because they wouldn't be able to do it without the support of their spouses and families . so thank you guys, i really mean it, you are the best america has to offer . and i know you have a lot of questions for me and i'm not going to answer until they are related tothis. so anybody have any questions about these guys . [inaudible] [overlapping conversation] >> the president ordered seven servicemembers with the medal of honor combinations highest military declaration, six receiving the honor ultimately with biden welcoming their families and

recognizing their sacrifice . [music] >> ladies and gentlemen, please bow with me as i pray for this solemn occasion. almighty god with humble hearts we gathered for you today, grateful for the privilege of honoring these seven courageous and selfless defenders of freedom whose acts of bravery were demonstrated during combat operations in courier and

vietnam. heavenly father, we thank you for their valor and courage in the face of extreme circumstances, for their families and friends who stand with them today in love and in remembrance of six of them who are no longer with us and for specialists kenneth j david who by your grace joins us as our nation bestows upon him and his fellow comrades the medal of honor. the grant also got the strength to follow the noble example of these seven soldiers who are seeking not their own renowned but the well-being of others . pressed forward in the fight, steadfast, strong and unwavering . heavenly father, bless all future generations of americans who hear of a great

deeds of these heroes as our st nation demonstrates a commitment to never forget the exploits of those who defend freedom and lord, bless our beloved nation, empower us to preserve the freedoms we cherish as americans and let the light of liberty continue to shine from sea to shining sea. your holy name we pray, amen. >> please be seated, thank you. ladies and gentlemen, as your commander in chief this is the most solemn occasion that i've participated in inmy four years every time wedo

this event. seconds austin, seconds warren, chairman brown , it's good to see you . representative case and castor, ryan and mcconnell, most importantly veterans, servicemembers and previous medal of honor recipients, today is the final time as commander-in-chief and i am deeply privileged to honor seven american heroes and that's not hyperbole, these are genuine to their core heroes, heroes of different ranks, different position than even generations. heroes who all went above and beyond the call of duty, heroes who all deserve our nation's highest military recognition, the medal of honor . first private bruno orig, proud son of hawaii, bruno joined the army when he

was 19 years old . less than one year later he was completing a mission in courier, bruno saw his fellow soldiers wounded and stranded under enemy fire . without hesitation he ran out to rescue them giving his own life to save the lives of his brothers in arms. that's valor, that's the definition of valor. pfc. , i think it's incredible when i think of the men and women who have gotten this award but pfc. to wataru nakamura after an attack on pearl harbor he was forced to live in an indeterminate camp like my good friend danny who is here himself put in an internment camp but still he signed up to serve our nation during world war ii . during

his last mission in may 1951 single-handedly he defended his unit from enemy attack, fighting until he was killed by a grenade . cpl. fred mcgee a midwesterner steelworker and a gunner, one of the first integratedarmy units of the korean war , that embody the best of our country. in june 1952 hisunit was attacked, they took casualties. they were ordered to fall back but fred refused to leave . until he helpsevery wounded soldier evacuated . pfc. charlie johnson growing up in the words of charlie's high school classmate he was a heck of a football player. back in 1952 charlie signed up to serve in korea . traded his jersey for a uniform but he gave his life to defend a

wonderful of his wounded soldiers . his valor saved 10 men including an old high schoolclassmate . general cavazos, a young first lieutenant in korea who led his men through a deadly mission in enemy territory . eventually he was ordered to retreat but he stayed , he stayed wrestling wounded soldiers one by one till every one of them was evacuated . he went on to serve for three decades in the army becoming the first hispanic four-star general . and captain nelson helicopter pilot and a proud young father he was 28 years old when heand his crew were shot down in vietnam . he freed his men trapped in re the wreckage but when they

began to attack heused his body as a shield to protect them. it cost him his life . his commanding officer called it the ultimate act of self-sacrifice and finally pfc. ken david was here with us today , only 55 years ago in vietnam his company was ambushed, his lieutenant was killed instantly and then ken was hit in the back with travel but he couldn't and wouldn't give up . instead he shouted and fired his weapon to attract attention to him and away from others. and away from the wounded men. imagine that coverage. come and get me , don't get those folks. that's selflessness. can i want to say to you and i wish i could say to every man we are honoring today you are a hero, a genuine line hero . flat out straight up american hero and we owe you,

their families of you. let me close with this. senator as i said earlier these are my final days as commander-in-chief and it's been the greatest honor of my life to be entrusted with the greatest fighting force in the history of the world, the finest military in the history of the world and every day their integrity, patriotism and courage to learn the stories of americans like bruno and fred, charlie, richard . americans who not only fought for our nation but embodied the very best our nation has to offer . and they also let me saythis, today we award these individuals a medal of honor , we can't stop here. it's up to us to give this metal meaning, the defining, to keep fighting for one another, for each other. to keep defending everything

they fought for and many of them died for. the ideals of america , the freedom we cherish, the democracy that has made poour progress possible . remember we are the only nation in the world, every other nation is built on geography, religion but we are the only nation built on an idea that we hold these truths to be self-evident, all men and women are created equal . they deserve to be treated equally throughout their entire lives . we never walked away from it. today we must say clearly we never ever will. now it's my great honor to ask lieut. col. anthony the medal of honor to read the citations. and thank you all for being here and god bless you . may god also protect our troops who are still engaged . thank you.

