WEBVTT

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Ladies and gentlemen , moving into

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position as a commander of troops for

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today's ceremony , Colonel Thomas

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Kilbride , Commander , 3rd Infantry

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regiments , the old guard .

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Roddy tracking already told the podium

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team they're tracking .

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Cols right here .

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Good morning and thank you for joining

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us for the 2025 Department of War POW

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and MIA recognition Day ceremony in

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honor of prisoners of war and those

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still missing in action . In just a few

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moments , the United States Marine Band

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under the direction of drum major

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Master Gunnery Sergeant Stephen F .

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Williams will conduct a pre-ceremonial

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concert featuring the following musical

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selections Americans We and Hands

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Across the Sea .

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Standby

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Honor guard to . 0

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Toes , right , so .

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Colors ready to .

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Ladies and gentlemen , Ladies and

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gentlemen , please stand for the

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arrival of the official party and

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remain standing for the playing of the

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United States national anthem followed

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by the invocation offered by Deputy

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command chaplain Lieutenant Colonel

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Kevin Trimble .

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At least the one

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Taking the reviewing stand is General

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Randy George , Chief of Staff of the

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Army , accompanied by the host , the

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Honorable Pete Hexeth , the Secretary

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of War .

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Yeah . Good morning .

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According to your faith tradition ,

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would you bow with me in a word of

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prayer ? Lord our God , as we pause

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before you this morning . We are so

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grateful for your rich blessings . For

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each of us personally . And for the

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blessings nationally you have provided ,

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granting freedom that our nation enjoys .

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We pray this morning for those who

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continue to be missing at the hands of

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their captors . We gratefully

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acknowledge their sacrifice and we pray

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for peace and protection as you shelter

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all prisoners of war and those

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continually missing missing in action

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in Southeast Asia and those from whom

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all wars have yet to come . We

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recognize that you alone know where

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each soul is today . We pray that you

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bring comfort to each one who remains

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alive and to their families and those

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struggling with questions . We pray for

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hope for each of them as a sign of your

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presence , for each one has carried the

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burden of battle , courageously

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discharge his or her duty for their

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nation , and has been subjected to

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hazards , pains or imprisonment .

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Lord , these gallant men and women who

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have borne so great a burden must not

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be forsaken . God of justice to whom we

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pray , Your compassion we beseech for

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those for whom no accounting has been

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made . Please lift their burden , give

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them strength , and strike the shackles

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that deny them freedom . For those

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whose fate we now know , we give you

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thanks that the long period of

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uncertainty is over and that he or she

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have been returned to our presence .

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Father , our eyes are focused on you .

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We pray the deepest of blessings on

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each one gathered today . Amen .

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Please be seated . Ladies and gentlemen ,

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General Randy George .

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Good morning . Secretary of War Hegseth ,

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sir , thank you for the honor of having

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me . We are grateful for your steadfast

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leadership of the department and for

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your energy you put towards making our

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war fighters the most lethal in the

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world . And to the many distinguished

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visitors here today , thank you all for

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coming . I know that there's a former

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POW in the audience as well as families

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of POWs and service members missing in

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action . We are grateful to have you

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with us . There are so many moving

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stories to tell today of courage ,

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strength , sacrifice , and of the

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incredible efforts made to locate and

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recover those service members still

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missing . I'll highlight just one .

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This past June we finally laid to rest

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a man who grew up down the road from my

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tiny hometown in Iowa . His name was

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Army Corporal Melvin Huff . Melvin

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enlisted right out of high school in

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1943 and became an aerial gunner on an

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A-20 havoc , a versatile bomber capable

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of delivering intense offensive power .

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As gunner , Melvin's job was to defend

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the crew's rear or 6 with the 50

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caliber machine guns mounted on the

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plane's dorsal turret . On January 20th ,

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1945 , he and his crew were attacking

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enemy defensive positions in the jungle

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near Cape Wam , Papua New Guinea when

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his unit lost contact with the plane .

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Corporal Huff and his teammates were

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missing until late 2022 when a dive

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team from Defense POW MIA MIA

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accounting agency recovered his remains

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from a swamp near Wam village . Melvin

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was identified in the summer of 2024

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and finally brought home this past June .

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He is now buried back in Iowa Falls ,

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Iowa in his hometown . But there's a

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second layer to Melvin's story .

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Melvin's mother Florence and Father

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Klebler did not have anyone knock on

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their door to let them know their son

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had died . They did not get to hear the

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story of his sacrifice . They did not

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get to bury Melvin . Instead they

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worried , hoped , and anguished for

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years . They prayed every night for him

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to return , even after the army

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presumed Corporal Huff to be lost .

