minimum. now, i have reliable source this is first time the convoy has been played here. and, when eric asked me to presented idea what he would like me to talk about at this conference, the idea of selling your industry to veterans, he said, yeah, the industry great job. end the conference and tie everything together, and help everybody go out into the world and sell your industry. i want you to start with convoy. and, we can even talk about, that is the rubber duck. everybody knows bandit. i was like, i'm not sure i want to do that. i have my biggest partners in the room. they're going to kill me. because it is not the way we want trucking, displayed to the world. but if you think about it, it is genius, all right? and the whole way, hiring our heroes presents veteran hire something smart. they take an industry approach.

now you think about it, you're a veteran, what is very first thing you ask? you don't even know what industry to go into. so the idea of taking it, an industry approach and selling your industry is huge. so it is hilarious to think trucking is the only industry that has an image problem. look at biggest industries in our country. think about manufacturing. do all the workers stand in assembly line or do we deal with lasers and computer design and robots? think about american agriculture? are we all sitting on tractors? or really blending science and efficiency to feed the entire world? i met the starbucks guy yesterday. i have to bring them up because i bring them up a lot because they have a similar problem. are they only hiring baristas? will you be a part of one of the most extraordinary companies in the world that have supply chains that reaches to the

fartherrest corners of our earth? let me talk a little bit how trucking is misunderstood. let me tie it a little bit to what we talk about. veteran homelessness. in our business, this is bizarre concept. this goes to the opportunity in our industry, how you should think about selling yours. today, in the trucking industry we have 30,000 positions open. every year, just to replace our truck drivers and other positions that are retiring we need 100,000 positions for the next 10 years just to keep up. that is a million positions. we have starting salaries that go from 40 to $60,000. we have jobs, not from trucks to mechanics to executives to, salespeople, to safety personnel. it is nothing that our veterans haven't, nothing like what they imagined.

and, actually president bush, this isn't even what i was going to talk about, he said with we came back from vietnam, we treated our veterans shabbily. i thought that was a perfect word. we not only treated them bad, some people treated them bad some people didn't do a good job treating them. the trucking industry, when i was a little boy, in my dad's and grandfather's terminal, those people in the terminals came from the vietnam war. they started in the trucking industry and went on to own their own trucks. really a lot of them are still trucking today, because we have some pretty old truck drivers. so we have a long, long history of employing veterans. i can't even, i'm not even sure i want to try to talk about, the idea how many veterans commit suicide because they don't have a good connection to their community. so the general population of the united states, about 1:00 mers military veterans. north -- 1% and nearing 30%.

our staff is nearing a community who are already ready to accept them n we're a great model thinking about selling their industry and thinking about doing it. last year we have done great. eric and his team, we've been selling it and changing perceptions and having more veterans in the trucking industry than ever before. so i will come up with somistic specific tips, okay? so my first tip, when time to sell your industries you will need some bodies, circle the wagons and take the industry approach. so our concept was, let's get 12 of the coolest companies that we can think of in the trucking industry to have great jobs that are veteran affinity, that are innovative, that really show us to the world and here are the folks that stood up within a month. get some -- these companies stood up almost immediately to do this job. here's, there is a practical reason this is important too.

we also get about 80 great minds from these companies we work with every day to do this effort. so even if your industry doesn't have a huge number of players, get your players together and work together. next tip, solve for the whole industry true, true team work. so, when i was growing up in trucking, i have seen these companies compete like you wouldn't believe. my grandfather probably rolled over in his grave if he actually saw how well these companies worked together. best example in our industry, go to the wonderful hiring fairs, hiring heroes has, you will see wire c proudly over walk a recruit to j.b. hunt which is unheard of, well, we didn't have the best job for them, j.b. hunt might. . .

they have counselors on their own software saying you know what, if you did this, the veterans will get better. to help the designer mentoring program from the ground up. these companies that support us provide 30 mentors for free

around the clock for these veterans to talk to you. that was a soldiers life. we've talked about pdfs a lot today. we had something we've got guys having trouble. what we do? we went to soldiers for life. they connected us to the right people at the company put together program to say hey, if you guys are having trouble this is not going to hurt your implement. they even put onside counselors come incredible stuff. incredible stuff. next thing is demand, courageous leaders. there's to industry, pulls her biggest association is a tricky business by the american trucking association and local carriers association. the american trucking association committed to hire 100,000 veterans on to help of their membership. does have quite a bit, committed to hiring another 50,000

veterans, 150,000 veterans. what's courageous about governor gray and brad bentley's leadership is not just that they made this public statement. it's that they dug in and they have created big efforts to get the word out to educate our employers on how to do it comes to promote the programs. they even go down to the veteran by veteran level and sometimes pass people directly into the program. it's extraordinary stuff. so in closing, i'm going to recommend my last recommendation. so convoy. we have immediate problem. we all can see it in that. some of you do, too. we've talked about that i want to tell a little trucking story that demonstrates how we really look at as in addition. maybe you can come up with similar stories in your industry. december 12 of every year, 70 trucks show up in a small town in maine.

each one of those trucks are filled completely with christmas wreaths and they travel down the east coast of the united states. and as they travel, this convoy of trucks, there's people lining the roadway's waving flags and holding back tears. and they show up at arlington national cemetery and deliver these wreaths into the hands of 20,000 volunteers that please these wreaths -- place these wreaths on every single grave. i had to ask brad a bill yesterday how many other cemeteries we cover, how many other trucks, about 189 trucks in total, 1039 cemeteries. [applause] so, folks, that's our convoy.

i want to leave you with a short video. i had a hard time to give which would because with a lot of cool videos and our business. i like this one because it can adjust how important it, what happens when there's a natural disaster of what we do, what happens when our power also have to haul away the wreckage but then build us back a. enjoy, have a great lunch. thank you much, everyone. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪

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[applause] >> thanks come everybody. we would like to close by thanking you for your leadership. over the last five years our government leaders, or nonprofits in the business leaders represent in this room and beyond have had an impact, have moved the needle come have a dramatic effect in terms of addressing a crisis of veterans employment. but now is not the time to take our foot off the accelerator. now is the time to institutionalize these great public-private partnerships and to leverage the lessons learned and best practices and apply them to the gaps that are remaining. so we thank you for your continued leadership to this effort, and we ask you to help us empower and armed men and

women that need to map out better navigate through the process to meet your requirements in your businesses. thanks. eric? >> thank you all. we really appreciate your support and look forward to continuing the collaboration in the years to come. thank you. [applause] [inaudible conversations] >> today, president obama commemorates veterans day at arlington national cemetery laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns, followed by a national observance program. live coverage at 11 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> two things are very different. we have a justice system that does not come these trials were not help according to a we would consider to be modern law. hearsay is perfectly acceptable

and innocent until proven guilty had not yet been it was not a place. no one had, there were no lawyers i should say at this time. the courtroom is an extremely unruly place. that's one piece of the. also we don't have to believe in witchcraft a prostitute witchcraft. >> sunday on q&a author stacy schiff talks about her book in which is come on the salem witch trials and the scope benefit of the accusations and trial on the massachusetts community. >> the interesting part about the accusations come especially given the way we think of salem is that wealthy merchants were accused of which is to see captains were accused, homeless five year old girls were accused. this is not an incident where all the victims are female. row five male victims including a minister and we didn't burn the witches. we hang to them. so in addition, there was so

much encrusted in myth and some much misunderstanding here that i thought is important to dispel. >> sunday night at eight eastern and pacific on c-span's q&a. >> a signature feature of the c-span2's booktv as our coverage of book fairs and festivals from across the country with nonfiction author talks, interviews and viewer call-in segments. coming up, booktv will go by from a 32nd my annual -- miami book fair.

>> earlier this year defense secretary ashton carter talked about the importance of ensuring opportunities and support for the children of military families. his remarks came during an event hosted by the military children education coalition. this is 15 minutes. [applause] good morning.

good morning. mary, thank you. stephanie and i -- were are you wax my better half right there. we just met with the two kids from the student to student program, your program. what great -- where are they? are you guys out there? where are they? give those guys a round -- what an amazing, incredible kids, and what a simple and powerful idea that local military children, and they are not all military children, including nonmilitary showed the taken it upon themselves to be ambassadors to new military children who have just moved nearby. it's a great take on the tradition of sponsorship in our military, a tradition of sponsorship of new transitions to new places and new

communities. it's part of our tradition but, thanks to this organization, is now gone down a generation to our children. we are very grateful of that. that's just one innovative way that this coalition support our military kids beyond the classroom. and i want to thank you for orchestrating this tremendous training seminar here, for being a department of defenses go to partner on all things affecting the well being of our military children means a lot to us. and, of course, what you think that teachers, the councils, the ministers, parents here today for your service to our next generation for committing your mission to making their stories success stories. thanks. to the people in this room, the scope of our mission is clear, think about it this way. for our recent high school graduates, the entire time

they've been in school, elementary spelling bees, junior high school prep rallies and senior proms, america has been at war. last week i spoke to our men and women on the front lines in iraq. any of them are parents. many of those who are not hope to be some day. and for most of their lives, america has been at war. regardless of the tumultuous reality they've lived in, military children continue to muster the same grit encourage their parents devote to defending our country. that's what really makes our military the finest fighting force the world has ever known. it's our people. that's our secret sauce. not just our war fighters, but their families, their kids who

proudly embrace their service. kids like marguerite lynn whose story is told in the magazine on the move. she is in high school. her dad is a coast guardsman. they have moved six times in her life. she says moving is both the best and the most challenging thing about being a military kid. she was asked about the most important thing people should know about military children. i'm told she said, quote, kids serve, too. kids serve, too. she's right. so many kids like marguerite proudly on their service. they are determined, created -- creative, wise beyond their years and bases their story, their unique experiences as an opportunity. our challenge, the challenge of this coalition has valiantly taken on is to provide them the support they need to succeed.

as maven mentioned earlier, i think it was, long before i was secretary carter, and went on i was to fester carter. so i'm an educator come to come and as educators we know education is critical to a richer quality of life for our people there as americans we know education is critical to a vibrant democracy. but as secretary of defense i can tell you that the education of our military children is critical to our mission, to our security, and to build what i call the force of the future, the military that will defend our country in the years to come. let me say why. it's true that a capable, dynamic force of the future will depend on maintaining an unmatched operational edge and unmatched capabilities, but it's more than just advanced weapons

platform that keep people safe. people keep people safe. it's our men and women in your -- in uniform and their families, their conviction, their courage, their sacrifice. let me just say it again. it's that that makes hours of fighting, the finest fighting force the world has ever known. [applause] if we're going to stay the past, the u.s. armed forces has to be an attractive, inviting, supportive place to serve for families of all kinds. the world is changing. the labor market is changing. younger generations and young families want flexibility and choice in their career paths. we know that. more and more. we are saying that they want to be on a jungle gym where you advanced by moving around and having new experiences. not an escalator where you get

on and wait your turn. dod has to keep up. and keeping that means being more responsive to the needs of our military families and their children. that's our obligation. but given today's abundance of career paths to choose from, we can't take for granted that military children are twice as likely as other kids to join the military. nor can we take for granted military parents and clinicians recommend military service to their own children. oath of those things happen. there's tremendous value in families upholding a tradition of service that is passed from generation to generation. makes our military stronger. there is no substitute for the unique potent mix of passion and mentorship that comes from a military mom, dad, granddad in

the case of one of the kids are speaking out earlier today, or all of them. i briefly got a letter from a fourth grader who wrote, quote, dear mr. secretary, i want to be in the military because i want to defend our country and our countries freedoms. my mom and dad are in the air force, and that is what inspired me. there it is. it's great reason. military children like that future airman who already see the virtue of their parents service also see their peers chase those jungle gym style careers. day, too, see businesses trending towards more family flexibility, more opportunities to pursue higher education and fewer long-term commitments. so we have to adapt to keep up and to compete italic. and when we make the department of defense and more attractive place to join across the board,

the virtue of service becomes a more worthwhile endeavor for military and civilian families alike. so our force of the future should be family focused, parents in uniform who never feel like they have to choose between pursuing a promotion and supporting their family. to give families more flexibility, we are extending maternity and paternity leave, and we are treading on ramps and off ramps between active duty and the reserves. so our personal don't have to derail their careers to get an advanced degree or to have a family. to give servicemembers and their families greater choice we are overhauling the way we place personnel, too, to offer more options and potentially, potentially, not always a but potentially fewer moves meaning fewer first days as the new kid in the school. to give families more

opportunity we are making sure that serving in uniform doesn't mean you have to trade in your aspirations to wear a cap and gown, if that's what you want to do. the post-9/11 g.i. bill has helped over 1.3 million americans pay for college. and those benefits are transferable to family members. and we are looking for ways to make it work even better. those are just a few of the ways we are working hard to be more responsive to the needs of our modern military families which, of course, support our military kids. but when it comes to education we have a specific set of tools we use to deliver direct support in the classroom. more than 74,000 kids attend dod run schools, overseen by our department of defense education activities office. our schools have good teachers, high graduation rates and above