[applause] >> loretta couric on accepting on behalf of her brother private bruno orig. attention to orders. the president of the united states of america authorized by the acts of congress march 3, 1863 has posthumously awarded in the name of congress the medal of honor ve to private bruno orig. for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty . private orig distinguished himself beyond the call of duty while serving with company g 23rd infantry regiment second infantry division in the vicinity of chipyong-ni

courier. while returning from all wire laying mission he observed a number of his comrades who had been wounded in a fierce enemy attack that was still in progress . with complete disregard for his own safety private orig remained in an exposed position to administer first aid . with the assistance of several comrades from the company command post he began removing the wounded to a place of safety while returning from one of the strips he noticed that all except one man of the machine gun crew had been wounded. without hesitation he volunteered to man weapon rip remaining in this position he placed such effective fire on the enemy withdrawing friendly platoon was able to move back without a single casualty . private orig continue to inflict heavy casualties until the company positions were overrun later when the loss rundown was captured private orig was found dead in the area in front of his gun was littered with any dead . private orig

heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty were in keeping with the highesttraditions of military service and reflect credit upon himself his unit and the united states army . [applause] gary talk to shima accepting on behalf of his uncle pfc. wataru nakamura.

attention to orders. the president of the united states of america authorized by an act of congress march 3, 1863 has posthumously awarded in the name of congress the medal of honor to pfc. wataru nakamura united states army for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty . pfc. wataru nakamura distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity at the call of duty while serving with company 38 entropy regiment in the vicinity of korea on may 13, 1951. at the break of that date pfc. nakamura volunteered to check and repair a communication's line aibetween his platoon and the command post. as he made his way in the half-light he was brought under fire by an enemy force that had surrounded friendly positions

and were threatening to break the defense lines . immediately without regard for his own safety and without waiting for help pfc. nakamura rushed the enemy with fixed bayonet . single-handedly he attacked and destroyed a hostile machine gun nest and drove the enemy from several of the bunkers they had captured . when his ammunition was depleted he withdrew under intense enemy fire then met an ammunition party ascending ed the hill quickly briefing the officer pfc. nakamura rearmed himself, are covered by fire returned the attack. in a fierce chart you killed three of the enemy in one blocker and killed and seriously wounded another in the last bunker . continuing to press he fell mortally wounded by an enemy grenade. pfc. nakamura's extraordinary heroism selflessness above and beyond the call of duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect credit upon himself and the

united states army. [applause] >> victoria seacrest acceptingon behalf of her father cpl. fred mcgee . attention to orders. the president of the united states of america authorized by act of congress march 3, 1863 has posthumously awarded in the name of congress the medal of honor to cpl. fred d mcgee united states army. for conspicuous gallantry at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. cpl. fred mcgee distinguished himself by gallantry and action near tang-wang-ni

courier in 1952 and an assault on any fortified p positions . as gunner on a light machine gun and weapons squad cpl. mcgee delivered a heavy volume of supporting fire from an exposed position despite intense enemy machine gun and mortar fire on his location . though forced to move his gun several times he continued to support the assault and get covering fire to the assault elements of his platoon r. when his squad leader was wounded with several other members assumed command and moved the squad further forward to a more exposed position in order to deliver neutralizing fire on enemy machine gunssweeping the other platoon . when his machine gunner was mortally wounded he again took over the gun. on order he directed his squad to withdraw and voluntarily remained behind to help evacuate the wounded and dead . though wounded in the face he heroically exposed himself

by standing straight up in intense enemy machine gun and mortar fire while attempting to evacuate the body of the b company gunner . forced to abandon the body he aided a wounded man to be moved to the rear end faithfully through a huge volume of artillery fire . the gallantry displayed by cpl. mcgee reflects great credit uponhimself and is in keeping with the highest traditions of military service . [applause] >> doctor juanita mendes accepting on behalf of her brother pfc. harold johnson.> attention

to orders. the president of the united states of america authorized by act of congress march 3, 1863 has posthumously awarded in the name of congress the medal of honor to pfc. charles r johnson united states army for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty . pfc. charles r johnson

