tv U.S. Senate CSPAN September 25, 2015 2:00pm-4:01pm EDT
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>> good morning. >> morning. >> president xi, madam peng, members after the chinese delegation, on behalf of michelle and myself, welcome to the white house. on behalf of the american people, welcome to the united states. [speaking korean] >> across more than two centuries, americans and chinese have traded together, chinese immigrants helped build a
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railroad and our great cities, the united states is enriched by millions of proud chinese-americans, including those who join us here this morning. so this visit reflects a history of friendship and cooperation between our two great peoples. break [speaking chinese] >> this is also an opportunity for michelle and me to reciprocate the hospitality shown to us during our visits to china. michelle, our daughters and my
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mother-in-law, were warmly welcomed last year when the traveled across the country, as was i when i made a visit to beijing. i'm told about the news about michelle's trip got 1 billion views online. president xi, i believe we are both accustomed to being outshown by our dynamic spouses. [interpretation into chinese]
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>> as i've said many times, the united states welcomes a china that i stable, prosperous and peaceful. working together tacrines trade, boost the economy, show that when the it's and china work together, it makes our nations and the world more prosperous and more secure. [interpretation into chinese]
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>> even as our nations cooperate, i believe, and i know you agree, that we must address our differences candidly. the united states will always speak out on behalf of fundamental truths. we believe that nations are more successful and the world makes more progress when our companies compete on a level playing field, when disputes are resolved peacefully and the universal human rights of all people are upheld. [interpretation into chinese -- -- [interpretation into chinese]
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[during our multiple visits together, i believe that we have made significant progress in enhancing understanding between our two nations and laying the foundation for continued cooperation. [interpretation into chinese -- -- break. >> president xi, you have spoken of your vision of china's peaceful development. during my visit to beijing last year you said there were wide areas where our two nations need to and can cooperate with each
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other. and i fully agree. [interpretation into chinese] [. >> in fact i believe our two great nations, if we work together, have an unmatched ability to shape the course of the century ahead. and president xi, madam peng. members of the chinese delegation, in that spirit with the eyes and the hopes of the world upon us, welcome to the united states of america. [interpretation into chinese]
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and i are very pleased to come to the beautiful city of washington, dc. >> translator: at the outset i wish to thank you, mr. president, for your kind invitation and the gracious hospitality. i also wish to convey to the american people the warm regards and the best wishes of over 1.3 billion chinese people.
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>> translator: china and the united states are both great nations. the chinese and american people are two great peoples. since we established diplomatic relations 36 years ago, china-u.s. relations have forged ahead, despite twists and turns, and have made historic advances. [speaking chinese] >> translator: meeting in the summer of 2013, president obama and i made the strategic
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decision of building a new model of major relations. more than two years have passed and we have made important progress in various areas of exchange and cooperation. this has been welcomed by people of our two countries and the world at large. [speaking chinese] >> translator: working together, china and the united states can make a greater impact than our
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individual efforts. to grow our relationship under the new conditions, we must adapt to the changing times and to seize the positive momentum. i come to the united states this time to promote peace and advance cooperation. we would like to work with the u.s. side to make great advances in our relationship, and deliver more benefits to people of our two countries and the whole world. [speaking chinese] >> translator: we must uphold the direction of building a new model of major country relationships, making sure our relationship is defined by
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respect and cooperation and keeps moving forward on the sound track of steady growth. [speaking chinese] >> translator: we must enhance strategic trust and a mutual understanding, respect each other's interests and concerns, be broad-minded about our differences and disagreements, and to strengthen our people's confidence in china-u.s. friendship and cooperation. [speaking chinese] >> translator: we must pursue
