WEBVTT 00:01.120 --> 00:03.342 Good afternoon . Ladies and gentlemen . 00:03.342 --> 00:05.176 Today , the men and women of the 00:05.176 --> 00:07.176 Department of the United States Air 00:07.176 --> 00:09.009 Force pay special tribute to the 00:09.009 --> 00:11.100 recipient of the 2023 Zachary and 00:11.109 --> 00:12.942 Elizabeth Fisher , distinguished 00:12.942 --> 00:15.220 civilian humanitarian award . Mrs Becky 00:15.229 --> 00:17.700 A Carlson , the host for today's 00:17.709 --> 00:19.765 ceremony is the Secretary of the Air 00:19.765 --> 00:21.820 Force , the honorable Frank Kindle . 00:22.409 --> 00:24.465 Ladies and gentlemen , please rise . 00:47.139 --> 00:51.090 Ok . Ok . 00:51.099 --> 00:52.099 Ok . 01:01.439 --> 01:02.439 Yeah . 01:06.760 --> 01:09.059 And also , yeah , 01:19.330 --> 01:21.497 please remain standing for the playing 01:21.497 --> 01:22.886 of the national anthem . 02:35.509 --> 02:39.410 Please be seated . Ladies and 02:39.419 --> 02:41.179 gentlemen , secretary Kindle . 02:50.389 --> 02:53.750 Good afternoon , everybody . So it's an 02:53.759 --> 02:55.870 exciting day and I'm really delighted 02:55.870 --> 02:57.926 to have the second opportunity in my 02:57.926 --> 03:00.203 tenure to participate in this ceremony . 03:00.203 --> 03:02.370 Uh It's always great to recognize some 03:02.370 --> 03:04.203 of the amazing people across our 03:04.203 --> 03:06.315 military community and , and how they 03:06.315 --> 03:08.481 support our men and women in uniform . 03:08.481 --> 03:10.703 Uh Today , we're going to celebrate Mrs 03:10.703 --> 03:12.592 Becky Carlson uh for her lifelong 03:12.592 --> 03:14.648 commitment to service and support of 03:14.648 --> 03:16.870 our service members . Uh Before we talk 03:16.870 --> 03:19.092 about Becky , I want to say a few words 03:19.092 --> 03:18.110 about some of the people that are here 03:18.119 --> 03:20.360 to join us today . Uh And then I'll get 03:20.369 --> 03:22.591 into the context of , of this award and 03:22.591 --> 03:24.313 why we're here . I wanna thank 03:24.313 --> 03:26.480 Congressman Emmer for being with us uh 03:26.480 --> 03:28.591 in honoring Becky today by one of his 03:28.591 --> 03:30.813 constituents . I understand uh from the 03:30.813 --> 03:33.559 great state of Minnesota . Uh And I'd 03:33.570 --> 03:35.792 like to extend my thanks to David Coker 03:35.792 --> 03:37.959 for representing the Fisher House here 03:37.959 --> 03:37.940 today . David , thanks for being with 03:37.949 --> 03:40.759 us . Uh without those contributions , 03:40.770 --> 03:42.992 this award , your contributions to this 03:42.992 --> 03:45.103 award would not , would not exist and 03:45.103 --> 03:47.326 not be possible . And I think Brigadier 03:47.326 --> 03:49.381 General , uh Mitchell is here also . 03:49.381 --> 03:49.229 There you are General Mitchell . Good 03:49.240 --> 03:51.699 to see you from the 416th theater 03:51.710 --> 03:53.809 engineer Command . Uh , who is a 03:53.820 --> 03:56.139 sponsor and endorsed Becky's , uh , for 03:56.149 --> 03:58.440 this , for this award and most 03:58.449 --> 04:00.671 important . I think I want to thank all 04:00.671 --> 04:02.727 of Becky's , uh , family and friends 04:02.727 --> 04:04.727 who've traveled so far to honor her 04:04.727 --> 04:07.060 today . Unfortunately , Becky's husband , 04:07.060 --> 04:09.171 uh , Carlin could not be here today . 04:09.171 --> 04:11.338 He's ill . Uh We wish him the best and 04:11.338 --> 04:10.899 hopefully for a very quick recovery . 04:11.600 --> 04:13.600 Uh , please let him know that we're 04:13.600 --> 04:15.767 very sorry . He couldn't make it today 04:15.767 --> 04:17.989 to be with us and enjoy this event with 04:17.989 --> 04:20.322 us . Uh They now your , their daughters , 04:20.322 --> 04:22.544 Tara and Tina are here guys , wave your 04:22.544 --> 04:24.600 hand a little bit . So , thank you . 