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After Florence and Klebler passed ,

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Melvin's sister Edith continued to wait ,

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never quite at peace . She was 94 when

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she heard the news that the wreckage

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from Melvin's plane had been found .

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Finally , the question that haunted her

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family for a generation was answered .

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So today we remember our teammates who

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were held prisoner or missing in action .

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We are grateful for their service and

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sacrifice . And we also remember the

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families and friends who spent years

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like the Huff family waiting for their

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father or brother or son to come home

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and fill the empty seat at their dining

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table . Many are still missing their

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loved ones and still waiting for news

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until everyone comes home . Again ,

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thank you all for being here . This

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will defend .

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Ladies and gentlemen , the Secretary of

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War , Pete Hexeth .

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Welcome . On this beautiful and

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fitting day . We're gathered here to

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commemorate National POW missing in

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Action recognition Day . Today we honor

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those who were held as prisoners of war

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and those still missing in action .

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It's a day when we can tell those who

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are here and those who have not yet

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returned , you are never forgotten .

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I'd like to spend a moment remembering

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our nation's former prisoners of war .

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These men went through the fire of war

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and captivity and emerged on the other

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side . While we will never know all

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that they endured , we give them our

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deepest respect , honor , and gratitude .

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We're fortunate enough to have one of

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them here today , serving as a living ,

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breathing example of the warrior ethos

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at its best . Rear Admiral Robert

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Shoemaker . Spent over 8 years as a

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POW in Vietnam and he actually coined

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the phrase , the Hanoi Hilton . Please

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stand up and be recognized for your

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bravery and service .

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Thank you , Admiral . I , I , I hope

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someday my kids and grandkids . Come to

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understand what that would take . The

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sheer courage , the fortitude it would

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take . and most Americans , I , I can't

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fathom . Uh , but we have such men .

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And may we always honor and recognize

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them . Thank you .

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We also want to recognize the families

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of those who went missing in action ,

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your Gold Star families who have

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sacrificed and carry a heavy burden .

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Miss Jeannie Huffman . Is one of those

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She was just 5 months old when her

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father , Navy Commander Edward James

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Jacobs Junior went missing off the

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Vietnam coast in 1967 . I had a chance

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to meet her just moments ago . She gave

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me . Her father's bracelet .

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This year she designed our national POW

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MIA recognition Day poster of copy of

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which is on your program . On the

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poster are a Marine and 4 Army ROTC

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cadets from Old Dominion University .

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They're in period uniforms , all

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pointing in one way or another

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binoculars , compass , radio , all

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pointing to the way home . All of the

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cadets are here and represent the

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future of the warrior ethos . Welcome

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to all of them and to Jeannie . Jeannie ,

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if you would stand , please . Thank you

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very much .

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We have combat veterans here today as

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well . You have a unique perspective

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you all served alongside those who went

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MIA shoulder to shoulder and you long

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for your brothers in arms to return

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home . Thank you for your service and

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your unfailing devotion . And thank you

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to the ambassadors . And defense

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attaches that are here today as well .

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Your partnership and cooperation with

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other nations helps ensure we find and

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recover our warriors in far flung

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nations . I've met many of you , and

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that persistence and dedication on the

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ground ultimately is what culminates in

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these returns and these remains . At

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the Department of War , we are working

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every day to restore the warrior ethos .

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And one of those elements , core

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elements of the warrior ethos is I will

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never leave a fallen comrade .

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It is our sacred duty to uphold that

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ethos and ensure that we return

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whenever possible and until the end ,

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every fallen hero . There are nearly

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nearly 81,000 MIA who never made it

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back home . World War II , Cold War ,

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Korean War , Vietnam War , the Persian

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Gulf Wars , many of them were prisoners

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of war as well . And it's our mission

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to deliver a final answer to the

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families who lie awake asking God for

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the return of their loved one . Again ,

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most of us cannot imagine . It's our

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mission to return them to American soil

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and provide a final resting place here

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at home for the heroes who fought for

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their country . It is our commitment to

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you that we will work unceasingly . To

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bring our warriors home and we will

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never forget their service and

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sacrifice . The department's agency

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that's primarily responsible for that

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sacred mission is the Defense POW MIA

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accounting agency . It is their sole

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objective to provide the fullest

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possible accounting for our missing

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personnel and their families and the

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nation . Using painstaking historical

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research , exhaustive on the ground

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excavations , and the most advanced

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forensic science techniques , the DPAA

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is steadfast and it's accounting for

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missing Americans no matter how far

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away , no matter how long ago .