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win-win cooperation, update the model and broaden the scope of our collaboration and improve the well-being of our the people of our two countries and the world through concrete actions and outcomes of cooperation. [speaking chinese] >> translator: we must enhance friendship and promote interactions between our people, encourage or two societies to meet each other halfway, and cement the social foundation of china-u.s. relations. [speaking chinese]
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>> translator: 30 years ago, during my first visit to the united states i was hosted an american family. my hosts were so warm, sincere, and friendly, we had cordial conversations, and we hugged tightly when we had to say goodbye. to this day, those moments are still fresh in my memory. three years ago, i went back and had a reunion with my old friends there. they said to me, friendship is a big business. well, from these old friends and from many other american friends, i can feel firsthand the genuine friendship between the chinese and american people. we do share each other's
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feelings, and this gives me every confidence about the future of our relations. [speaking chinese] >> translator: mr. president and mrs. obama, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, success comes dedicated efforts. chinese-u.s. relations have reached a new starting point in the 21st century. for further growth of our relations we have no choice but to seek win-win cooperation. let us work hand in hand with great resolve to write a new
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i want you to meet our deputy press secretary who put this together for you today. i if you need anything, we can help you find an answer to just about any questions. as we have done in the past with these, we'll have several officials come out and speak. everything is on the record. and once we have everyone speak about the dinner we'll let down the rope. please be patient and don't rush, wait for us to get the whole rope down and then you can get closeup shots of everything and some of the officials will stay behind to help answer questions afterwards if you want to talk to them. with that, will pass this over to desha dire. >> how are you doing today? >> good morning. >> i'm the white house social secretary commute is my privilege to welcome you to the press preview for the china state dinner tomorrow. this marks the tenth state visit for the obama administration, following the ninth state visit of pope francis yesterday.
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in few minutes you can view up close but combines chinese and american ethe ticks, and the menu as themes of autumn. this is a huge untaking can no do by myself so i want to thank my fabulous social office team, the white house business, the executive residence team and the national security council for their assistance. and i'd like to stay with you but i have a bit of work to do, so i will turn you over to dan, the senior director for asian affairs and national security council. have a great day. >> thank you. >> good morning, everybody. >> morning. >> this is exciting. i'm dan, the new senior director for asian affairs at the national security council. i want to say a little bit about the context in which the tate visit and state dinner will take place. without a doubt the u.s.-china relationship is one of the worlds' consequence shall
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bilateral relationships. from battling climbed change to countering the spread of disease. making progress on these issues requires methodical engagement at the leader level. that's exactly what we will do through the state visit and we do so-so we can advance the cooperation between us on the issues i have just mentioned, but also so we can imagine the very real differences between us, so the state dinner is a key part of president xi and madam penning's visit to the united states and the state dinner represents good, smart diplomacy. first it allows the president and mrs. obama to reciprocate for the tremendous hospitality extended to the president and he first family in china last year. second, it enables us to continue the important discussions that will have taken place earlier in the day, including with several officials and several advisers of aren't xi to whom we rarely have access, and finally i think
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there are many stakeholders in the u.s.-china relationship and the state dinner provides an opportunity to include them in the event and make sheer the chinese leadership if aware of their views itch want to share the initial comments with you and i'd be happy to answer your questions later. thank you. >> now white house executive chef. >> hello. good morning, ladies and gentlemen. for the china state dinner, we are inspired by the autumn and late summer harvest which we harvested from the guarden and source from local farmers around the neighborhood. for the first course for the china state dinner we are doing a wild mushroom consume that we have sources from farms in pennsylvania and all the way to washington state.
