♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, the troops representing armed forces from front to left the united states army band under the

direction of kernel holton and scott little. elements of the armed forces the old guard, led by captain michael, sergeant first class gary gordon. next almost on line jason and sergeant leo. the colors have been one of the most important elements of a military unit in an armed forces colored guard and the service flag of the army, marine corps, navy and coast guard. platoon officer sullivan. next element on line members from the united states air force guard led by first lieutenant.

flight noncommission michael michael moore. and platoon officer mike gizer. last on guard gore. musician wore the reverse colors, men and women of the old guard man -- maintained tradition. led by major hayes. the platoon sergeant is first class joseph brown. to the right of the formation is the presidential salute gun battery led by sergeant. marching on the joint staff army captain alexander, marine captain bryan, navy lieutenant,

and the coast guard lieutenant hoffman. commander of troops is cornell johnny k. davis. ♪ ♪ ♪ [applause] [cheers and applause] ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. ♪ ♪ ♪

>> ladies and gentlemen please stand for aadvancement of the colors and remain standing for the national anthem. >> forward! ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ >> present! forward!

♪ ♪ ♪ [anthem] ♪

♪ ♪ [applause] >> order! >> ladies and gentlemen, please be seated.

>> ladies and gentlemen, at this time general will be sworn in as the 19th chairman as the joint chief of staff.

>> please raise your right hand and repeat after me. state your full name. having been appointed the 19th chairman of joint chief of stair do you solemnly swear that you will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies foreign and domestic, that it'll be our truth faith and allegiance to the same and take obligation freely without animentor reservation or purpose of evasion and that i will will and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which i'm about to enter so help me god. congratulations. [applause]

>> distinguished service medal is awarded to dempsey. general dempsey, united states army distinguished by distinguished service as chairman by the joint chief of staff from october 2011 to september 2015. throughout this period general dempsey provided trusted and insightful guidance, national security counsel and other senior governmental leaders and national security issues. he deemed with the joint chiefs to built the joint force with the right capabilities, capacity and readiness and combating commanders to protect the our national security's interest. general dempsey counsel, and devotion to duty and keeping with the highest traditions of the united states army and the

department of defense. general dempsey also receiving the distinguished service medals army and coast guard. [applause] >> at this time general dempsey's son will read his father's retirement order. >> attention to orders, headquarters department of the army the following general officer is retired, dempsey and the ranking general, chief of

staff, united states army. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. at this time secretary carter is presenting the united states flag to general dempsey for his faithful service to his country. this flag was flown over the pentagon and arlington cemetery in honor to distinguished service to the nation.

the distinguish public service award is being presented to dempsey for distinguished public service for the department of defense in the succession of volunteering initiatives to families of armed forces from october 2011 to september 2015, sincere personal involvement in the welfare of the members of the military community have earned her deep respect from all with whom she has come in contact. as devoted embassador of good will and model example of spouses of all sold years, sayers, marine and airmen, mrs. dempsey on numerous trips to visit both state basis served as con tant reminder of commitment and reflected total devotion to the values we

cherish during the community. reflect great credit upon herself, joint staff and the department of defense and our nation. [cheers and applause] >> the department of the army certificate of appreciation is also been presented to mrs. dempsey on the occasion of retirement of your spouse from the united states army you have earned grateful appreciation for

service, helped make possible contribution to the nation. [cheers and applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the posting of the colors.

♪ ♪ ♪

>> ladies and gentlemen, please be seated.

>> ready! >> ladies and gentlemen, secretary carter. >> pause a moment, all of us pause behold this sight -- site

in front of you, so magnificent, so proud, they on that field represent millions of men and women who make america's military the finest fighting force the world has ever known. [applause] president obama, so many distinguished guests and elected officials, your presence with this here today signifies the awesome responsibility imposed in the office of chairman in the joint chief of staff which we're about to transfer from general dempsey to general dumpford. the current chairman shares with me the duty to love and respect