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Earlier this year , because it was one

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of our priorities , I had the

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opportunity to visit one of the DPAA's

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forensic laboratories . And I was

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floored by the dedication and the

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talent of their over 700 military and

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civilian professionals . Again ,

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Americans working quietly in far-flung

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places to keep the promise we made to

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these troops . While I was there ,

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DPAA's identification of the 100th

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service member identified from remains

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turned over by North Korea in 2018 was

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announced . Thanks to a historic

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agreement secured by President Trump in

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his first term . Army First Lieutenant

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William H . Hot . An Ohio native

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was killed in action in 1950 in North

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Korea and was missing in action until

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his remains were repatriated 78 years

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later . DPAA identified Lieutenant

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Hot this year and he finally received a

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military funeral last month back home

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in Ohio , where he is now buried ,

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fittingly next to his parents . It

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matters Over the years , the DPAA has

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returned the remains of thousands of

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Americans to their families , given

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them long sought answers and some

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semblance of closure . And the

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opportunity to finally lay their loved

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ones to rest . So far this fiscal year ,

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DPAA has identified 220 personnel , an

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unprecedented number , including 157

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from World War 2 , 55 from the Korean

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War , and 8 from Vietnam . One of those

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recently identified was Navy Captain

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Thomas Shurich of Norfolk , Nebraska .

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He was killed during the Vietnam War

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conducting a night strike mission over

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northern Vietnam . After decades of

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investigations yielding no results , a

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recovery team last year recovered

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material evidence and human remains

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from a remote and overgrown crash site .

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DPAA analyzed the remains and

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identified the captain this past April .

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His funeral will be in November , this

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November at Arlington National Cemetery .

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And today I would like to announce for

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the first time . That the DPAA recently

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identified the remains of US Army

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captain . Willibald C . Bianchi .

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A Minnesota native , Captain Bianchi

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served in the Philippines during which

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he received multiple wounds in battle

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and still volunteered to clear Japanese

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machine gun nests . For his valorous

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actions he was posthumously awarded the

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Medal of Honor . He was later captured

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and survived the Bataan Death March .

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Then he moved between POW camps where

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he saved the lives of several other

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POWs . He then survived the inadvertent

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bombing of a Japanese POW transport

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ship and was eventually killed in the

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mistaken sinking . Of the Enoa

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Maru , another Japanese ship

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transporting American POWs at the time .

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Bianchi's accounting is part of the

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DPAA's laboratories Inoro Maru project .

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Which aims to identify the 431 unknowns

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associated with the ship's sinking .

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Thanks to their steadfast work ,

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Captain Bianchi will be coming home to

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his family in New Ulm , Minnesota .

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We'll finally be able to give him the

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burial he deserves 80 years later . We

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are privileged this beautiful morning

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to have Captain Bianchi's family with

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us if you would please stand .

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I had a chance to meet them before this

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ceremony as well , a nephew and 3

27:47.810 --> 27:50.890
nieces , uh , all from New Orm ,

27:50.930 --> 27:53.152
Minnesota , which is a Minnesota native

27:53.152 --> 27:55.152
born and raised not that many miles

27:55.152 --> 27:57.208
away . I'm familiar with New Orm and

27:57.208 --> 27:59.430
and . And whether it's New Minnesota or

27:59.430 --> 28:01.597
Forest Lake , Minnesota where I'm from

28:01.597 --> 28:03.486
or one Mingo , Minnesota where my

28:03.486 --> 28:06.410
parents from or Iowa or Ohio when you

28:06.410 --> 28:08.489
add up all the memorial Day and the

28:08.489 --> 28:10.656
memorial parks and the small places in

28:10.656 --> 28:12.600
the graveyards when you add up all

28:12.600 --> 28:15.329
those small towns and you , it gives

28:15.329 --> 28:18.810
you a tiny sense . Of the depth of the

28:18.810 --> 28:21.180
investment that is required on behalf

28:21.180 --> 28:23.890
of free people . Uh , so today we honor

28:23.890 --> 28:25.890
Newalm and we should , and it'll go

28:25.890 --> 28:27.779
back to the town and that will be

28:27.779 --> 28:29.779
properly , uh , but may we remember

28:29.779 --> 28:32.001
every single new alm , every single one

28:32.001 --> 28:34.001
of Mingo , every single forest lake

28:34.001 --> 28:36.223
across our entire country and those who

28:36.223 --> 28:38.390
left those small towns and big towns .

28:38.390 --> 28:41.199
To serve our nation We've also

28:41.199 --> 28:43.199
accounted for many other war heroes

28:43.199 --> 28:45.421
this year , too many to list , but each

28:45.421 --> 28:48.119
of them represents a soul , a life

28:48.119 --> 28:50.119
given for the sake of our country .

