>> ladies and gentlemen, in commemoration of the battle of midway our chief will place a wreath on the memorial in honor of this great american naval victory. a wreath laying ceremony here serves as the cornerstone for many similar ceremonies throughout our navy. let it be known as our chief of naval operations places this wreath others are being presented around the world in honor of those who fought in the battle of midway. we pause to remember and honor the spirit of midway and our navy marine corps coast guard and in our nation. we pausz to honor all who served or are serving with honor, courage, and commitment.

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>> ladies and gentlemen, captain

gary w. core, united states navy will offer the invocation. >> please join me in prayer. eternal god, today we render honor to our veterans and those who sacrificed their very lives at the battle of midway, 70 years ago. we give thanks for their courage, faith, and valor, that led them to victory. as we have learned many lessons from our past, help us leverage knowledge and wisdom for our present day and for our future. gracious god, you who have given us this good land for our heritage, we humbly ask that you work with us, in us, and through

all our endeavors that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of your favor and glad to do your holy will. defend our liberties and fashion us into one united people. the multitudes brought to us from many kindreds and tons that while we build diversity we may strengthen our common bonds in unity of effort. bless our navy leaders with the spirit of wisdom as in whom thy name we entrust the authority of command. as they lead our navy that we may successfully fulfill our mission in war fighting that there may be justice and peace at home, and through the discipline of law and the opportunities of liberty, may we show forth praise among the nations, and ultimately to thy holy name. amen.

>> ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to introduce the director of marine corps staff lieutenant general willy j. williams, united states marine corps. [ applause ] >> i thank you. and good morning. distinguished guests and more importantly, our midway veterans. on behalf of the marine corps and sergeant major i'm truly honored to be here to pay tribute to these heroic veterans of the battle of midway. as we pause to remember this battle and its impact on our nation's history, we recognize that it was a turning point during the war. in the same vein as gettysburg,

and palusia. the japanese navy sailed with the intention of drawing the u.s. navy into an all-out fight. one that would eliminate the remainder of our presence in the pacific and clear the path to hawaii and even the west coast. and all that stood in their way were 3,000 marines, sailors and a few soldiers on midway island. that's the last slim line of defense between the empire of japan and the united states of america. the marines dug in and prepared for what was thought to be the inevitable invasion. and on the morning of june 4th, the japanese launched a strike. marine fighters met the raiders head on. unfortunately it was a turkey shoot and our fighters were no match for the zeros of the imperial fleet air wing.

the formation continued to midway and pounded the island. as fire raged, the gunners kept firing from their anti-aircraft battery in search of enemy bombers. it was so intense the japanese decided to send a second wave to complete the destruction of the defenses. the marines continue to pay a heavy toll during that battle. major henderson led his squadron of dive bombers against the japanese but zeros flying over intercepted them as they began the attack. in the one-sided fight lofton and several others went down. june 5th, captain richard flemings led six antiquated bombers against the damaged cruiser mccuma. anti-aircraft fire hit the plane but he kept course and crashed his plane into the cruiser, setting it afire to the engine

room and slowing her to the point she was caught and sunk by our planes the next day. captain flemings became the 49th and final marine to die during that battle and he was awarded the medal of honor posthumously. the battle of midway was the first in history where ships never saw each other. it was the forced rejection of the carriers. now we fast forward almost 60 years to 2001, the war on terror started with the surprise attack of 9/11. taken more lives than pearl harbor. that was at the hand of an extremist group that sought to bring an tend to our republic and her principles of freedom and equality. although there are stark contrasts in the imperial japanese and al qaeda, both made misjudgments that proved fatal to their cause.