04:24.600 --> 04:26.600 And Tara is here with her husband , 04:26.600 --> 04:28.489 Brian . Brian . Thank you and son 04:28.489 --> 04:30.711 Jackson . There you go . Hi , Jackson . 04:30.711 --> 04:32.711 Uh , and Tina is here with her sons 04:32.711 --> 04:34.711 Hayden and Logan . Ok . Thank you . 04:34.711 --> 04:37.420 Welcome everybody . Be uh , Becky also 04:37.429 --> 04:39.630 has about 20 other friends here . Uh 04:39.640 --> 04:41.751 and family members made the trip from 04:41.751 --> 04:43.807 all across , all over the country to 04:43.807 --> 04:45.918 celebrate today . Uh to highlight the 04:45.918 --> 04:48.029 impact she's made across all , many , 04:48.029 --> 04:50.196 many communities . Put your hands up . 04:50.196 --> 04:52.418 Let's say you are OK , you all baby egg 04:52.418 --> 04:50.859 in hand . 04:56.510 --> 04:58.677 OK . Let's talk a little bit about why 04:58.677 --> 05:00.788 we're here in this award . Uh Zachary 05:00.788 --> 05:02.454 and Elizabeth Fisher . Uh The 05:02.454 --> 05:04.454 distinguished civilian humanitarian 05:04.454 --> 05:06.121 award is a multi departmental 05:06.121 --> 05:08.288 recognition between the secretaries of 05:08.288 --> 05:10.510 the Air Force , the army and the Navy . 05:10.510 --> 05:12.566 We rotated around . So uh this is my 05:12.566 --> 05:14.566 second time . I've been here almost 05:14.566 --> 05:16.510 four years and uh we take turns uh 05:16.510 --> 05:18.454 handing out the Ward each year and 05:18.454 --> 05:20.677 recognizing the the recipients . Uh The 05:20.677 --> 05:22.899 award specifically recognizes those who 05:22.899 --> 05:24.954 demonstrate exceptional patriotism , 05:24.954 --> 05:27.709 generosity , and selfless dedication to 05:27.720 --> 05:29.776 improving the quality of life of the 05:29.779 --> 05:31.980 armed services and their families , 05:32.049 --> 05:34.149 patriotism , generosity and 05:34.160 --> 05:36.510 selflessness . After reading about 05:36.519 --> 05:38.630 everything Becky has done and getting 05:38.630 --> 05:40.852 to know her a little bit this afternoon 05:40.852 --> 05:42.908 as we talked to my office . Uh those 05:42.908 --> 05:45.075 words perfectly described her and what 05:45.075 --> 05:47.130 she has done through her passion and 05:47.130 --> 05:49.297 her empathy and her caring for our men 05:49.297 --> 05:51.186 and women in uniform . Uh Becky's 05:51.186 --> 05:53.519 journey of service goes back a long way . 05:53.519 --> 05:55.630 Uh She lost her brother in Vietnam in 05:55.630 --> 05:58.679 1966 and I think , uh and he was just 05:58.690 --> 06:00.746 about to come home , he was close to 06:00.746 --> 06:02.634 when he was scheduled to return , 06:02.634 --> 06:04.801 return home . He was a corporal of the 06:04.801 --> 06:04.670 Marine Corps . Uh , he was only 22 06:04.679 --> 06:07.429 years old and that , that sort of thing 06:07.440 --> 06:09.607 leaves a big wound . But Becky found a 06:09.607 --> 06:11.829 way to , to , to make that a little bit 06:11.829 --> 06:13.884 easier . Uh , she knew she needed to 06:13.884 --> 06:15.773 get back . She knew she wanted to 06:15.773 --> 06:17.884 contribute back to that community and 06:17.884 --> 06:20.107 she wanted a connection with , with the 06:20.107 --> 06:22.329 military . Uh , and she wanted to serve 06:22.329 --> 06:24.440 just as her brother had . Uh , and it 06:24.440 --> 06:24.329 took her a while to figure out exactly 06:24.339 --> 06:26.172 how to do that . But if you fast 06:26.172 --> 06:29.320 forward to 2003 , uh , she was talking 06:29.329 --> 06:31.218 to some soldiers who had recently 06:31.218 --> 06:33.385 returned from the Middle East and they 06:33.385 --> 06:35.607 were complaining about how bad the food 06:35.607 --> 06:37.718 had been on their deployment . One of 06:37.718 --> 06:37.260 the things that did not change between 06:37.269 --> 06:40.989 1966 and 2003 and Bucky had a great 06:41.000 --> 06:43.056 idea . Why can't I send a box or two 06:43.056 --> 06:45.278 along to make these guys' life a little 06:45.278 --> 06:47.167 bit easier ? And so she found her 06:47.167 --> 06:49.000 calling her way to get back what 06:49.000 --> 06:51.000 started out as a box or two morphed 06:51.000 --> 06:53.239 into a full fledged operation . Uh , 06:53.250 --> 06:55.194 she promised initially that , uh , 06:55.194 --> 06:57.417 pledge herself to send 20 separate care 06:57.417 --> 06:59.959 packages to deploy soldiers every month . 