distinguished himself beyond the call of duty while defending all post harry against overwhelming odds and making the ultimate sacrifice to save the lives of his comrades in the republic of korea during theperiod of june 11, 1953 to june 12, 1953 . private johnson was serving as a browning automatic rifleman with company b 15th infantry on regiment third infantry division . chinese forces attacked his unit during a massive nighttime assault . during the bow overwhelming numbers of chinese troops ps assaulted the trenches tand bunkers defended by pfc. johnson and his squad . pfc. johnson wounded from a direct artillery hit on his mother and subsequently from a hand grenade road inside the ball got a personal disregard for his injuries administered first aid to those more seriously injured . understanding the seriousness of the situation and being under direct fire pfc.

johnson personally dragged a wounded soldier to the safety of the secure bunker stopping intermittently to anaid injured soldiers and kill several enemy troops in hand-to-hand combat . departing the safety of the second bunker he conducted a search for weapons and ammunition then returned to rearm everyone . recognizing their untenable situation and disregarding his personal safety he exited the bunker placing himself between the enemy and his injured comrades informing them he would hold off the enemy as best he could . his brave and selflessefforts were directly attributed to saving the lives of as many as 10 soldiers . pfc. johnson's extraordinary actions in close combat with the enemy unyielding courage and profound concern for his fellow soldiers are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself to his unit and the united states

army. [applause] >> laura blevins accepting on behalf of her father gen. richard cavazos.

attention to orders. the president of the united states of america authorized by act of congress march 3, 1863 has posthumously awarded in the name of congress the medal of honor to first lieut. richard e cavazos ndunited states army for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty . richard cavazos distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity while serving as company commander company e second battalion 65th infantry regiment third infantry division june 14 and 15th 1953 in the vicinity of korea. on the night of june 14 first lieut. cavazos led his company in a raid on an entrenched enemy outpost with

the mission of destroying personnel and installation . during the initial attack he led his men through intense enemy mortar and artillery fire . upon entering the trenches fierce close combat ensued during which first lieut. cavazos directed enemy fire on the enemy. when an intense enemy mortar and artillery barrage his position first lieut. cavazos withdrew the company and regrouped his men twice more he led his men through intense enemy fire in assault on the enemy position is throwing vital fortifications . during the entire assault first lieut. cavazos gave words of encouragement and by his ve example inspired them to heroic heights of achievement . when ordered to withdraw his company first lieut. cavazos complied but remained alone on the enemy outpost to search for missing men .

although exposed to enemy fire first lieut. cavazos located five battle casualties and evacuated each one by one to a point on the reverse slope of the nearby hill where they could be safely recovered by fellow forces. returning to the battlefield he found a small group of men who had become separated from the main assaulting force and lead them to safety . when informed there were still men ca missing first lieut. cavazos return where you located and led another small group to safety . first lieut. cavazos made two more unassisted trips searching for missing soldiers . not until you was personally satisfied the battlefield was cleared on the morning of june 15 did he allow treatment of his own combat wounds sustained during the action . first lieut. cavazos's conspicuous gallantry extraordinary heroism and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditionsof military service and reflect credit upon himself and the united states army . [applause]

>> deborah nelson mcknight accepting on behalf of her father captain hugh nelson. attention to orders. the president of the united states of america authorized by act of congress march 3, 1863 has posthumously awarded in the name of congress the medal of honor to captain hugh read this nelson junior united states army for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty . captain you nelson junior distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a member of the 114th aviation company on june 15, 1966 near republic

of vietnam. captain nelson was the acting aircraft commander of it aaren't you a helicopter on a search and destroy, since mission when it was struck by a large volume of enemy fire that rendered the aircraft virtually uncontrollable . with great difficulty captain nelson and the pilot were able to crash land the aircraft without lateral controls . at some point after captainnelson exited the aircraft and went to the aid of his wounded comrades . proceeding to the other side he found his days and wounded crew chief still trapped inside. after removing the specialist and placing him on the ground captain nelson climbed into the damaged helicopter to assist the door gunner trapped inside and unable to move . while captain nelson tried to free his comrade the insurgents engaged the aircraft with a

heavy volume of automatic rifle and small arms fire and a range of 30 feet from the aircraft . despite the heavy enemy fire captain nelson continued his efforts freeing the trap door gunner despite being hit by enemy fire. upon removing the wounded door gunner from the aircraft he forced the specialist to the ground and without regard for his own life used his own body as a shield to cover his comrades from the intense enemy fire . while shielding his comrade captain nelson was hit several times by enemy fire sacrificing his own life to save the life of his comrades . his selfless sacrifice allowed his comrade to use a smoke break to signal aircraft that there were crash survivors . the aircraft responded immediately preventing the insurgents from advancing on the aircraft and successfully rescuing the three wounded crewmembers . captain nelson's conscious decision to sacrifice his own life or that of his comrades in the lives of his three fellow crewmembers that fateful day