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acorn squashes and vegetable stock, and then for the second course, we are highlighting maine lobster complimented with a noodle roll we sourced from a local noodlemaker here in washington, dc and it will be rolled in wonderful spinach, and mushroom, and some of us are actually harvests from our garden as well. here on my plate right now we are featuring a grilled lam grib colorado, and it's accented as well with wonderful garlic fried milk, basically a savory -- drizzled and dipped in batter, crisped to wonderful perfection. then drizzled with some wonderful berry and pepper paste from the garden. and then pretty much most of our
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products are sourced from some area farms in the area neighborhoods but also we use, i would say, 40% of our produce from our white house garden this year. thank you. >> the white house executive pastry chef. >> good morning, everyone. i'm here to show you today the dessert course which is a poppy seed bread pudding which will also have a lemon curd and a sorbet, and then for the dessert display i have a stroll through the garden, glimmering display of chocolate pavilion and a chocolate bridge, and then along with it is also petifours, a peanut sesame bar, mango key
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lime cup, maple chocolates and pumpkin moon cakes and apple cider tarts. thank you very minute. have a great day. >> just hold on until this is all down before you start walk over. take a minute here, and you're welcome to take photos. the chef will be over here. [inaudible] nod conversation [inaudible conversations]
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♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, the troops representing america's are forces and participating in today's view from right to left are the united states army band under direction of timothy j. holman and led by drum major scott little. elements of the armed forces and presidential export platoon from the army's third united states infantry regiment, the old guard led by captain michael braunm e braunmeyer and gary gordon. the next elements online, the united states marine honor guard
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led by jason rolls and a platoon sergeant is leo gingred. the, as the the most important elements of the military and is. at the center of the formation is an armed forces, regard bearing the national, ran service flags of the army, marine corps, navy and coast card. falling in as element from the navy on a guard led by lt. william matteson, a lieutenant -- please in petty officer is patrick sullivan. the next element on line is comprised of members of the united states air force honor guard led by first lieutenant e ken magusme and michael more. than elements of the united states coastguard honor guard led by lieutenant colonel grade edward grey and platoon petty officer mike skyzer . tracinda continental musicians uniform is the drum corps. during the american revolution musicians wore the colors of
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their parents infantry unit. the men and women of the old card drum corps maintain the tradition by wearing red coats instead of infantry blue. the core is led today by drum major james hayes. to the rear of our formation of the 56 states and territorial flags of the united states led by captain brendan right and. in sergeant first class joseph brown. and to the right of the formation is the presidential salute gun battery led by staff sgt ernie when soul. marching in on the joints that is army captain alexander triplets, marine captain brian lander, navy lt. chris daly, air force capt. autumn and coast guard lt. corey hoffman. the commander of troops for today's ceremony is a colonel johnny kate davis.
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gleaming ♪ whose broad stripes and bright stars ♪ through the apparel this fight ♪ over the ramparts we watched ♪ were so gallantly streaming ♪ and the rockets red glare ♪ the bombs bursting in air ♪ gave proof through the night ♪ that our flag was still there ♪ oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave ♪ over the land of the free ♪ and the home of the brave ♪
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ceremonial. >> ladies and gentlemen, at this time denver denver will be sworn in as the nineteenth chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. >> raise your right hand, i state your full name. >> i joseph pope francis done for a junior. >> having been appointed the nineteenth chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. >> do solemnly swear. that i will support and defend the constitution of the united states. >> i will support and defend the constitution of the united
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states foreign and domestic. >> against all enemies foreign and domestic. >> true faith to the legions of the senators >> i take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. >> and i will well and faithfully discharge the duties. >> i will well and who fully discharge the duties lee >> of the office on which i am about to enter. >> so help me god. >> so help me god.
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throughout this period martin dempsey provided trusted and insightful guidance to the president, secretary of defense, national security council and others in your governmental leaders on a vast array of complex military and national security issues. he teamed with the joint chiefs to build a joint force with the right capabilities, capacity and readiness and with combat commanders to protect our national security interests. martin dempsey's wise counsel, unwavering integrity and steadfast devotion to duty reflect great credit upon himself and rain keeping with the highest traditions of the united states army and the department of defense. he is also receiving the distinguished service medal of the army, navy, air force and coast guard. [applause]
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>> at this time general dempsey's son, major chris dempsey will read his father's retirement order. >> attention to warders, headquarters apartment of the army order 110-02. the following general officer is retired, martin dempsey, the rank of general, signed chief of staff, united states army. [applause]
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>> ladies and gentlemen please be seated. at this time secretary carter is presenting the united states flag to general martin dempsey for his faithful service to his country. this flag was flown over the pentagon and arlington national cemetery in honor of his retirement and distinguished service to the nation. the distinguished public service award is being presented to dempsey for continued public service for the department of defense in succession of voluntary initiative to the service members and families of the united states armed forces from october of 2011 to
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september 2015. during this period this patriotism and sincere personal involvement in the welfare of the members of the military community have earned her deep respect from all with him she is coming contact. as a devoted ambassador of goodwill and model example for the spouses of all soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen, she was an untiring advocate for improvement of their quality of life. her presence on numerous trips to visit both our state sybase is and do receive the plan in areas served as a constant reminder of the steadfast commitment to our personnel and reflected her total devotion to the values we share in the military community. and her distinguish the commons reflect great credit on herself, the joint staff and the department of defense and our nation. [applause]
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>> the department of the army certificate of appreciation is also being presented to mrs. dempsey on the occasion of the retirement of your spouse from the united states army you have earned great appreciation for your unselfish, faithful and devoted service lose your support and understanding helped make possible your spouse's lasting contribution to the nation. [applause]
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[applause] president obama, so many distinguished guests and elected officials, your presence with us here in today signifies the awesome responsibility in the office of the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff which we are about to transfer from general martin dempsey to general joseph dunford. the current chairman shares with me the duty to love and respect those who defend this country. to advise the commander in chief with candor, a carry out his orders with excellence and shared just a bit of the enormous weight ibert's and to help this great nation to make a better world.