07:00.869 --> 07:02.925 Uh , sometimes during the holidays , 07:02.925 --> 07:05.147 she would go all in , I think from what 07:05.147 --> 07:07.258 we talked about , you still are going 07:07.258 --> 07:09.313 all in on the holidays . Uh , and in 07:09.313 --> 07:11.536 that case , sent hundreds of of boxes . 07:11.536 --> 07:13.758 Uh , these packages included food candy 07:13.758 --> 07:16.019 activities . Uh I understand a lot of 07:16.029 --> 07:18.140 jerky too . Beef jerky is a big thing 07:18.140 --> 07:20.418 for her guys . Uh And most importantly , 07:20.418 --> 07:22.418 a handwrit letter from , from Becky 07:22.418 --> 07:24.585 herself and she makes it all happening 07:24.585 --> 07:26.307 by coordinating and conducting 07:26.307 --> 07:28.029 fundraising events , bring her 07:28.029 --> 07:30.196 community together . Uh , and then she 07:30.196 --> 07:32.140 spends countless hours , weeks and 07:32.140 --> 07:34.251 months planning those activities . Uh 07:34.251 --> 07:36.140 And , and her efforts have had an 07:36.140 --> 07:38.362 amazing impact . Uh She demonstrates to 07:38.362 --> 07:40.529 devotion through this 21 years running 07:40.529 --> 07:42.769 this operation . Uh She has shipped 07:42.779 --> 07:46.559 more than listen to this 13,000 boxes 07:46.570 --> 07:49.549 to deployed soldiers . 13,000 . That's 07:49.559 --> 07:51.640 a staggering amount . Uh We were 07:51.649 --> 07:53.705 talking earlier when my son may have 07:53.705 --> 07:55.871 gotten one back in 2007 when he was in 07:55.871 --> 07:57.982 Iraq . It's quite possible . Uh Becky 07:57.982 --> 07:59.982 and her family even built a two car 07:59.982 --> 08:01.982 garage behind their house . So they 08:01.982 --> 08:04.205 hired a family to organize all this . I 08:04.205 --> 08:06.482 understand from Becky that on the wall . 08:06.482 --> 08:08.705 A lot of letters you received back from 08:08.705 --> 08:08.049 people with their gratitude and she's 08:08.059 --> 08:10.239 kept all the letters she's received in 08:10.250 --> 08:12.306 binders . I think that uh that she , 08:12.306 --> 08:15.299 she retains to this day . Uh She didn't 08:15.309 --> 08:17.420 just stop with that though . She also 08:17.420 --> 08:19.476 started adopting 5 to 10 families of 08:19.476 --> 08:22.079 deployed soldiers during the holidays . 08:22.089 --> 08:24.519 We get their information anonymously uh 08:24.529 --> 08:26.640 and surprise them with food and gifts 08:26.640 --> 08:28.862 that they'd received . And you're still 08:28.862 --> 08:31.029 doing that . We were talking about the 08:31.029 --> 08:30.540 people you got lined up for the 08:30.549 --> 08:32.809 holidays this year . Uh She's helped 08:32.820 --> 08:34.987 provide food for a community homes for 08:34.987 --> 08:36.931 the homeless daycare and financial 08:36.931 --> 08:39.320 assistance jobs pretty important and 08:39.330 --> 08:41.552 resources to care for family members of 08:41.552 --> 08:43.608 deceased soldiers . Long after their 08:43.608 --> 08:45.774 departure . In return , she's received 08:45.774 --> 08:47.552 hundreds of cards and letters , 08:47.552 --> 08:49.719 thanking her . Uh , every one of which 08:49.719 --> 08:51.886 as I said , she , she hangs out to and 08:51.886 --> 08:54.108 keeps as a moment of , of , of what she 08:54.108 --> 08:56.330 was able to do . A dozen of binders now 08:56.330 --> 08:55.968 full of those letters are a true 08:55.979 --> 08:58.035 testament to the impact that she has 08:58.035 --> 09:00.729 made over these decades . Uh The , the 09:00.739 --> 09:02.406 Fisher Distinguished Civilian 09:02.406 --> 09:04.406 Humanitarian Award again recognizes 09:04.406 --> 09:06.250 patriotism , generosity and 09:06.260 --> 09:08.559 selflessness . There is no question 09:08.570 --> 09:10.737 that Becky perfectly exemplifies those 09:10.737 --> 09:12.903 qualities . You're richly deserving of 09:12.903 --> 09:15.070 this award . She chose to be a patriot 09:15.070 --> 09:16.959 and honor her brother's legacy by 09:16.959 --> 09:18.959 caring for other soldiers and their 09:18.959 --> 09:21.181 families . She generously gave what she 09:21.181 --> 09:23.403 had to other families in need . She did 09:23.403 --> 09:25.626 it selfishly always finding new ways to 09:25.626 --> 09:28.140 help people . Becky , thank you for 09:28.150 --> 09:30.206 being a patriot . Thank you for your 09:30.206 --> 09:32.429 amazing generosity . Thank you for your 09:32.440 --> 09:33.270 selfishness . 09:44.289 --> 09:46.456 We can use more people like you in the 09:46.456 --> 09:48.678 world . You set a great example and you 09:48.678 --> 09:50.678 may never know the full effect your 09:50.678 --> 09:52.567 actions have had upon our service 09:52.567 --> 09:54.789 members and their families . But I hope 09:54.789 --> 09:57.011 this award services at least some level 09:57.011 --> 09:59.122 of , of recognition for what you have 09:59.122 --> 10:01.233 done and for the far reaching impacts 10:01.233 --> 10:03.122 you've had over our all of on our 10:03.122 --> 10:05.289 entire military community . I know you 10:05.289 --> 10:07.400 haven't done any , any of this to get 10:07.400 --> 10:07.020 awards to be recognized . I know that's 10:07.030 --> 10:09.141 not what you expected . Uh But you've 10:09.141 --> 10:11.252 done it because you care on behalf of 10:11.252 --> 10:13.474 all the services in our entire military 10:13.474 --> 10:14.919 community . Thank you and 10:14.919 --> 10:15.919 congratulations . 10:27.770 --> 10:29.992 Ladies and gentlemen , representing the 10:29.992 --> 10:32.099 Fisher House Foundation , Mr David 10:32.109 --> 10:33.109 Coker . 10:39.229 --> 10:41.770 Thank you , Secretary Kendall Mrs 10:41.780 --> 10:44.580 Carlson , distinguished guests and 10:44.590 --> 10:47.200 friends . It's always an honor to be 10:47.210 --> 10:49.377 invited to the Pentagon and that holds 10:49.377 --> 10:52.429 true , especially today , Zachary and 10:52.440 --> 10:54.669 Elizabeth Fisher were committed to 10:54.679 --> 10:57.570 improving the quality of life for those 10:57.580 --> 10:59.580 who serve their community and their 10:59.580 --> 11:02.450 country . They were always grateful for 11:02.460 --> 11:04.570 the opportunity to live in a country 11:04.960 --> 11:06.960 where they could enjoy freedom . So 11:06.960 --> 11:10.020 many in this world never know . Zachary 11:10.030 --> 11:11.919 and Elizabeth also knew that in a 11:11.919 --> 11:14.369 country that offered so many blessings , 11:14.840 --> 11:17.000 there was an obligation to give back 11:17.580 --> 11:19.524 when they learned of a need . They 11:19.524 --> 11:21.302 worked hard to be a part of the 11:21.302 --> 11:23.413 solution . They were grateful for the 11:23.413 --> 11:25.580 opportunities they had to give back to 11:25.580 --> 11:28.520 our military and I'm proud to continue 11:28.599 --> 11:32.559 their legacy . Becky . I wanna thank 11:32.570 --> 11:34.681 you for your efforts on behalf of our 11:34.681 --> 11:37.010 military . Your contributions are 11:37.020 --> 11:38.687 certainly impressive and more 11:38.687 --> 11:41.030 importantly , they've made a difference 11:41.039 --> 11:43.261 in the lives of those we consider to be 11:43.261 --> 11:45.510 our greatest national treasure , our 11:45.520 --> 11:47.880 military servicemen and women and their 11:47.890 --> 11:50.619 loved ones . Your service is 11:50.630 --> 11:53.440 inspirational . Your example , humbling . 11:54.239 --> 11:56.183 If Zach and Elizabeth were with us 11:56.183 --> 11:59.210 today . They would no doubt be honored 11:59.219 --> 12:01.275 to be in your company just as I am . 