those who defend this country, to advise the commander in chief with cannedder and carry out orders with excellence and share just a bit of the enormous weight he bears and to help this great nation to make a better world. marty dempsey was nominated to be chairman at this time i was nominated to be secretary of defense. he and deedy and stephanie and i sat down and talked about how we wanted to accomplish and i saw dedication of hard working, devotion to the force and the country and the ciivilty to all that i hope to have. marty had shown traits and more

for 37 long years of service. he led the first armor division, returned to reconstitute the iraqi army and had been chief of staff of the army. three and a half years later, i became sectary -- secretary of defense and once again turned to marty for inspiration and brotherhood. there's so much i can say about what marty has done to make sure that tomorrow's force is as superb as today and drive forward new domains like cyber and space and manage possible. since president obama is president, i would like to e -- alight for a moment, in the

situation room all listen when marty offered advice from military leadership. as office -- when you touch it, you change it, now i'm not going to quibble with marty fistics >> every decision touches the troops and countless families and change it is nature of the world and do test any of our country. for men and women who operate every day during time of rapid change and uncertainty, this is the constant weight and responsibility of leadership. in those counsels marty dempsey

speak with consition with the english student he once was. he's lived by the words of his favorite irish poet that every trail endured and weathered in the right spirit make a sole nobler, i'm comfortable in telling you marty, you will be missed. marty said that the best leaders makeses better versions of who we are. so when marty heard time magazine named him influential people, it caught him by surprise.

[laughter] >> marty and deedy make a wonderful team. for the dempseys no strangers in the military family. they're only friends they haven't met. deeny, we thank you for finding marty during your days at gushian high school and sharing with him the blessing of three chairn all of whom answered the call to serve and no fewer than nine grandchildren an irishman indeed. now to the other irishman dunford, every marine considers the best job in the military coming down to the marine corps, but first, and foremost to

ellen, ellen has been joeys rock-solid foundation for more than three decades, support for military families and wounded warriors is personal. the rest of joeys family, three children, joseph and pat and catherine have supported. i want to give ellen a special word of appreciation, and here is why. she was just settling in to her duties as the common wife when a different calling came ..

humble, strong, centered, always faithful to his people and mission. the operational acuity of the battle hardened commander, and the strategic wisdom of a statesman. we saw that clearly during joe's

timely u.s. and allied troops as a nato-isaf commander. we saw his compassion in handwritten condolences sent to families of the fallen. we saw his tenacity in the way he managed dealing with president karzai. and resize skillfulness in transitioning security responsibility to afghan forces. during that time, all that time, and over the past 14 years, into complex, all consuming wars in iraq and afghanistan, our marines and all our servicemembers perform spectacularly. today, the marine corps is at the center of a great strategic transition in our military. emerging from 15 years of counterinsurgency and strength and presence to preparing for a full spectrum of threats where

we remain overwhelmingly strong imposture and not only presents. in a way that's what marines have always done. answering the call across the full range of military operations. no one understands that better than joe. s. at the 19th chairman of the joint chiefs, joe answers of the president's call. joe will provide critical council and served as a critical bridge between military and civilian leadership and also between two administrations. between 14 years of war at a time a strategic transition for our force. once again, we thank ellen and their family for sharing joe with our country. that chairman wilson change but the quality of counsel they provide to the president and the caliber of their leadership will endure. the characteristics that marty

and joe so excellently demonstrate, flexibility and creativity, the ability to act courageously and decisively. these are the attributes of our greatest leaders. these are the qualities they share with our commander in chief. so as we say farewell to marty and welcome joe as chairman, we also thank the president for his leadership and constancy. for his deep commitment to the safety, welfare and dignity of our men and women in uniform. the examples and commitment of these three leaders has indeed made each of us nobler and stronger. and because of their unwavering service to country and commitment to our military, our nation is no board and stronger, and will be forever more. thank you. [applause]

ladies and gentlemen, president obama. [applause] >> forty-five years ago, in june of 1970, a telegram arrived in upstate new york at the home of 18 year-old marty dempsey. congratulations, it read, you are appointed to the west point class of 1974. [applause] that marty was honored, but he