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martin dempsey was nominated to be chairman at the same time i was nominated to be secretary of defense. he indeed, stephanie and i sat down for dinner and talked-about what we wanted to accomplish and how we wanted to conduct ourselves. in him i saw dedication to hard work, at devotions to the force and the country and the civility to all that i hoped to have. marty had already shown all these traits tend more for 37 long years of service. he had led the first armored division during difficult days, returned to reconstitute the iraqi army and had been chief of staff of the army. ..
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it. i'm not going to quibble with his physics but i'm sure that he is exactly right about this. every decision the military leader makes large or small touches the lives of our troops. it touches the lives of countless families and the changes the nature of the world and the destiny of the country. for the men and women that operated during a operate during a time of rapid change and uncertainty this is the constant weight and responsibility of leadership. and those councils, marty dempsey speaks as the english student he once was and invariably with little sparkle in here will always be here as lived by the words of his favorite irish poet that every trial and ordered and weathered in the right spirit makes us all noble and stronger than before.
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i am confident in telling you you will be messed. marty said they make us want to be better versions of who we are, and of course we know one remarkable woman that has done that and that is his wife. so when he heard for example "time" magazine named him one of the world's most influential people people if caught him by surprise. he said he didn't even know that he was the most influential person in his family. [laughter] >> indeed they make a wonderful team. over the years no one attended more memorials. they are clearly no strangers in our military family yet again their only friends they haven't met. so thank you for my debate of finding marty during your days
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at high school and for sharing the blessings of three children all of whom banned a certain call to serve and no fewer than nine grandchildren and irishmen indeed. now for the other irishmen. since not all of you were able to be present yesterday at the barracks when we retired from the job every berean considers the best job in the military in the marine corps. ellen has been the foundation for more than three decades. her support for military families and wounded warriors is much more than dutiful, it's personal. the rest of his family, three children, joseph, pat and kathleen and parents have supported joe and ellen in
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providing that support. i want to give ellen a special word of appreciation, and here's why. she was settling into the commandant's wife and enjoying having him home from afghanistan when a different colleague came. he was the choice to be the president's next chairman of the joint chiefs. [applause] thanks for all of us going one more measure of devotion. why he's the right man at the job. he's the kind of officer marines want to follow. in the early years of the iraq war they commit in the regimen they refused the armor in the flack jacket until every berean under his command issued to
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repair. that story says more than any of us ever could. humble, strong, centered. we will be in the operational acuity of the battle hardened commander and the strategic wisdom of the statesman. we saw that during the time leading the u.s. and allied troops as the nato commander. we saw the compassion and hammerton condolences sent to the families of the fallen. we saw the capacity and the way that he managed dealing with president karzai and we saw his skillfulness and transitioning security responsibility to the afghan forces. during that time and over the
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past 14 years in the all-consuming wars in iraq and afghanistan in the marines and service members performed spectacularly. today the marine corps is at the center of the great strategic transition in the military. emerging from 15 years of counterinsurgency and strength and presence we remain overwhelmingly strong in foster and not only presence. no one understands that better than joe.
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joe will provide critical counsel and serve as a critical bridge between military and civilian leadership and also between the two administrations and between the 14 years of war. with the caliber of the leadership it will end over end the characters that marty and joe so excellently demonstrated flexibility and creativity to act decisively. these are the qualities they share with our commander in chief.