average sat scores. we're doing well but we can always do better. that's why starting with this coming school year we will be adopting college and community standards across all dod schools. so our military kids can hit the ground running in college and be first in line for 21st century jobs. but dod schools are only a small part of military child education, as you all know. more than 90% of military children attend local public schools. so working hand in hand with groups like this is essential to pushing progress outside the department's own schools. we are working together to make moving easier on kids. one way is by creating a military dependent student identifier, which lets parents, educators and schools track

performance, funnel resources, and make smart policy decisions on behalf of our military children over their entire educational careers. if we know how particular groups of kids are performing, we can better target resources to maximize their success. dod from the support creating the identifier, and we greatly, greatly appreciate msec's ironclad support. thank you. we are also working to extend our reach in creative ways. case in point is our competitive educational partnership grant program where funds go toward local schools with a 15% or more number of military kids enrolled. those funds recently paid first in partnership that helped more than 10,000 high school students earn ap exam scores that qualified them for college credit. that's an incredible return on

investment. i'm proud to say that this year's round of funding totals 52 million, and i want to thank you once again, msec, for your continued support for this program. let me just make clear that we are also open to new ideas. i should we did some of the ideas we have but we are looking for more and i hope all of you will think of us as a partner and a resource as you tackle these challenges in your districts and your neighborhoo neighborhoods. i want to close with a story about a visit i made to you code air base in japan this past april during the month of the military child. had a chance to spend some quality time with military families and kids and, of course, it's the best, for me, but as part of this job, hands down. and then at some five year old students who are making

birdfeeders in a craft class. in my day i remember we made ashtrays. believe that. [laughter] goes to show how priorities and times have changed. to boost our military children's potential, we have to change, too. our security demands it. the force of the future demands it, and a flexible, thorough support of our military families and kids demands it. together we can meet that demand that i can tell you our military children are resourceful and resilient. i can tell you they are courageous and compassionate, and i can tell you they're proud of their parents and proud to serve alongside them. but instead i'm going to let a military child tell you in her own words. msec published a poem by katie, a sixth grader who goes to school at holland air force base in new mexico and are poem is entitled military girl. i'm going to recite a few lines.

quote, i am not in the rank of command. orders, i do not get. but my dad is the one who does. this i cannot forget. i am not the one who fires a weapon, who puts my life on the line, but my job is just as tough. i am the one who left friends behind. my dad makes the sacrifice. my dad works to keep this country free. but so do my mom, brother, sister and me. even though i might get a little wild, i stand with the rank known as military child. that poet, katie, is one of nearly 2 million military children whose parents serve among our active duty guard and reserves. that's the scope of our education challenge and our opportunity. marguerite, katie, thousands of kids like them give us a glimpse

of the grid and the wisdom our military children have and need to make their lives work. our mission is to have their back, to cheer them on, to make sure their stories are success stories, happy stories, and stories of fulfilled lives. because of the brave men and women who defend our freedoms and risk their lives all over the world to serve the peace of mind that comes with knowing their families are being taken care of back home. thank you for all you do to promote that. [applause] thank you so much.

>> today, president obama commemorated veterans day at arlington national cemetery laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns, followed by a national observance program. live coverage beginning at 11 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> and we are seeing a live shot of the world war ii memorial on the national mall on this beautiful day in washington as the date is the 11th day of the 11th month, november 11 which marks veterans day honoring all u.s. military veterans. it coincides with armistice day and remembrance day celebrated in other countries to mark the anniversary of the end of world war i on this date in 1918. over 315,000 americans were killed or wounded with about 37 million casualties worldwide in the great war. first celebrated as armistice day in the u.s. it was renamed veterans day in 1954 and today now includes all

veterans. u.s. president woodrow wilson first proclaimed armistice day for november 11, 1919, saying to us in america's reflections the armistice day will be filled with solemn pride and the heroism of those who died in a country service. and with gratitude for the victory. both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given america to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nation's. nation's.[background sounds]

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[background sounds] [background sounds] >> and we are still on this live shot of the world war ii memorial on this veterans day on the national mall in washington. and we are seeing former senator abdul himself a world war ii veteran. he did is at the memorial on this gorgeous day in washington

on veterans day. [background sounds] >> one, two, three, nice big smile. one more. there you go. >> get over your guys come on this site. on this side.

here we go. one, two, three. one more. thank you so much. >> let's get out of the way. stay right here.

sorry, you're fine. thank you. >> you we go. -- here we go. >> one more, one more. >> thank you again. >> we are live at the world war

ii memorial on this veterans day. we will be a round washington seemed seems from veterans day all day today on c-span. and the crowds were in washington for veterans day, and crowds also lined up for blocks in lynchburg, virginia, to see ben carson at liberty university. he will be speaking live shortly with the going under way with him. very excited to see presidential candidate ben carson fresh off the republican presidential debates last night. night. >> outsource the work of mission but also get academic enrichment out of it as well. these chips are going to be like change going to be a part of them. sign up -- >> encarta would deliver an address at liberty university. this year alone republican presidential candidate senator ted cruz, jeb bush and bernie

sanders have all appeared on liberties campus. we expect live coverage of ben carson address to get underway very shortly. >> we have been praying for her, one of our own students. a few weeks ago she was involved in an accident. she was working out. she's one of our athletes issues involved in an accident, and we been praying for her. she lost a lot of feelings and we are praying that she would not be paralyzed for the rest of her life, he is beginning to come back. she has been mooted shepherd center in atlanta. it's a long road of recovery but they are saying that fixing steps of recovery. [applause] she's getting feeling back in parts of her body. hey, thanks for the way you've been praying. her parents have just been overwhelmed by the way that this entire student body have stood not just alongside her but the entire family.

continue to pray for her pray for stamina. when you ask, pray for stamina. it is being moved from a land and beginning the process of rehab is a long road but we trust that god will bring perfect healing into her life. all right? just real quick, it's an honor for me to get to introduce for many of you that our a guest, so we love as a leader, president falwell. camera put our heads together -- can we put our hands together? [applause] >> i am so honored and privileged to welcome two euros to liberty liberty university today. today is veterans day, as you know -- [cheers and applause] >> and you already know about dr. carson.

we all love and respect him. [cheers and applause] we all know of his amazing accomplishments throughout his career, but sometimes the caliber of people who support and respect you says more about your character and integrity and your resume and the punishments. that's what i wanted to tell you about someone who is here today, who lives right here in lynchburg but who is very shy, humble man. he's never requested to come over here and to meet many of the prominent speakers that we have had here at liberty. but today he did. because of his respect and his love for dr. carson, george rogers is here with us today. he served in the philippines in world war ii. he was -- [cheers and applause]

>> george, george came to work here in 1974 as our chief financial officer tom and stay there until 1999. he was one of my mentors, in the many difficult here's the bad financially or in the '80s and '90s. but in world war ii, george was taken prisoner by the japanese, along with 75,000 american and philippine troops, they were forced to march about 75 miles in five days. it was done at the bataan death march. many, many did not survive the

march. george what a person of war camp after the march, spent three and a half years. he fell off to 85 pounds. he is my height or taller. he was told after the war he would never have children, that he would never live, never live past age 40. he is now 96 years old and he just -- [cheers and applause] he has five children, 18 grandchildren and he -- [cheers and applause] and he just recently returned to japan. the government of japan has been sponsoring trips for former prisoners of war to establish better friendship and seek forgiveness. he, in 2012, finally received recognition for his service by being awarded a purple heart and the prisoner of war medal.