had just finished high school and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to head off to the academy. his mother, i'm told, thought different. she urged him to give it a try for the summer, which sounds like beast barracks needs sleep away camp. sound advice, with a little irish charm, runs in the dempsey family. over the decades that followed, he patrolled the iron curtain, commanded divisions on desert battlefields, and led america's soldiers. and more than a few times he burst into song. and over these last four years, marty's wisdom, his vision, and his character have helped lead

the greatest fighting force the world has ever known. secretary carter, deputy secretary work, members of congress and the joint chiefs, services secretaries, men and women of the defense department, our armed forces and our military families, it is a deep honohonored to join you as we py tribute to a singular leader for our military and our nation, and one of the finest men that i know, general martin dempsey. [applause] a little over four years ago, i tap the market service chief of staff of the army.

we let him enjoy it, for one day. then i asked him to be chairman. so let me say, marty, more important, deanie, this time i promise, no surprises tomorrow. i chose marty for these leadership roles because of his moral fiber and his deep commitment to american strength and american values. i chose him because of his vision for our military as a more versatile and responsive force. i chose him because he had a steady hand we needed in this moment of transition, as we tackle emerging threats and support to me up our troops as they transition to civilian life. and i've watched marty manage each of these challenges with integrity and foresight and care. but perhaps most of all, i chose

marty because he's a leader you can trust. marty, you've always given it to me straight. i can't tell you how much i've appreciated your candor and your council. and i seem to build that trust not just with me, but across our military, with our troops and their families, with congress and our allies abroad, and with the american people. today, thanks in no small measure to marty's leadership, america's we should allies from europe to the asia-pacific. we ended our combat mission in afghanistan abroad america's longest war to a responsible end. we forge new partnerships from south asia to the single to meet terrorist threats.

rebuild the coalition is combating isil and iraq and syria, we bolster our cyber defenses. we help halt the spread of ebola in west africa. none of this would have been possible without marty's guidance and leadership. and what makes it more remarkable is that he's guided our forces through a time of reckless budget cuts. with less than a week before congress needs to pass a budget to keep the government open, let me just say now is not the time for games that lock in sequester. it's not good for our military readiness. it's not good for our troops. it's not good for our family. and it's not good for our country. as commander-in-chief, i believe we should invest in america and in our national security, and not shortchange it. yet even in these tough fiscal

times, marty has made sure we maintain our military superiority. and no one can match our services because no one can match our service members, our sons and daughters who he's cared for like his own. in them he sees the west point classmates of his youth. pcs those he commanded. he sees their families and, in them, he sees his own. there's deanie, of course, marty's high school sweetheart, lifelong better half, whose grace and resilience and good cheer embodies the military spouses cheat fight so fiercely for. chris, nagin, and caitlin, --

megan, who followed in her father's footsteps to where our nation's call. marty's mother who we thank for making him give the military a try for the summer. and the are his nine grandchildren, who we can be confident will mark this nation in so many positive ways for the future. on behalf of the american people i want to thank the entire dempsey family for their service to our nation. [applause]

marty will be the first you tell you that he could have done his job without his outstanding vice chair. and i, too, have depended on the advice and experience of admiral sandy winnefeld. thank you, sandy, for your outstanding service. [applause] in general joe dunford and general paul selva, two of the most respected officers in our military, we have tested leaders ready to carry on marty and sandy's work. i could not be prouder of them and the service they've already rendered this great nation. and i couldn't be more confidence in device and counsel that they will provide the. thank you to them. thank you, ellyn. thank you so much for everything that you've done.

[applause] now, we're going to have a lot of work to do long after not just marty is gone, but i'm gone from the stage. there are always new threats, that are always new challenges in this ever-changing world. we have to degrade and ultimately destroy isil, the remnants of al-qaeda, terror networks around the world. we have to adapt our defenses for the 21st century. we have to give our troops the support they need to meet their missions. we have to make sure that our forces and our families receive the pay and benefits and the quality of life that they have earned. that is how we maintain a military that is second to none. and i'm confident that we are up to the task.