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for the safety, welfare and dignity to the men and women in uniform. the example and commitment of these 3 liters have indeed made each of us nobler and stronger and because of their unwavering service to the country and the commitments commitment to the military and the nation and they will be forever more. ladies and gentlemen, president obama. [applause]
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45 years ago, in june of 1970, is held in arrived at the home of 18-year-old marty dempsey. congratulations it read, you are appointed to the west point class of 1974. [laughter] [applause] marty was honored just finished high school and wasn't entirely sure to head off to the academy. his mother urged him to give it a try which sounds like barracks mates sleepily camp.
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sound advice. they commanded by the divisions on the battlefields and let america's soldiers. over the last four years, his wisdom, vision and character have helped lead the greatest fighting force the world has ever known. secretary carter, deputy secretary, members of congress and the joint chiefs. men and women of the defense department, armed forces and
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military families. it is a deep honor to join you as we page review to a singular leader for our military and the nation and one of the finest men i've known, general dempsey. [applause] a little of her four years ago i had him service chief of staff of the army. let me say more importantly. i promise no surprises tomorrow. i chose him for these leadership roles because of his moral fiber and his deep commitment to american strength and american
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values. i chose him because of the vision for the military and the more versatile and responsive force. as we tackle emerging threats and support so many of the troops as they transition to civilian life and i've watched these of integrity and foresight i chose him because he is a leader that you can trust. you have always given it to me straight. i can't tell you how much i have appreciated your candor and counsel and i seen i've seen you build that trust not just with me across the military with our
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troops and their families with congress and our allies abroad and with the american people. >> today thanks in no small measure to the leadership, america has reassured allies from europe to the asia-pacific added to and they brought the war to the responsible and and to meet terrorist threats we built a coalition that is combating in syria and we bolstered our cyber defenses and helped the spread of ebola in west africa. none of this would have been possible without the guidance and leadership and what makes this more remarkable is that he has enough forces through the times of reckless budget cuts.
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less than a week before congress passed the budget to keep the government open now is not the time for games to walk in. and it's not good for the country. as commander-in-chief, i believe we should invest in america and in our national security and not shortchange it. yet even in the east of the fiscal times, marty has maintained we maintain our literary superiority. and no one can match the services because no one can match our service members. our sons and daughters who we've cared for by kazaa and then he sees the west point classmates
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and he sees those that command and then he sees his own. of course there's the high school sweetheart, lifelong better half who is raising resilient and good cheer embodies those that she fight so fiercely for. chris, megan and kaitlyn followed in her father's footsteps to where the nations are. his mother who we think for getting the military a try for the summer. [laughter] and his nine grandchildren who we can be confident will mark the nation in so many positive ways in the future. on the half behalf of the american people, i want to thank
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general, two of the most respected officers in the military, we have tested leaders ready to carry out marty and sandy's work and i couldn't be prouder of them and the service they've already rendered this great nation and i couldn't be more confident in the v. advice and counsel that they will provide me. thank you to them and thank you so much for everything that you have done. [applause] we are going to have a lot of work to do on after off just marty is gone but after i'm gone from the stage. there's always new threats and new challenges in this ever-changing world. we have to degrade and
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ultimately destroy isis and the remnants of al qaeda, terrorist networks around the world. we have to adapt or defend the 21st century. we have to give our troops the support they need to meet the missions and make sure that our forces and families receive the pay and benefits and quality of life that they have earned. that is how we maintain a military that is second to none. but i'm confident that we are up to the task. i'm told that on his desk there is a cigar box with 132 cards. each one with a name, picture and story of every one of the 132 soldiers that gave their lives under his command in iraq. and on top of the box read three
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words. make it matter. every morning he plays pleases three of the cards in his pocket so that every moment, every meeting, every trip, every decision, every true preview, every moment of every day some of those fallen heroes are with him. they were within a few years back when for the first time as the chairman spoke to a group of children that have lost a parent and that the day as he walked through the crowd of some 600 goldstar kids, young, so full of hope began to think about the lives and how each of them have
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would have to make their way without a father or mother. he planned to speak but he couldn't. it's a he did one of those things that he does best. he began to sing. and in that moment the highest ranking military leader of the nation forged a bond with those children. boys and girls who ask such a tender age had given up so much in a way that perhaps no one else could. year after year they've invited him back because they know he will always give everything he has, his voice but even more, his full heart and soul. this is the man we honor today. a friend to so many troops and families across the military,