[applause] >> he never held any animosity towards his captors. he has said that throughout his career. he displayed a true christian spirit towards people, who many of us would've been tempted to hate and revile for what they had done. and so we are so honored to have george rogers join us today. and i wish you would give them one more hand of applause. [applause] [cheers and applause]

>> would you like to say anything, george? >> it's certainly a pleasure. i can see myself 70 years ago sitting out there. [laughter] but i want to say just one thing and then i'm going to sit down again. [laughter] there's enough votes in this area -- [laughter] -- to put dr. carson in the white house. [cheers and applause]

that's, that's my wish. >> i can't think of a better person to endorse anyone. but thank you, george. i learned so much from george over the years. he was known as mr. noll. he was the frugal financial guy that turned everybody down when ever they wanted to spend money all those years. [laughter] so a lot of what you're now is because of his financial management and help to this university. but i also have another visitor today. and i want to welcome dr. ben carson to liberty. [cheers and applause]

my sister is a surgeon, like dr. carson, and he performed the first successful separation of twins conjoined at the head, back of the head, and he has 67 honorary doctorate degrees. it may be too bad that we didn't get one for you this morning so you could get to 68. [laughter] but we will mail it to you. [laughter] please welcome dr. ben carson to liberty. [cheers and applause] >> thank you very much. thank you. well, candy and i are absolutely delighted to be here with you today, that skanky right over there. candy, can you stand up so they can see you?

-- that's candy right over there. [applause] >> it's been a years since i've been at liberty, but we talk about liberty all the time because that's what it represents, liberty, freedom from the snares of the world, and the right kind of teaching at the right kind of values for the young people who will become the leaders of our nation. and you are such a vital part of the future of this nation. you know, i do want to acknowledge today as veterans day, because i really feel that we don't do enough for our veterans. when you consider what they did for us. you know, i think about world war ii, and i think about those

soldiers invading the beach at normandy, being mowed down by machine gun fire, 100 bodies lying in the sand, 1000 bodies lying in the sand. but did our soldiers turned back? no. with a frightened? yes. but did they turn back? no. they stepped over the bodies of their dead colleagues, and they overwhelmed the axis forces, knowing in many cases that they would never see their loved ones or their homeland again. and why would they do such a thing? not for themselves. but for une so that we could be -- you and me so that we could be free, so we could have land of prosperity. and now the question is, what are we willing to do for those who come behind us?

and i just want to thank everybody who is a veteran -- do we have any veterans? can they stand up, please? [cheers and applause] >> thank you. thank you. thank you. such a sacrifice. and something that we all must begin to think about in our lives, because there is nothing that is really free, and particularly the concept of freedom. but, you know, we should be so delighted that we live in america. is there a better place to live

them america? i don't think so. i've been to 57 countries, and some of them are beautiful places, but i'm always delighted to get back here because there's something special about the nation that we live in. have you ever noticed that there's an american way? there's an american dream. there's no french dream. [laughter] there's no canadian dream last night you know? [laughter] there really is only an american dream. and what that means is that there's something special and something extremely unique about a nation that we live in. and the values that went into making this nation what it is. and some people say, there's nothing exceptional about

america. it's just the same as everybody else. it's not true. for hundreds of years, even thousands of years before america came on the scene, people did things the same way. within 200 years of the advent of america, men were walking on the moon. it's the most exceptional nation the world has ever known and we are -- [applause] having said that, you know, it's the land of dreams. and the dream for me, and for some of you, with your white coats on, was to be a doctor. i wanted to be a doctor, you know? [applause] i love anything that has to do with medicine. i even liked going to the doctor's office last night i would greatly -- doctor's office. [laughter] but the problem was i wasn't

that great a student. in fact, i was a horrible student. and everybody called me dummy. that was my nickname and i believe it, too. i didn't think i was very smart. and i remember once we are having a an argument in this we are about to was the dumbest it in the class that it wasn't a big target because they all agreed it was me. [laughter] but then someone had to extend the argument, who was at the dumbest person in the world. and i said wait a minute, or of billions the people in the world. and they said yep, and you are the dumbest one. [laughter] but you know, i did admire the smart kids, and i couldn't even imagine how they could know so much. but it was one person who didn't think i was dumb, and that was my mother. she always thought that there was something there.

[applause] and she would always say, benjamin, you are very much too smart to bring home greats like this. i brought them away anyway but she's always saying that. she just didn't know what she could do. she prayed and she asked for god for wisdom to get her sons to understand the importance of intellectual development. and do you know what? god gave her the wisdom. at least in her opinion. my brother and i didn't think it was wise at all. i mean, turning off the tv, what kind of wisdom is about? making us read two books of peace and it's a bit too are written book reports which she could read, we did know that. [laughter] she would put checkmarks and highlights that no one so we would think she was reading them, but she wasn't the people are always saying to me, why did you do it? your mother was always working. she would not have wanted to read the books or not.

yes, she would've. and back in those days you had to do what your parents told you. there was no social psychologist and let the kid express themselves. [applause] and as i read those books, incredible things begin to happen. i began to realize, particular as a bit of the people of accomplishment in all kinds of field, that the person who as the most to do with what happened to you in life is you. it's not somebody else. it's not the environment here and that was incredibly empowering to meet. and i stopped listening to all the people around me, all the naysayers who talked about what couldn't be done. and i started thinking about what could be done. what a difference it made in my

life. and fast-forward to medical school, i said, wow, i made it. i finally got there. my only dream was to be a doctor. i skipped right over five and and policemen and what right to doctor. and i was finally in medical school and he was going to be great. except the first set of comprehensive exams. and i did terribly. and i was sent to see my counselor, she looked at my record and she said, you seem like a very intelligent young man. i bet there are a lot of things you could do outside of medicine. [laughter] and she said i should drop out of medical school. he said you weren't cut out to be a doctor. i was devastated at and then went back to my apartment, and i said, lord, i always thought you wanted me to be a doctor. it's not looking very good here.

