WEBVTT

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- What a historic day for us to be here

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to gather and commemorate
and honor the Soldiers,

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Airmen, and our Filipinos
allies on this sacred ground.

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What I'd like to do is walk
back in time 75 years ago today.

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51 C-47s air-dropped the
503rd for an airborne assault.

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The first state departed
at 8:03 in the morning

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on the top side of Corregidor.

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At the same time there was an
amphibious assault going on

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on the lower side of the island.

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The assault required 600
passes over two days.

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2,000 Paratroopers and 1,300
Bundles would be delivered.

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We had to get Corregidor
in order to open a port to

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secure the liberation of Manila.

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(sober music)

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- This right here is
absolutely foundational,

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what we're doing with regards to helping

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our Airmen understand the bigger picture.

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Not only is it a phenomenal opportunity

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for building vitality and resilience,

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but it's an incredible
opportunity for folks our age

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who haven't really lived
during a grand-scale conflict.

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For us to be able to see what
everybody else went through.

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To be able to say hey,

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when they dropped the folks
over there at Corregidor,

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half of those Aircrafts
sustained battle damage.

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And to be able to put ourselves
in those shoes and think,

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what were the things
that they were thinking?

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And how would we solve those problems?

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And what can we learn today from the way

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that they solved those problems?

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So, all that together
that's really foundational

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for us being able to move forward into

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the next generation of Airmen here

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in the United States Military.

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- As we lay the wreaths that memorialize

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those who've gone before us,

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we recognize 40 Airmen of the 317th

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that are memorialized here.

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18 are buried the remaining
30 are Missing in Action.

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There are also 90 Soldiers of the 503rd

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buried here that we will honor.

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We'll honor their sacrifice.

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We're thankful for the
freedom they provided to us,

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and our allies and we're forever indebted

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to the bravery and heroics
demonstrated in combat.

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We've been entrusted to
maintain their legacy as

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the "I Gain By Hazard' Airmen and the

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Rock Regiment Soldiers of the 503rd.

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We honor them daily

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with our dedication to
the Profession of Arms,

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and courage in every fight
we may find in our future.