.002 communities wanting to help veterans 10:47.002 --> 10:50.000 transition to civilian life . I believe 10:50.000 --> 10:52.560 we can create what is a win win 10:53.120 --> 10:55.287 relationship that makes a positive and 10:55.287 --> 10:57.900 lasting impact on our nation and the 10:57.900 --> 11:00.860 young men and women who have served and 11:00.860 --> 11:02.749 have it will have that impact for 11:02.749 --> 11:05.830 decades to come . And for those of you 11:05.830 --> 11:08.120 veterans who like me , stand firmly in 11:08.120 --> 11:11.660 an age bracket that I will not call old 11:12.640 --> 11:16.260 but will merely say is more established . 11:17.240 --> 11:19.462 I'd ask you to reach out to the younger 11:19.462 --> 11:22.250 generation of veterans as mentors , 11:22.740 --> 11:26.310 mentorship , knows no rank or age 11:26.310 --> 11:28.990 limits only the long lasting impact for 11:28.990 --> 11:31.840 those who participate because the truth 11:31.840 --> 11:33.729 of the matter is that in order to 11:33.729 --> 11:36.280 succeed as individuals , communities or 11:36.280 --> 11:38.760 nations we need each other 11:40.140 --> 11:42.480 Nearly 60 years ago , President 11:42.480 --> 11:44.950 Eisenhower said that no nation security 11:44.950 --> 11:47.220 and well being can be lastingly 11:47.220 --> 11:50.830 achieved in isolation while 11:50.830 --> 11:52.997 intended to draw a distinction between 11:52.997 --> 11:54.941 the foreign policies of the United 11:54.941 --> 11:57.560 States and an emboldened soviet union 11:57.560 --> 12:00.720 in the post World War two era 12:00.820 --> 12:03.860 Eisenhowers words still ring true today . 12:04.740 --> 12:07.570 Internally President Eisenhower reminds 12:07.570 --> 12:11.140 us that the military cannot , nor 12:11.140 --> 12:13.770 should it feel like it must execute 12:13.780 --> 12:16.890 every aspect of foreign policy on our 12:16.890 --> 12:20.580 own externally . These words illustrate 12:20.580 --> 12:23.000 how United States leadership is 12:23.000 --> 12:25.690 becoming more about how we use our 12:25.690 --> 12:29.000 power rather than power 12:29.110 --> 12:32.230 itself . So while it is far too soon to 12:32.230 --> 12:34.910 tell how current challenges in places 12:34.910 --> 12:38.330 like Libya will resolve themselves , I 12:38.330 --> 12:40.670 think the emphasis on collaboration on 12:40.670 --> 12:43.940 consensus and resource allocation will 12:43.940 --> 12:46.830 be essential to the american military 12:46.830 --> 12:50.720 leadership for years to come . I have 12:50.720 --> 12:54.370 said on many occasions as we talk about 12:54.370 --> 12:57.180 threats in the future that I think the 12:57.180 --> 13:00.410 number one threat to our country is our 13:00.410 --> 13:04.380 national debt and as we move forward , 13:04.390 --> 13:06.260 it is our leadership , our 13:06.260 --> 13:08.560 relationships and the superb young 13:08.560 --> 13:11.330 americans that our military brings to 13:11.330 --> 13:13.730 the fight that will be as important if 13:13.730 --> 13:16.630 not more so than our technical prowess 13:16.640 --> 13:20.600 or the quality of our hardware . I will 13:20.600 --> 13:22.720 close with this final thought from 13:22.720 --> 13:24.720 President Eisenhower , one that is 13:24.720 --> 13:26.887 particularly relevant in these dynamic 13:26.887 --> 13:29.930 and uncertain times . He concluded that 13:29.930 --> 13:32.152 while our hearts summons our strength , 13:32.840 --> 13:36.590 our wisdom must direct it . It is 13:36.590 --> 13:38.640 my wish that the current and future 13:38.640 --> 13:42.020 leaders in this room see the wisdom in 13:42.020 --> 13:44.630 keeping faith with those who have so 13:44.630 --> 13:47.060 bravely served our nation in the past . 13:47.440 --> 13:50.230 Just as many more do so around the 13:50.230 --> 13:52.900 world tonight , so that when the time 13:52.900 --> 13:55.560 comes , our nation will have the heart 13:55.560 --> 13:58.950 to summon the strength needed to serve 13:59.440 --> 14:02.160 our nation around the world 14:03.240 --> 14:05.351 on behalf of the men and women of the 14:05.351 --> 14:08.120 armed forces , past and present and 14:08.120 --> 14:10.260 their families . I thank you for this 14:10.260 --> 14:14.260 award and for always remembering them . 14:14.840 --> 14:16.951 Good night and thank you once again . 14:18.430 --> 14:18.990 Thank you .