. captain nelson'sdistinctive accomplishments are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect credit upon himself and the united states army . [applause] >> specialist for the class kenneth david . attention to orders. the president of the united states of america authorized by act of congress march 3, 1863 has awarded in the name of congress the medal of honor to pfc. kenneth j david united states army for conspicuous

gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. pfc. kenneth j david distinguished himself by acts of gallantry beyond the call of duty may 7 for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. pfc. kenneth j sdavid distinguished himself by acts of gallantry beyond the call of duty may 7, 1970 while serving as a radiotelephone operator company the first battalion 506th infantry 101st airborne division near fire support base marine 20 10 province republic of vietnam. this state pfc. david's company came under intense enemy attack from a large hostile force. the enemies assault mortally wounded the platoon leader and resulted in numerous other friendly casualties . upon initial assault and without hesitation pfc. david handed his radio to his platoon sergeant and move forward to the defensive perimeter unleashing a barrage of automatic weapons fire . from this location

pfc. david resisted all enemy efforts to overrun his position. realizing the impact of the enemy assault on the wounded who were being brought to the center of the predator five pfc. david without regard for his own life moved to a position outside the perimeter are continuing to engage the enemy . each time the enemy attempted to concentrate its fire on the wounded pfc. david would jump from his position and yell to draw the enemy fire away from his injured comrades and back to himself. refusing to withdraw in the face of the concentrated enemy fire directed towards him he continued to engage the enemy . although wounded by an exploding satchel chart and running perilously low on ammunition he tossed hand grenades towards the attackers to act effectively counter their fire . the units medic realizing he had been injured moved to his position to provide a but pfc. david assured him he was okay and continue to fight on . pfc. david's courageous

actions continued to draw the enemy fire away from the incoming helicopters allowing the wounded to be safely evacuated. after allied reinforcements fought their way to his company's position pfc. david carried a wounded comrade to a sheltered position and returned and continue to engage the enemy and provide covering fire for the wounded until the enemy broke contact and fled at which point he too was medically evacuated . pfc. david conspicuous gallantry extraordinaryheroism and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself to his unit in the united states army . [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen please bow with me for the benediction. heavenly father as we depart this ceremony a the courage of these seven heroes be our example . may righteousness be our choice and may hold be our guiding

light as we move with purpose in our world. bless and protect our armed forces as they preserve our precious freedom and keep the light of liberty burning bright on the united states of america and our allies around the world . in your most holy name we pray, amen. >> distinguished yesplease remain in your seat as the president departs . [music]

>> i'm the chief logistics officer. thank you for coming here and seeing all the logistics and support functions that support the transition occurring in the month of december . transition for ms action started in july 2023. that's when we started bringing desks in to the finishing process and we have to have 70 desks available by december 1 of 2024 so that in the month of december we start moving these offices in december and they will all have to be completed by january 2, 2025 so that they can be sworn in january 3 and

walk in this office and everything is set up, all the furniture, all the computers, all the phones, copymachines, everything is set up and they are ready to do the business of the people >> this is the house upholstery shop . we have 11 individuals. we restore and refurbish all the original house furnishings. every building has furniture designed to it and we maintain it. all the original furniture was designed with surface chairs and all our sofas, watch your step. horse hair doesn't break down so we still have our pickers. we turn it on and when we take it out of the chair from 1907, it doesn't break down.

we put it through your and we shove it back in to reupholster. it never breaks down, it doesn't rot . all we are doing is taking it through this massive amount of spikes and it fluffs it right back up sowe can reuse it .t. the ultimate in reusable projects so it enters from the tail, ialways tell people that . their whole committee is all horsehair inside so the only thing that remains to be done is the letter and the finish so we have been recovering them. we will keep doing it . this chair doesn't go out

until everything under here is horsehair and then it will all be horsehair and it's all hand done and stitched. so it comes out looking like that . >> experience history as it unfolds with c-span's live coverage as republicans take control of both chambers and the swearing in of the 40th president of the united states on monday life from the house jennifer witnessed vp harris presided over certification of the electoral college boat for this session to confirm donald trump as the winner of the 2024 presidential election and on january 20 tune in for our life all the coverage of the presidential inauguration has gone from

takes all the office becoming the 47th president of the united states . stay with c-span this month for a comprehensive liveunfiltered coverage of the 119 congress and presidential inauguration . democracy unfiltered. >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government funded by these companies and more including buckeye broadband . >>. >> buckeye broadband supports c-span along with these other television providers giving you a front row seat to democracy.