and i started praying for wisdom, and i started thinking about what was happening with me. and i was going to a lot of classes, but i wasn't really learning anything in the classes. and i thought back academically, i said, the thing that really teaches you a lot is reading. ..

one of the other things i discovered is that i was very visual, so i need flash cards for everything i needed to learn. i had thousands of flash cards. always have a bunch in my pocket. my second year of medical school i was living with my brother in the school of engineering. he even knew all the bacteria because i would take the cards are talking about it. so, you know, you find out what

works for you, and that's an incredibly important part of what you do and what we do as a society, because god has endowed us with these amazing brains, and we are made in the image of god. and you know, i get a lot of grief out there. people say how can you be a scientist and believe that god created the earth? obviously be developed from biochemicals and if you believe other than that you are a moron. i don't criticize them. i say can you tell me how something came from nothing. and of course they can't.

we don't understand everything. i say okay, no problem. now you're going to tell me there is a big bang and it comes into perfect order so that we can predict when a comment is coming that kind of precision. and they say well, yeah. but don't you also belief that things move towards a state of disorganization? yeah. how does that work? they say we don't understand everything. i say i am not sure you understand anything. [laughter] but i'm not going to be critical of you because you are entitled to believe what you beat even though it requires more faith

than what i believe. but everybody, believe what you want to believe. as in that part of our problem with our society today? people want to force their beliefs on everybody else. i believe the constitution gives everybody the same rights but it doesn't give anybody extra rights, and that's where the problem comes. [applause] and if we can begin to understand that and we can begin to listen to that, then ipv that we can make progress because that would mean people whether they believe the same or not could actually sit down and engage in a conversation and put the reasons what they believe on

the table. because when you live in a pluralistic society it is absolutely crucial that we know how to do that. it's also very vital that we begin to think about each other, and begin to think about those come behind us. when i look out there and see all of these young people, and i think back to thomas jefferson who said that it is immoral to pass that onto the next generation and i think about what my generation is passing on to you guys, if you can bring thomas jefferson here today to see what's going on, he would immediately strike out. he would not be able to believe the kind of debt that we are leaving. 18 plus trillion dollars of national debt.

think about that. if you try to pay that off at a rate of $10 million a day, if it would take over 5,000 years and we are putting that on your back but that's the good news because it's worse than that. the fiscal gap which is the amount of money the government does going forward medicare, medicaid, social security, all the government agencies and programs that we bring in from other services if we were responsible of course, those numbers would be almost identical. if you're not responsible, bring it up to today's dollars that's called a fiscal gap that over $200 trillion. somebody has to be responsible for that and the only reason we can sustain that level of debt

is because we can print money because we are the reserve currency of the world. a position that generally goes with the number one economy in the world which we have been since the 1870s. now we are in competition with china but we still have the title. with china like to be the reserve currency, would they like to be in for print money you bet they would and we are working hard with the international investment bank and i don't know how many years it will be. we have a little reprieve and a little time to get our house in order, but not a lot of time because the financial situation is precarious and if we don't do something about it soon and it collapses, what happened in 1929 on wall street will be a walk in the park compared to what will happen.

fiscal responsibility is our duty. and the canon fix these kind of things. it's possible to get the economy rolling again. we have the most powerful economic engine the world has ever known in this country. nothing anywhere close to it. the declared list of 100 years of the economic power because we have the right kind of atmosphere that encouraged entrepreneurial risk-taking and all of the things that fuel the rapid rise. guess what those are exactly the same things that will fuel the rapid recovery. putting the regulations around everything so that it's

difficult for people to start a business. here we have a situation where people used to be so proud that they started a business and they were they would call their mother and is a guy started a business, i've got ten employees. indeed 20, 30, 40, and then you say i better stop, don't want to hit 50 and have the employer mandate. that was the very backbone of america, the growth of small business. and we put something in there that stops small business from growing and then we wonder why jobs aren't coming. and that's why it's so important for people to actually understand what's going on in this country. if you listen to the news last

week, you saw a lot of people rejoicing that the unemployment rate is down to 5%. that is essentially full employment. but if you know anything at all about economics you know you can make that number anything you want it to be based on who you include and exclude and the number is the labor force participation rate which is at its lowest level in 38 years and that's why the founders of the nation said that our freedom and our system is based upon the well-informed and educated populace and if they ever become anything other than that, the nature of the country will change. [applause] because the people are not well-informed. all it takes is unscrupulous

politicians and news media and often people go in a completely wrong direction listening to all kinds of propaganda and inculcating back into their methods of thinking. and then it becomes easy for them to swallow things. if they don't really understand the financial situation of the country and somebody comes along and says free college for everybody. they would say what a wonderful person, and they have no idea that all he's talking about is the destruction of the nation. [applause] i could talk about the economy for a long time. but let me just say before we start q-and-a, this nation is an

incredibly special place because when you look at the founding document, it talks about certain inalienable rights given to us by our creator, also known as god. [applause] and we have so many people now who are trying to push god out of our lives, and they take the word of god and they chide to negate its end make it seem like if you believe in anything but that is there that you're some kind of an idiot. well, let me tell you our

nation's survival as the pinnacle nation in the world i believe is rooted in our value systems are the values and principles that made us into a great nation. and the question is are we willing to stand up for those values and principles or guilty about ourselves to be intimidated by the second progressive's clicks the second progressives don't care whether you agree with them or not as long as you sit down and keep your mouth shut. and i think the secret to the prosperity and this nation is that we must be willing to stand up for what we believe in. thank you. [applause]

just submit a few questions and grateful for you giving us the time for the q-and-a. this has been shifting dramatically for the last few years. none more obvious than issues on marriage. how would you govern in a society where traditional values like marriage seemed to be the minority view. >> you can use the bully pulled and very effective ways to once

again level the playing field. it's an incredibly important and it talks about the freedom of religion. not freedom from religion but freedom of religion. and we have got to encourage all the branches of the government to work effectively with checks and balances. what we have seen recently is the legislative branch which is the branch that represents the people as more or less acting like the peanut gallery which means the executive and judicial branch are overstepping their boundaries and we are going to have to have a president who is willing to work with the legislative branch to put things back in order again specifically we need legislation to protect

the religious freedom of people who believe marriage is between one man and one woman. [applause] you have proposed the idea of a flat tax even likening it to a proportional giving. could you elaborate a little bit more about the flat tax tax reform? >> the reason i like and it is because i believe that god is the fairest individual and if he thought it was fair that seems pretty fair. basically you make $10 million you pay a billion. then you get the same rights and privileges. pretty hard to be more fair than that and you have to get rid of all the deductions and loopholes