12:01.820 --> 12:04.042 Thank you for your selfless service and 12:04.042 --> 12:06.659 exceptional contributions to America's 12:06.669 --> 12:09.450 military . And congratulations on 12:09.460 --> 12:12.369 receiving this honor and may God bless 12:12.380 --> 12:14.190 you as you continue to serve 12:23.219 --> 12:25.275 at this time , we will now recognize 12:25.275 --> 12:27.849 Mrs Becky Carlson as the recipient of 12:27.859 --> 12:31.010 the 2023 Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher , 12:31.020 --> 12:33.299 distinguished civilian humanitarian 12:33.309 --> 12:33.799 award . 12:44.940 --> 12:48.140 The 2023 Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher 12:48.150 --> 12:50.150 distinguished civilian humanitarian 12:50.150 --> 12:52.489 award is presented to Mrs Becky a 12:52.500 --> 12:55.010 Carlson for steadfast devotion to 12:55.020 --> 12:57.242 supporting the families of our nation's 12:57.242 --> 12:59.599 service members . Mrs Becky Carlson is 12:59.609 --> 13:01.609 being honored for her distinguished 13:01.609 --> 13:03.887 service to members of the armed forces , 13:03.887 --> 13:05.887 their families and service veterans 13:05.887 --> 13:09.760 from November 2003 to February 2024 . 13:10.359 --> 13:12.799 Mrs Becky Carlson is a true inspiration . 13:13.559 --> 13:15.789 Her unwavering dedication to serving 13:15.799 --> 13:18.039 members of the armed forces community 13:18.049 --> 13:20.950 is truly remarkable . Her selflessness , 13:20.960 --> 13:22.909 loyalty and commitment have made a 13:22.919 --> 13:24.900 significant impact on the lives of 13:24.909 --> 13:26.687 countless individuals . And her 13:26.687 --> 13:28.631 contributions to the United States 13:28.631 --> 13:30.687 Armed Forces will never be forgotten 13:30.687 --> 13:32.853 and reflects the ideals of Zachary and 13:32.853 --> 13:33.909 Elizabeth Fisher . 13:54.599 --> 13:55.599 Yeah . 14:22.950 --> 14:26.739 Yeah . Ok . 14:32.630 --> 14:33.630 Ok . 14:42.849 --> 14:44.729 Ladies and gentlemen , Mrs Becky 14:44.739 --> 14:45.739 Carlson . 15:01.640 --> 15:05.619 Good afternoon . Thank 15:05.630 --> 15:08.440 you for this incredible honor . This 15:08.450 --> 15:10.630 started with a single care package in 15:10.640 --> 15:13.359 2003 and led 15:14.200 --> 15:16.929 into a project with more scent at that 15:16.940 --> 15:19.890 Christmas each year after the project 15:19.900 --> 15:22.030 grew into at least 20 packages . Per 15:22.039 --> 15:25.150 month and over 400 at Christmas . 15:26.380 --> 15:28.269 This would not have been possible 15:28.269 --> 15:30.047 without the help of my family , 15:35.049 --> 15:38.630 friends , volunteers and many 15:38.640 --> 15:41.619 more . Mhm . 15:44.130 --> 15:47.919 The generous donors , both individuals 15:47.929 --> 15:51.369 and businesses . The biggest struggle 15:51.380 --> 15:53.491 is getting the names and addresses of 15:53.491 --> 15:56.780 the military over serving . 15:58.400 --> 16:00.567 Um If anybody has a loved one , please 16:00.567 --> 16:02.511 make sure I get their name and the 16:02.511 --> 16:04.733 address I'd love to include them at the 16:04.733 --> 16:06.789 end of the day , we are the greatest 16:06.789 --> 16:10.099 thanks to our men and women serving our 16:10.109 --> 16:12.109 country and defending our freedom . 16:12.869 --> 16:16.109 This small project pales in comparison . 16:18.859 --> 16:22.030 Thank you . May God bless our military 16:22.140 --> 16:24.418 and the great United States of America , 16:38.690 --> 16:40.857 the men and women of the Department of 16:40.857 --> 16:43.079 the Air Force are proud of Missus Becky 16:43.079 --> 16:45.079 Carlson and look forward to working 16:45.079 --> 16:47.250 with her in the future . Please remain 16:47.260 --> 16:49.260 standing for the playing of the Air 16:49.260 --> 16:50.927 Force song and Sempra Subra . 16:55.309 --> 16:57.849 This one in the 17:28.400 --> 17:28.420 Yeah .