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patriot but a profound love for the country and those that sacrifice, it trusted if trusted leader that in a time of great change made it matter of time -- all the time. i am grateful to have him by side to the bulk of my presidency and i'm extraordinarily proud to call him my friend. for your lifetime of extraordinary service, you have the deepest thanks of the grateful nation. god bless you and element and women in uniform. [applause]
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mr. president, secretary, thank you for those kind words but ultimately for the leadership and trust in me and selecting me as her principal military advisor. before i begin i would like to once again draw your attention to the men and women in formation today. they they model me look superb but as the secretary carter said, they represent more than 2 million members of the total joint force. many of the soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are deployed somewhere in harms way and as we enjoy today's ceremony i would like you to keep them and their families in your thoughts and prayers as well. in addition to the many special guests in the senior officials who were mentioned by name as the ceremony began, i would like to thank the family and friends for making the effort to join us and i'm appreciative that my brothers and their families are here along with her sisters, brothers and their families. i'd also like to i would also like to single out my mom and dad who are here. i became a marine because of my
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dad in any success but i have had in uniform as the result of my mother's discipline and exacting standards. so mom and dad, thank you. [applause] more importantly, i want to recognize my wife and our children without their love and support over the many years i wouldn't be standing here today. thanks for your willingness to continue to serve our men and women in uniform and their families. mr. president i know that i have big shoes to fill and we are all indebted to the general for his extraordinary leadership, commitment and service. and on personal note, for many years he has been a great friend, mentor and role model. d. has been with him every step of the way and a tireless advocate for military families even as she raised three soldiers of her own. in the appreciation and
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affection for all soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. thank you for what you meant to those of us in uniform and our families. you are winning like. the legacy of leadership it is an honor to follow in the footsteps of general pace, buyers and the other distinguished chairman who demonstrated leadership come extraordinary commitment and strong moral compass. in the days ahead i will drawstring from their example. i look for the the village achieves village which is commanded commanders and senior leaders and the government as we tackle the challenges on our watch. i've seen several chiefs of defense around the world today. i look forward to working with you in further developing a relationship. it's customary for the incoming officer to be brief so i will close by simply saying how
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>> ladies and gentlemen by special request represented the program for survivors will introduce general dempsey. hispanic ladies and gentlemen the 18th candidate of the joint chiefs of staff and my friend general dempsey. [applause] >> being your friend and lead vocalist will always be among my most cherished memories in my time as chairman. and by the way for everybody
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here i want everybody to know that that's the first time the president ever made me cry. so unless you think we had this kind of back-and-forth over the course of time that has been the first and whoever had the over and under on how long it would take it when my son introduced or read my retirement letters. i think that my classmates probably had a few side that's going. let me begin by thanking everyone for the kind words and a recognition to tell you that it rubs a bit uncomfortably against my conviction that it is its own report and that those that call to serve should seek no recognition for simply doing their duty. we all over this great country our very best indoor felicitous and our very best. this was humbling to accept the job four years ago and it's humbling to relinquish its today. mr. president thanks for being here and allowing me to advise you. i've been honored to work with you and the national security team and i know this is a very
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busy and a very important week for you but then again they are all very busy for the the president of the united states. i also want to thank you in particular for allowing me to release my inner life of leprechaun and for allowing them into the situation room at the same time. i should have included this in my chair and risk assessment. by the way i hope that you're able to get a good word and with me for the pope. i also want to thank the 22nd, the 23rd, the 24th and the 25th secretaries of defense with whom i served over the last five years. seriously? i do appreciate them for their service to the nation, for their support to the men and women of uniform and their families and for keeping with the joint chiefs to protect this nation. you are all great petri x. and
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our combat commanders, senior enlisted advisor, the directors of the joint staff, my senior enlisted advisor, the chiefs of defense from some of our closest allies, and as well some of the spouses of our closest allies and military leaders, few know the burdens you bear willingly and even enthusiastically for our countries. we thank you for your service and sacrifice and most of all for ensuring the readiness of young men and women we've sent into harm's way in the name of freedom. i'm honored by the presidents and solution across our government and in particular i think my teammates on the department of defense, the service secretaries and the national security council staff. i will tell you that the glamour of working issues at this level wears off quickly.