i'm told that on marty's desk there's a box, it's a sigar box with 132 cards, each one with the name, picture and story of every one of the 132 soldiers who gave their lives under his command in iraq. and on top of the box are three words -- make it matter. make it matter. and every morning marty places three of those cards in his pocket, so that every moment as chairman, every meeting, every trip, every decision, every troop review, every moment of every day some of those fallen heroes are with him.

those cards were with him a few years back when, for the first time as chairman, marty spoke to a group of military children who have lost a parent. and that they as he walked through the crowd, some 600 goldstar kids, young, so full of hope, he began to think about their lives after each of them would have to make their way without a father or a mother. and marty had planned to speak, but he couldn't. so we did one of the things that he does best. he began to sing. and in that moment the highest-ranking military leader in our nation forged a bond with those children, boys and girls who, at such a tender age, had given up so much, in a way that

perhaps nobody else could. and year after year they have been fighting back, because they don't marty dempsey will always give him everything he has, his voice, but even more, his whole heart and soul. this is the man we honor today. a friend to so many troops and families across our military, a patriot with a profound love for our country and those who sacrifice for it, i trusted leader who in a time of great change made it matter all the time. i am extraordinarily grateful to have had him by my side through the bulk of my presidency, and i'm extraordinarily proud to call him my friend.

marty, for lifetime of extraordinary service, you have the deepest things of a grateful nation. god bless you. and god bless our men and women in uniform. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, general dunford. [applause] >> good afternoon to sing which guests, family and friends here quantic and thank you for joining us today. mr. president, secretary carter, thank you for those kind words but more importantly thank you for your leadership and for your trust in me in selecting the agile principal military advisor. before they can hide like to once again try to change the employment information today. and not on the superb at a secretary carter said, they represent more than 2 million members of our total joint force. many of our soldiers, sailors, airmen's entering forward deployed, some are in harm's way and as we enjoy today's ceremony i would ask you to keep them and

their families in your thoughts and prayers as well. in addition to the many special guests and team officials were mentioned by name at the semi-big and i'd like to thank our family and friends are making the effort to join the. i'm particularly appreciative my brothers and their families are here along with ellyn sister, her brother and their families. i also like to single out my mom and dad who argue. i became a marine because of my dad. any success in uniform was result of my mother's discipline in the exacting standards. so mom and dad, thank you. [applause] and more important i want to recognize my wife ellyn and our children, without the love and support over these many years i wouldn't be standing here today. ellyn, thanks for your willingness to continue to serve our men and women in uniform and their families. mr. president, i know i have big

shoes to fill. we are all indebted to john the marty dempsey for ex ord are leadership, commitment and service. and on a personal note, for many years has been a great friend, mentor and role model. deanie has been with him every step of the way and she's been a tireless advocate for military families even as she raised three children of her own. vacancies -- well-earned admiration, appreciation and affection from all soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines to include the dunford. marty and deanie, thank you for which event to those of us in uniform and our families. you are what winning looks like. it had the privilege to have a change to continue that legacy of leadership it's an honor to follow in the footsteps of general pace, general myers and the other distinguished chairman who, on their watch, commissioner decisive leadership, extraordinary commitment and a strong moral compass. in the days ahead i'll draw

strength from their example. i look forward to serving with my fellow joint chiefs, combatant commanders and other senior leaders in our government as we tackle the challenges on our watch. i see several chiefs of defense from around the world here today. ibook forward to working with you and further developing our relationships. it's customary for the incoming officer at events like this to be brief, so i'll close by simply saying how humbled i am for the opportunity to represent our men and women in uniform. they are a true national treasure. by focusing the coming days will be to provide them with leadership and support that they deserve. god bless you all, and semper fidelis. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, by special request, represent the tragedy assistance program for survivors will introduce general dempsey. >> ladies and gentlemen, the 18th chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, my friend general dempsey. [cheers and applause]

