WEBVTT

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- I'm so pleased that all of you are here to take time

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to commemorate the USS Oklahoma and her crew.

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(somber piano playing)

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- Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

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Thank you for the opportunity to speak

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with you just for a few moments

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at this hallowed place about this extraordinary day

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and how the story of the Oklahoma

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and the fate of its crew on the morning

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of December 7th, 1941 continues to be a source

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of inspiration for generation after generation of Americans.

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Americans inspired by their courage.

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A courage that has canonized our national identity.

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Carved in to our hearts the sacred value

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that we will not forget the

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sacrifice of our service members,

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that we will remember the men of the Oklahoma,

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we will remember this day and we will honor them.

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Four hundred and twenty-nine men of the USS Oklahoma

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were killed in the attack of December 7th

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and of the four hundred, twenty-nine dead,

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three hundred and eighty-eight were unable to be identified

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and, regrettably, were compelled to be buried as Unknowns

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in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

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But through persistent work from our historians,

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archivists and scientists and with the advent of DNA,

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we were, in 2015, granted permission by the Office

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of the Secretary of Defense to disinter these remains

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and begin the painstaking work

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of identifying them and restoring their names.

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And ladies and gentlemen, I am very proud to say

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that in just one year, the dedicated men and women

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of DPAA have identified seventy-two

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of the three hundred and eighty-eight

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Missing or Unknowns from the Oklahoma.

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(audience applause)

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And we are more than optimistic that we will be able

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to identify nearly all of them within five years.

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In front of you, within the grove of marble pillars,

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with black ribbon, are photographs

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of those warriors who for over seven decades

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laid under a stone that said Unknown,

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but have now been identified by DPAA

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and their next of kin notified.

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They are now accounted for within the National Record,

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returned to the care of their families

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and probably, most importantly,

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are no longer "known only to God."

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But advancements in science, coupled with an energized

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commitment from our government to uphold the sacred creed

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that we will "leave no one behind,"

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has resulted in a celebrated time

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in which we can say with great confidence

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that there are no longer Unknowns.

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If we can get to the remains and we have

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the family samples, we'll identify them.

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Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to say one more time ...

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No more Unknowns.

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(audience applauding)

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We now find ourselves in a wonderful time,

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an exciting time to find them.

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Being able to restore the names

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of our Unknown heroes laying in graves

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or still on battlefields throughout the world,

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in great part, by what we have learned and continue

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to learn by the examination of the men of the Oklahoma.

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What a wonderful and fitting legacy for these men.

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So today is for sure a day of reflection

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about the great price that has been paid

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and as we all know, continues to be paid

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to free mankind from tyranny and oppression,

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but it also is a day to celebrate the spirit of man.

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As we, the living, bear witness

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to the goodness and greatness that can be restored

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and rise from the depths of darkness.

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And finally, to the warriors of the USS Oklahoma,

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your sacrifice has inspired our warriors today

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to carry on the difficult task of defending

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our freedoms throughout the world.

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And, gentlemen, as you take your leave from this place,

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take pride in knowing our national values

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continue to be strengthened and know in your hearts

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that our sacred promise that we will,

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"leave no one behind" is faithfully being fulfilled.

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May God bless the men of the USS Oklahoma and their families

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God bless our Armed Services

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and may God continue to bless our great Republic.

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(audience applause)