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but i will always remember with fondness the camaraderie forged in the difficult work of national security. i also think you would agree with me the protocol team today has done an extraordinary job as they do every day. they are quiet professionals whose lot in life means that they get only an a or an f. mark this ceremony down as another eight. i wish i could get issue to my personal staff. in a job like this at such a frenetic pace and with so much trouble, we become a family. we have said goodbye to them privately but i will just add one more thank you. you may be a better chairman and left an indelible mark on our hearts in the process. in the audience today our friends from elementary school and high school, the great west point class of 1974 pride of the core. [cheers and applause] from the national war college and even from my capstone class, apparently i made the right decision when i decided not to
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study george what could make a lot of friends. [laughter] i have both mentors and protéges here as i become older i realized that the distinction between them blurs. we learn from each other. i'll tell you this. we came into the military for each other but we stayed in military because of you. i admire you all. the our friendship from the stored fighting 69th new york army national guard and the u.s.a. basketball, stars in the worlds of entertainment and professional sports who have traveled with us around the world, and superstars from the many private organizations dedicated to support our military, their families who are willing to counterfeiters to you all touched our hearts, filled our souls, inspired us and made it an extraordinary four years. we're privileged to call you friends. another yeats quote. think where man's glory most begins and ends, and say my
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glory was i had such friends. i know in my heart that martin joseph dempsey, bridget, barber are all better looking down on us today. and they're probably up there whispering far too loudly for god's sake, i just hope he doesn't start singing last night my mom is sitting right over there thinking to herself, i told you so. if there's a more soft-spoken respectful humble woman on the face of the earth, i'd like to meet her. thanks for inspiring us to be humble don't always get just a little more than an honest days work, tough courage and to live a life of faith. we love you, mom. [applause] margery so that is sitting at home in florida a little too frail to be with us here today,
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but she's been an unwavering champion and safety net on more than one occasion for our family throughout our career. we love you too. i have a big family. remember what i said about protocol, earning the a. kind of loving aunts and uncles, brothers and ceases to exist, in-laws and outlaws, far too many to single out. the way have you seen much of you through the years, it's pretty darn remarkable how little we have changed. thanks for all the support. i said i wouldn't reminisce but i will make one exception. at about this time in september 1974 i reported as a second lieutenant to the armor school at fort knox, kentucky, in preparing my remarks today i was struck by how much my emotions today remind me of my emotions been. in september 1974 just like today i was a little nervous, i was humbled to wear the uniform of an army officer.