and everybody has been proportionate. my proposal takes into consideration poverty, and at the poverty level, you get a rebate. but we don't change the system because the minute you change the system and allow just one crack at it everybody starts moving towards the crack and then you have another and wind up with a 75,000-dollar tax code like we have right now and that's what we don't want some people say it's not fair because the guy that put in that's putting the billions plus 9 billion. and then the guy that's putting 1 dollar some people say that's not fair because he can't afford

to put in a dollar. of course he can't afford. he can afford to drive on public roads and sent his kids to public school and i can tell you having come from the bottom percentile, i can tell you that people down there also have pried into they want to carry their own weight. they don't want somebody patting them on the head. [applause] and then the people say the mortgage deduction, they would have so much money in their pocket they would be easily able to pay their mortgage and they would be more charitable deductions. well, they don't realize that there are lots of churches in america between 1913 with the federal income tax and as people have more money in their pocket intellectually before money when the tide comes by this is the

main things the students want to know and it's interesting because you asked to work with them and setting your time time with us with is that you were speaking a few minutes ago obviously a lot of our students believe that you have a lot to dispense. students want to know if you can get a college student one piece of advice if you can go back to when you were in college and you could go back and say i wish somebody had come in front of me and have addressed me as if this one piece of wisdom to me, what advice would you give? my advice would be proverbs three, five and six that says trust in the lord with all your heart and in all your ways acknowledge him. [applause]

i have claimed on to that through all kinds of adversity. i cling onto it now when so many in the media wants to bring me down because i represent something that they can't stand. but the fact of the matter is in romans chapter eight it says if god is before you who can be against you. [applause] the one question that we asked, whether it is a business tycoon or a nobel peace prize winner in the q-and-a it's always the same

question. i want you to know that isn't a cliché spiritual thing we say out loud. our students really do commit to pray for you and family. we know this is an incredibly busy time and so how can we be specifically praying for you when we see there is the team. >> why did i even get involved in the world of politics? why would you get into the road of politics and i ask myself that frequently, too. when i got the call to be the

keynote speaker at a national prayer breakfast for 2013, i said i had done it in 1997 and i wasn't aware of anybody that did it twice and then i found out one person had and it was billy graham and then i really knew he was a soccer to -- i said what does it say and kept writing things down and no, that's not it. but when i weekend that morning it was so clear what i was supposed to say, and obviously designated with millions of people and then people started clamoring for me to run for president, which i thought was pretty absurd. i said why am i even thinking

about something like that, i'm going to be retired and relax with my wife and have fun. i said just ignore all that chatter out there. that will die down. but it didn't die down. it kept building and building. and all of the political professionals were saying carson run for president, that's ridiculous he's not connected to any of the money. he doesn't know anything, he's never been elected to public office. it's impossible. don't even think about it and i said i'm glad to hear that. but it kept going. and i finally said this wasn't on my bucket list but if you truly want me to do this all the

pundits say it's impossible for nothing is impossible for use if you open the doors i will walk through them. [applause] the team including one of your own lungs and in terms of the money they said that they possibly can to raise that much money. while an interestingly enough, we now have over 900,000 donations from average americans that we the people to fund the campaign. they always thought it had to be the millionaires and the special interest groups. but the way that it was actually

designed is that it should be be be the people and was designed for it was designed for citizens states and not career politicians and i believe that people are beginning to understand that. [applause] so i am hopeful that the people of pray for courage, for stamina, for protection for me and my family and for the eyes of the nation to be open to what's going on because the problems in this nation do not, republican problems or democrat problems but they are problems that affect all of us and we have to recognize one of the goals of those who want to

fundamentally change our nation is to pull the nation apart and they have created the perception that there is a war on women but every time there is any conflict between people there is a race for the other's income war and age war and religious that the democrats hate republicans, that republicans hate democrats and you keep people at each other's throats and then we forget what's truly important. what's truly important is our unity and we have a lot more that unites us than the things that divide us.

[applause] you are leading worship at that breakfast. and you are a man of courage and speaking so with people in the room that don't necessarily agree with you with the president sitting right next to you but at the same time there seemed to be more of a spirit of unity and the one thing that we all love and appreciate is your human body and the way you carry yourself. let's all pray. [applause] lets pray for doctor carson and his team and family.

thank you lord for a man that understands that leadership begins at the feet of jesus. thank you for this person that you've called out for such a time as this to be a voice, a reason of testimony for you we pray for stamina for him and his family we pray. we thank you that all of those things bring the things you want to see in this country. they bring unity and thank you that we are the united states of america. we can come together and recognize as a nation we have been called together what but we could never do alone. this is the leader that you've called for us and we pray it

would be very clear to people and and the pray in the pray against confusion and division and we pray that there will be crystal clarity on how to serve your kingdom first and be great citizens of this nation whoever that leader is. the team to lead doctor leave doctor carson we pray for them to give them discernment and in this very busy season allowed him to also be a witness and testimony with the tears appears he had that are running alongside of him. thank you to doctor carson again. [applause]

a football game to watch in the white house. [applause] we love you and we are so grateful and i know a lot of students were not able to be here because we had so many folks that drove here to be the guests but for those of you watching on satellite thank you for giving up your seat so that we could be a great host for the many that are here and we are honored you're here. thanks again. god bless you. see you tonight at 7:30. don't forget. thank you. ♪

all campaign long c-span takes you on the road to the white house as townhall meetings, news conferences, rallies and speeches. we take your comments on butter, facebook and by phone and as always every campaign is available on the website on c-span.org news from capitol hill capitol hill committee agricultural secretary tom vilsack is leaving a trip to cuba beginning today through saturday with democrat senator jeff merkley of oregon and representative terry of alabama

and washington and kirk schrader of oregon former president george w. bush delivered opening remarks in june at a conference focused on helping veterans find jobs. the hiring heroes program run by the chamber of commerce was launched in 2011 and according to the organization has helped more than 25,000 veterans find jobs. this begins with remarks by the chamber's margaret who served as education secretary during the bush administration. next you will hear you'll hear from the labor secretary tom perez together our organization

[inaudible] but purposes of retiring our heroes program joined together today to address the critical issues around employment but first i want to thank all of you that are currently serving or have served in our military. thank you for volunteering to wear our country's uniform and to protect the freedoms that make our country so great. and thank you to your families, too. but everybody join me in giving them a round of applause? [applause] as president bush rightly said our country can never fully repay our veterans that we ought to try and because of the support the president and mrs. bush, we are here to talk about how to do that and i think them for their leadership.