>> thanks, lizzie. being your friend and lead vocalist of the tabs kids will always be among my most cherished memories as my time as chairman. for everybody today i want everybody to know that that's a first time the president ever made me cry. so unless you think about this kind of back and forth over the course of time, that's a first. whoever had the over and under how long it would take me to cry, it was when my son read my retirement order. so there you go. i think my classmates probably have had a few side that's going. let me begin by thanking everyone for the kind words and recognition. to tell you the truth it runs a bit uncomfortably against my conviction that dude is its own reward and that those called to

serve should seek no recognition for simply doing their duty. we all owe this great country our very best, and our fellow citizens our very best. it was humbling to accept this job four years ago, and it's humbling to relinquish it today. mr. president, things are being here and for allowing me to advise you. i've been honored to work with you on your national security team. i know this is a very busy and a very important week for you. but then again they are all very busy and important weeks of the president of united states. i also want to thank you in particular for allowing me to release my inner leprechaun from time to time during national security council meetings, and importantly for allowing to dempsey's into the situation room at the same time. i should have included in my chairman's risk assessment. by the way, i hope you're able to get the good work in for me with the pope. i also want to thank the 22nd,

the 23rd, the 24th and the 25th secretaries of defense with whom i've served with over the last five years. seriously? i really do appreciate them for their service to the nation, for their support to the men and women in uniform, and their families, and for teaming with the joint chiefs to protect this nation. you are all great patriots and prodigious leaders. there is no way i can explain what the past 41 years has been to me in the next few minutes, and the next four years will be ably led by the 19th chairman. so i'll focus on the moment right here, right now, surrounded by so many family and friends. let me start by thanking the old guard, the great military bands assembled here. i have been and will continue to be your biggest fan and your strongest advocate. you remind us of our history as

you said the cadence of our march into the future. you are outstanding soldiers and sailors airmen and marines and coast guardsmen serving right here in our nation's capital. you inspire us. thank you for providing the images and sounds that will ensure we will always remember this day. and ladies and gentlemen, please join me in thanking them. [applause] i note with great esteem the presence of our service chiefs, our combatant commanders, their senior enlisted advisor, director of the joint staff, my senior enlisted advisor, the chiefs of defense from some of our closest allies and as will some of the spouses our closest allies and military leaders. few know the burdens you bear. willingly and even enthusiastically for our countries.

deanie joins me in thanking you for your service and sacrifice and most of all for ensuring the readiness of the young men and women we've sent into harm's way in the name of freedom. i'm honored by the presence of civilian leaders and in particular i thank my teammates from 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. 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 that 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 thiessen ceremony down as another a. i wish i could or did you to my personal staff. in the job like this at such a frenetic pace and with so much travel, we have become a family.

deanie and i said goodbye to them privately but i would just add one more thank you. you may be better chairman and left an indelible mark on our hearts. in the audience today our friends from elementary school and high school, a great west point class of 1974, pride of the core. [applause] from the national war college and even for my capstone class, apparently i made the right decision when i decided not to study to our collective make a lot of friends. i have both mentors and protéges here. as i become older i realized that the distinction between them blurs. we've learned from each other. i'll take this, deanie and i came into the military for each other, but we stayed in the military because of you. i admire you all. they are our friends here from the storied fighting 69th new york army national guard and from u.s.a. basketball, stars from the worlds of entertainment in professional sports who have

traveled with us around the world, and superstars from the many private organizations dedicated to support our military, their families, the wounded and our veterans. evolved touched our hearts, fill our souls, inspired us and made it an extraordinary four years. we are privileged to call difference. another yeats quote. think where man's glory most atms and ends, and say, my glory was i had such friends. i know in my heart that martin joseph kinsey, thomas joseph sullivan and bridget barber are all proudly looking down on us today. and they are probably up there whispering far too loudly, for god's sake, i just hope he doesn't start singing. [laughter] 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 come i'd like

to meet or. thanks for inspiring us to be humble, to always give just a little more than an honest days work, to have courage and deliver a life of faith. we love you, mom. [applause] margery sullivan is sitting at home in florida a little too thrilled to be with us here today, but she's been unwavering champion and safety net envoy than one occasion for our family throughout our country. we love you, too. i have a big family. been and what i said about protocol, earning their a. kind and loving aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, in-laws and outlaws, far too many to single out. though i haven't seen much of you through the years, it's pretty darn remarkable how little we've changed. thanks for all of the support.