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i was eager to get started on a new career, and i was in love then -- pardon me destry abbott's love with a girl named deanie -- and i was in love with a girl named deanie. [applause] >> i fell in love with deanie when she was sticking to it took her a few years to come around to the idea, but i was sure that whatever life brought my what i wanted to experience it with her. here's the thing about deanie. she's only one more passionate than me about military and their families. she's a better leader than i am. she is far more energy than einstein predicted could be packed into a five 2'" body and she shown an amazing patience during the trials that accompany a military life. in every way she has made me a better person. because this has been her career just as much as mine, it's
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fitting and proper to say that we are both retiring today. congratulations, deanie sullivan dempsey. [applause] so i'm almost out of water to choke back the motion which means i must be near the end. what we are really doing today is transferring our passion for the standard u.s. army nine an infantry squad to our own squad of nine adorable talented and exceptional grandchildren. they are in order of seniority, kayla, mckenna, luke, alexander, hunter, braden, samuel and david. if you want to know what our
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principal goal in retirement will be cut is to be the best grandparents we can be. less they think we've forgotten them, i should note that we do our own children and their spouses. they have served our country, too. we have a 20 news most of them with the kids commented and courageous, adaptive, resilient and women to share their parents with a larger military family. it's been a joy watching them grow up. although to weasley we did have some difficulty convincing them that the mayflower wasn't a moving van. [laughter] i'm very happy that the jittery about my son chris to escape the national military command center to attend the ceremony -- j-3. making nkf also serve as did shane who along with -- the best in-laws would never met you. i know something about leadership and you have it all as well as many other extraordinary qualities that make a great couples, great
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pairs and great patriots. we very much enjoy your company. we look forward to seeing more of you and help the feeling is mutual. [laughter] who stand for freedom goes with joyful trend. joyce kilmer. it has been my honor to walk with alongside soldiers sailors and marines and guardsman. they're the best in the world at what they do. they are our nation's most precious treasure. they and their families and spiders. today we trust them to under chevy. giving a the irish estimates change with compliments and research and use of adjectives. wing irishmen to respect someone they say simply you're a good man. well, you're a good man, joe dunford. as i depart i do so with great confidence that you and alan are in the right place at the right time and at the right time for our nation. thank you both for taking on yet
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another challenging task for our nation. speaking of challenging task, there is a sense today that america's future is fraught with uncertainty and cut the fabric that binds us is being widely tested. however, i leave with a tremendous optimism and absolute confidence in who we are and what we stand for. our nation and its armed forces remained the world's foremost symbols of strength, of hope, and of freedom. the generation that is how blessed to serve will do its duty and will ensure that our nation remains strong. i thank god for sustained me for the 41 years, and i pray that he keeps us all stronger it has been my privilege to wear the cloth of our nation. to all who will continue to serve after me, i ask only this in parting -- make it matter. [applause]
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>> [background sounds] [applause] >> president obama headed back to the white house. tonight he hosted white house state dinner for chinese leader xi jinping. the chinese leader unlike last night in washington and was officially welcome to the white house earlier today and asked him what on the south lawn.
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our live coverage tonight begins with the arrivals of the state dinner 6 p.m. eastern. the latest toast later on. you can watch it like on c-span. a big star on capitol hill today, house speaker john mayer announcing his retirement, stepping down from leadership effective at the end of october. a news conference with reporters to explain his reasoning behind the decision. here's a look. >> this prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable harm to the institution. so this morning i in for my colleagues at i am resigned from the speakership and from congress at the end of october. now, as you often heard me say, this isn't about me. it's about the people, it's about the institution. just yesterday we witnessed the awesome sight of pope francis addressing the greatest legislative body in the world. and i hope that we will all heed
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his call to live by the golden rule. but last night i started thinking about this, and this morning i woke up and i said my prayers, as i always do, and i decided, yeah, today's the day on going to do this. it's as simple as that. that's what i've live by, if you do the right thing, for the right reasons the right things weapon. i know good things like head for this white house and for this country and i'm proud for what we accomplish. i'm especially proud of my team. i've been here my 25th year, and it succeeded in large part because i've put a staff together and a team together, many of which have been with me for a long time. and without a great staff you can be a great member and you certainly can be a great speaker. >> just part of speaker boehner's news conference earlier today after announcing his retirement from congress at the end of october. we were sure the entire news conference tonight at eight eastern on c-span.
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before that your phone calls and comments on facebook as well. earlier today pope francis continued his american tour with a stop in new york city. he spoke at the united nations general assembly, attended a multi-religious sermon at the 9/11 memorial and museum of the world trade center. you can see both events tonight starting at 8 p.m. eastern also coming up at 8:20 p.m. rather over on c-span. the c-span networks future weekends full of politics, nonfiction books in american history. the popes visit the united states continues saturday as he travels from new york to philadelphia. live coverage starts at 4:30 p.m. eastern as pope francis pizza independence hall. -- speaks at independence hall. moving to a row to the white house coverage join us sunday at
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6:35 p.m. eastern as harvard professor and presidential candidate talks about his decision to run for president and his suggestions to change the political system. and on c-span2's of tv saturday night at 10 p.m. fox news host bill o'reilly speaks with david buchanan on his latest book killed reagan, an inside look at ronald reagan's political career and the challenges he faced following an assassination attempt. on sunday afternoon at one --
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