today we brought together leaders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors to discuss where progress has been made in addressing military employment and where there are challenges to overcome. people here for members of the military and their families and their struggles and triumphs as they navigate to civilian life and we would get a first look at a roadmap created by the institute. it serves as a guide for the men and women of the military as they seek meaningful long-term employment as civilians. we know that securing meaningful long-term employment and experiencing a successful transition from military to civilian life go hand-in-hand. our citizens have answered the call to support our veterans and military families with opportunities. over the past five years the over 2,000 businesses who are

part of the coalitions in this room hiring that he rose, the 100,000 jobs coalition led by j.p. morgan chase, blackstone as well as organizations like bank of america have committed to hiring veterans. our government partners from the department of labor and pentagon have made successful employment transitions added a a tough parity by topic already by providing new programs, resources and partnerships. we've seen the emergence of nonprofits like hiring for heroes, american heroes, american corporate partners and hiring heroes usa to name just a few. this effort is paying off and we see that an improved hiring and employment rates. while there've been many successes, there's still work to be done. it's too early to declare victory. we must sustain the attention, resources and effort we've begun to keep this critical issue and we must leverage the lessons of the practices as we address the

gaps that remain and better focus the efforts going forward. we all know that it's inexperienced and valuable group of individuals. sometimes translating their experience in a way that leads to jobs can be challenging and employers often struggle to understand the skills experiences, strengths and challenges they have. this understanding is what we call the civilian military divide that's why it's important to include military families in our discussion. military spouses are the first line of support for the veterans and are the backbone of the family while the servicemembers deployed and returning to civilian life. we believe helping members of the military and their families successfully transition to civilian life is part of our

national responsibility not only because it's the right thing to do but because it is good for our economy and our national security. thank you again for joining us today and your commitment to providing job opportunities and financial stability to our veterans and military families. i look forward to our conversations ahead and the ongoing work to support the men and women who volunteered to protect our country. now it's my pleasure to introduce the partner for today's event, my good friend, the mighty president and ceo president and ceo of the chamber of commerce, tom donohue. [applause] >> thank you very much margaret and good morning ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the chamber and the whole. if you can look at the ceiling once again you will see the history of the opening of the western world and if you look at the flags they are of the great

explorers, and we have many of them here with us today. margaret was a very effective leader of the chamber's foundation that was the home for all we are doing in hiring our heroes. we had to let her go so that she could go to texas and help the president, and it's worked out very well for all of us. the center and its military service have been a strong partner for the foundation hiring of a heroes. we couldn't be more proud of the hiring of a heroes program and of all the good work that is done and continues to do. it was built around a pretty simple idea if we could honor the men and women who have served the country by connecting them with good jobs and putting them on fulfilling career paths, we would be doing something highly significant. there was and remains a need for these efforts as nearly a million servicemembers

transition out to active duty into the civilian workforce in the next year. the growing team keeps hiring everybody in town. they help drive the nationwide movement and leaders in the private and public sector and businesses of every size have lined up to support this mission. they've given their time, money and commitment to hiring veterans and military spouses. one of our strongest partners is capital one which has been instrumental in our hiring 500,000 euros campaign. i am pleased to announce that as of last week the campaign has reached its goal over half a billion veterans and military spouses have found jobs through this initiative. and stay tuned.

[applause] we are going to topic. the companies have committed to hiring another 200,000 veterans and spouses. it's a remarkable milestone but the truth is this has never really been a hard sell. when employers do the math they see that hiring these heroes is not only the right thing to do for the country. it's a smart thing to do for their business. so, we are going to keep the momentum going and we look forward to working with all of you in making this a much bigger program in the future. ladies and gentlemen, we have a very special guest today to help us kick off the program. president george w. bush is a leading champion for this generation of american heroes. as the the commander-in-chief, he supported the troops and families in ways large and small

in private and public and continuing to honor and support those who have served our country remains a central part of his life both for him and mrs. bush. please join me in welcoming the 43rd president of the united states, the honorable george w. bush. [applause] thank you very much. thank you very much, tom. it's nice to be back here. kind of. [laughter] i'm very proud to join efforts with the u.s. chamber, and especially to be able to honor the hiring heroes program which we just heard is effective.

it takes a lot to bring us back. being a grandparent is to be comfortable. [laughter] by the way of a grandchild is the smartest grandchild in america. [laughter] but supporting the vets is important and i'm honored to be back here to do so. i know the secretary of labor will be here pretty soon and i want to thank them for coming. i want to thank jim nicholson to former secretary of veterans affairs key member of my cabinet for being here and the admiral united states navy vice chairman of the joint chiefs, thank you for the service and i want to think the thank the active-duty members who are here if you would stand up i need to look at you. there you go. [applause]

of course you heard from margaret. prior to that she was the secretary of education and get a really good job and she is helping us at the campus in dallas texas to foster smart policy and take action to help change people's lives. that's what i think the post-presidency ought to be about. like margaret, laura and i are still passionate about education reform. i ran for governor of texas and because of education i remember calling my mother and i said i want to run against and richards

because i believe so strongly in education reform. she said you're not going to win. gee, mom. [laughter] so we defend accountability and published schools and then we are hoping principles become the leaders that they should be. we believe women will leave the freedom movement in the middle east. i believe strongly freedom is a universal right and i believe that freedom is the only way for peace and i believe freedom will lead the movement and therefore we are hoping the women in tunisia and egypt become leaders to help change those societies for the sake of peace. we are working with good assets of presidential libraries, lbj, 41, 42 and 43. that would be bad, clinton and

me, so he we've launched the leadership scholars program. so we take the talented professionals from all over the country all fields of work and we develop a curriculum that will sharpen their leadership skills by using case studies of each presidential library. those that have served in the military have a special knack for leadership and a special place in my heart. i masked a lot do you miss being president backs i miss some things about being president. i missed having a shower on an airplane. [laughter] i miss the pastry chef. i miss the people with whom i served. i don't miss much else. i'm comfortable in my life. but there is one thing i miss and that is looking in the eyes of the men and women who

volunteer to serve the country saluting them. i miss being the commander-in-chief of our great nation and so i've decided to dedicate the rest of my life to helping our backs and those with whom i was honored to serve. after 9/11, as a vietnam era guy it was startling to think back about the response when millions volunteered and now they are coming home to reenter society. the next five years, 1 million brave men and women will complete their military service and return to civilian life and the question is can we help them in a meaningful way. they face challenges different from the battlefield. some feel misunderstood or underappreciated. too many can desperately so.