28:50.119 --> 28:52.119
Each of these identifications means

28:52.119 --> 28:54.341
that we can eventually properly honor a

28:54.341 --> 28:56.397
warrior who died for his brothers in

28:56.397 --> 28:59.339
arms and his fellow Americans . DPAA

28:59.339 --> 29:01.506
will show an unwavering dedication and

29:01.506 --> 29:03.939
passion , ensuring that we we do right

29:03.939 --> 29:06.410
by our troops and their families .

29:07.410 --> 29:09.569
There remain over 38,000 Americans

29:09.569 --> 29:11.625
across the world unaccounted for and

29:11.625 --> 29:15.069
estimated to be recoverable . They

29:15.319 --> 29:19.189
are our goal . Their

29:19.189 --> 29:21.300
gold star families still carry a void

29:21.300 --> 29:23.245
in heart and mind that passes from

29:23.245 --> 29:26.349
generation to generation . That is my

29:26.349 --> 29:29.569
commitment to you . On behalf of the

29:29.569 --> 29:32.609
entire war department , we will never

29:32.609 --> 29:36.099
stop , we will never cease . We will

29:36.099 --> 29:39.609
never give up . The final commitment to

29:39.609 --> 29:41.942
the final act of the greatest Americans .

29:42.989 --> 29:44.989
Prisoners of war , those missing in

29:44.989 --> 29:47.156
action , and their families have borne

29:47.156 --> 29:49.378
the greatest sacrifices for our country

29:49.378 --> 29:51.433
that we can imagine . We owe them an

29:51.433 --> 29:53.322
immeasurable debt . They gave the

29:53.322 --> 29:55.433
greatest possible sacrifice you could

29:55.433 --> 29:57.750
give on the altar of freedom . We will

29:57.750 --> 29:59.949
never leave them . And we will not

29:59.949 --> 30:02.589
forget them because what we do now for

30:02.589 --> 30:05.189
them then says a lot about us today and

30:05.189 --> 30:08.270
we all pray that someday a secretary of

30:08.270 --> 30:10.630
war here 50 years from now on this

30:10.630 --> 30:12.790
field is ensuring that anyone lost in

30:12.790 --> 30:14.901
future battlefields is brought home .

30:14.901 --> 30:17.109
It's all I'd want for myself , for my

30:17.109 --> 30:19.250
kids , for our generation of warriors

30:19.250 --> 30:21.417
is the same level of commitment that's

30:21.417 --> 30:23.920
unrelenting and never stops . So thank

30:23.920 --> 30:25.976
you for all you've given . thank you

30:25.976 --> 30:27.976
for joining us . Thank you for this

30:27.976 --> 30:30.309
commitment . And God bless our warriors .

30:30.309 --> 30:31.309
Thank you .

30:45.839 --> 30:47.617
Would all families representing

30:47.617 --> 30:49.450
prisoners of war and those still

30:49.450 --> 30:51.617
missing in action , please stand to be

30:51.617 --> 30:52.617
honored .

31:16.709 --> 31:17.765
Please be seated .

31:56.380 --> 31:57.069
and

32:00.300 --> 32:03.510
Under guard . In review .

32:04.489 --> 32:06.140
Right , backwards .

32:13.969 --> 32:14.969
Right

32:47.109 --> 32:48.109
Yeah

33:07.790 --> 33:08.219
Oh

33:32.680 --> 33:33.680
Right .

34:32.159 --> 34:33.159
Right

34:44.020 --> 34:46.350
S All right .

34:57.149 --> 34:59.959
Uh right . No

35:08.639 --> 35:09.639
Right .

37:52.639 --> 37:54.861
At this time , the United States Marine

37:54.861 --> 37:57.195
Band will play the joint service melody .

42:21.629 --> 42:23.685
Ladies and gentlemen , please direct

42:23.685 --> 42:25.740
your attention skyward as the United

42:25.740 --> 42:27.796
States Navy's instructor pilots from

42:27.796 --> 42:30.510
the Gladiators of VFA 106 perform a

42:30.510 --> 42:33.379
Missy Man flyover in honor of our POW

42:33.379 --> 42:34.540
and MIA .

42:50.100 --> 42:51.100
I

42:54.209 --> 42:55.209
I

43:09.649 --> 43:11.705
Ladies and gentlemen , please remain

43:11.705 --> 43:13.593
seated until the departure of the

43:13.593 --> 43:14.593
official party .

44:19.449 --> 44:20.449
What

44:37.070 --> 44:39.181
Ladies and gentlemen , this concludes

44:39.181 --> 44:42.639
the the Department of War 2025 POW and

44:42.639 --> 44:45.510
MIA recognition Day ceremony . Thank

44:45.510 --> 44:47.732
you for attending and enjoy the rest of

44:47.732 --> 44:47.879
your day .