they struggle to find the right kind of help for their specific situation and they are rated higher than the rest of the country. they have difficulty finding meaningful careers. some of the bush institute the literary service initiative is helping americans better understand the veterans more effectively support the veterans and take advantage of the opportunity to employ the veterans. that is the mission. it is led by the army colonel special operator &-and-sign man of people here for a little later on. oswald is being held by a marine i want to thank those of you that have helped get our programs started. one such stage a good friend of mine is general pace the

chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and the chairman of the advisory committee. he's one of those that do not believe in retirement. once a marine, always a marine. a general, it's good to see you. we are starting with this support for the troops since 9/11 has been overwhelming but we really haven't asked many important questions like who are the best, what do they need? so in the effort to better know the veterans and understand how to help them the bush center partnered with the institute of the military families at syracuse university. we created one of the most breeds of studies conducted on post-9/11 vets. we learned some hopeful things. 82% of the post-9/11 vets said they would recommend military service to someone considering signing up. and when asked if they are probably service, 94% said yes.

found some troubling statistics. 84% of the veterans say the american public has little awareness of the challenges facing them and their families. it turns off most americans agree. 71% of americans said they do not understand the problems facing our veterans. we hope hope called this the civilian military divide. one lesson of the research is that the researchers that the divide is exacerbated by public perceptions the veteran is either a hero or to be pitied. most don't consider themselves heroes are victims. they see themselves as americans that on a tough job and did it well. they don't want solutions or expressions of condolences. it never hurts to say thanks but that's not the point. but most want is to have their service understood and

appreciated for what it is calm and informative experience in their life and a source of skills and values that prepared them to succeed in civilian life americans in uniform when they came back from vietnam were treated shabbily. opinions about the war or not, the treatment of the veterans was disgraceful, it shameful to come. since 9/11 has been a healthy debate as there should be that americans have put political views aside and strongly support our troops and vets. more than 45,000 not-for-profit organizations in the country have a mission at least partly related to serving veterans. it's a big number number and a great testament to the country's strong support for veterans.

but it can be overwhelming for the newly returning veterans looking for help in one of these organizations have good intentions, some deliver better results than others. so, bush institute has undertaken a project to help measure the effectiveness of these ngos we study the data and data including payment of the veterans served in the quality consistency of outcomes produced to help refine our analysis, we conducted case studies on some of the leading and most effective organizations. we released toolkits and organizations and funders to achieve higher standards and mass the good intentions of all results. the study of the veterans reveal post-9/11 veterans face even higher rates of unemployment than the civilian counterparts. and that is a top concern. most of the affected veteran serving nonprofits recognized and are responding to that priority.

in addition to the chambers hiring the heroes program, he believed by the by eric we are joined today by corporate partners and i want to thank you for all that you are doing. you're doing. you will hear from them later. it's especially intense for young veterans, those that would combat experience and enlisted without a four year degree or certification minorities and women and sadly the cost of unemployment are not only financial. studies show that veterans with a steady job are more susceptible to other problems like depression, addiction, homelessness and suicide. we've studied and analyzed the most significant barriers to the veteran employment. one problem is that veterans and employers have a hard time translating military experience. there is a language barrier.

say a person applies for a job on for midsized sniper likely to vice president of human relations is going to say we don't need one this year. [laughter] i had that person put on the application form i had a lot of experience dealing with pressure i'm loyal to a cause greater than itself and i understand how to follow instructions. i am a responsible citizen. during some of my time but i've learned is that skills are

teachable and what matters most is the character of the human being, the values for the work ethics and the sense of personal responsibilities and this responsibility is into this is what the veterans bring and this is what all of us in the room are going to help employers understand. when a resume says united states military, to me it says you can count on the applicants to be loyal, discipline, team player and proven leader. businesses are recognizing that hiring the heroes, hiring the veterans is not only the right thing to do but it's the smart thing to do. part of our mission at the bush center is to call attention to those folks. many companies have innovative programs and some of them are here. and by the way we are talking about the spouses as well. so, i'm going to give a shout out to 7711, bank of america complex so i'm a jcpenney, j.p. morgan chase, usa and wal-mart.

there's a lot of other companies, no doubt about it. but these are the ones that have come with the updated programs that are more than just a program. they actually provide work that last and we thank them for that. bank of america merrill lynch is a company that understands hiring the best is more than a more limited. it is good for the bottom line, and if i wanted that sergeant carl white. he took advantage of the g.i. bill and graduated with a degree in finance from usc charlotte. he was a product specialist, i don't know what that means. anyway, he called himself a product sergeant. every day at the office he brings the bag of skills that he learned in the military.

i met him there in dallas. you might have heard about him. he's a medal of honor. he put his life on the line to save his buddies. he talked to me about the challenges he faced transitioning. he had what was then diagnosed as ptsd. the symptoms of posttraumatic stress can be tough on veterans and their families. another problem is there's a stigma attached partly because it is mislabeled the disorder and many people are not aware of the treatment options some veterans suffering from post about extras are reluctant to seek help. as a result of the a misunderstanding, it's another barrier to employment and

something that we are trying to help the employers understand to make the results on the job front even better. most doctors will tell you post dramatic stress is not a disorder, it's an injury that can result in the experience of battle. it's treatable. in the military and medical communities have made progress in developing effective ways to deal with pts. so we are starting an effort to drop the d to help people better understand that we are talking about an injury. we want to make sure that the vets receiving treatment treatment are not viewed as damaged goods. they are not mentally shattered. they are people that got hurt. and employers wouldn't hesitate to hire a talented employee

getting treatment for high blood pressure or recovering from a broken arm. they should not hesitate to hire a vet being treated for pts. one of the generals, the head of the army when i was president -- he's a good man on the advisory council -- he has made it his mission to spread the word about the science behind pts and a medical treatment veterans can receive. at the bush the bush center we work with pioneering programs like piece of one mind, and why you military clinic, the national center of excellence in others to address challenges caused by pts. our goal is to eliminate the invisible wounds of war as barriers to employment and income are the vets to realize their full potential and therefore, empower the country.

to help veterans overcome the obstacles to employment, find the resources they need and navigate the path to meaningful civilian careers. today we are releasing the veteran employment transition roadmap. as the military would say, vet roadmap. we developed in partnership with high hearing our heroes and starting this morning veterans can download it for free at bushcenter.org. the roadmap we will walk you through later breaks down the job search into three phases. it outlines essential steps and provided sources to help veterans lead as civilians. our vets have taken on the toughest task imaginable, and now it's our job to continue to help. we are thrilled to be here and we thank you for your efforts. there is no doubt in my mind we

can succeed. god bless. [applause] ..