both underestimated the resolve of the american people. as the commander of the japanese navy said after pearl harbor, i feel that all we have done is awaken a sleeping giant and fill her with terrible resolve. and he was right. the nin terrorists also miscalculated. they believed that with one dramatic and catastrophic attack that america would retreat inside her borders. that we would likely resolve to hunt them down at every corner of the globe. by now they realize also that they were wrong. the navy marine corps team was among the first to put american forces in afghanistan. they took the fight to the enemy. their courage and tenacity mirrors that of men we pay tribute to this morning and as long as we have young men and women hike that in this country, so long as our leadership provides them with the values and training and material they need to exceed, and so long as

they have support of the american people, this country will continue to stand for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and our children and grandchildren will be able to enjoy the peace and tranquility. so we are to honor those, those at the battle of midway and all of those who have worn and are wearing the cloth of our nation to make it so. and we thank you and we just wish you god speed and continued blessings, may god bless you and god bless the united states of america. [ applause ] >> thank you. ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming deputy commander from mission support vice admiral brown, united states coast guard. [ applause ] >> good morning. admiral and mrs. greener, lieutenant general williams,

honored veterans of the battle of midway and their families, fellow members of the armed forces, veterans and families, ladies and gentlemen. it's truly an honor for me to he want the united states coast guard at today's commemoration. for as long as human kind has understood and embraced the notion of freedom we have honored those who accepted the responsibility to safeguard it. 2200 years ago, the athenian general said freedom is a sure possession of those who have the courage to defend it. these words describe the entire generation of brave women and men who defended our nation during world war ii, both in battle and on the home front. these words also describe the service of those veterans we honor today.

for their selfless contribution to winning the pivotal battle of the pacific, 70 years ago. the coast guard is proud of its service in the war's pacific theater. much like it does today, in world war ii t smallest of our nation's armed forces almost fill certain specialized roles. in the pacific, that included operating landing craft, and conducting search and rescue missions. coast guard personnel fully cruised 350 naval ships and operated or augmented countless amphibious assault type craft. equally proud to serve along the navy and the marine corps we formed an especially close bond with the marines during world war ii's pacific fights. the coast guard's only medal of honor recipient, douglas monroe, was killed at the canal.

he positioned his landing craft between enemy fire and evacuating marines, sacrificing his life to save 500 others. now, the coast guard did not play a significant role in the battle of midway, but one of our coast card cutters did contribute to the recovery of survivors following the battle. today, taney sits in baltimore harbor, the last ship afloat that saw action in the attack on pearl harbor. but i want to tell you about another veteran of world war ii who holds the distinction of being present both at pearl harbor and at midway. he is retired marine corps aviator major albert rocelli, one of the veterans who connor us with their presence here today. you see, major drocelli is an extended member of our coast

guard family. his son nick, a coast guard veteran, is serving as a civilian here with us in d.c. now, as a young enlisted marine major droceli navigated a team of vindicators which were carrier-based dive bombers, to midway before the battle. he is, in fact, one of the very first ever designated aerial nav gators in the united states marine corps. during the battle of midway, he participated in the flights that brought ammunition in and wounded service men out during the battle. towards the end of world war ii, he was selected for flight training and subsequently commissioned where he earned his coveted wings of gold as a pilot. he had a remarkable career of military service which included

86 combat missions during the korean war. now, were he at the podium the major would be quick to remind us that his story is only one of thousands that could be told of the individual service men and women who helped turn the course of the pacific war, particularly during those three pivotal days including the 307 americans who made the ultimate sacrifice at midw midway. so today, we remember all of their sacrifice and all of their service, along with that of all those who have shown and continue to show the courage to defend freedom. so i, too, say god bless our veterans, god bless the members of the greatest generation and their families, god bless this great country of ours. thank you. [ applause ]

>> thank you, admiral. ladies and gentlemen, it is now an honor to introduce to you our 30th chief of navl operations, united states navy. [ applause ] >> thanks, chief. clean house up here a little bit. well, to the navy memorial, you are on a roll. every time we've been up here in the last six months it's been weather like this. so we must have paid our dues a few years ago when the clouds open and the rain came down. but thank you again for hosting this, this wonderful 70th commemoration, the battle of midway. general willy williams, thanks for joining us and admiral brown, thank you so much. clearly, every time i hear about the battle of midway there is more woven into it and this clearly i see services

operation. i thank you for your presence today. pass my best to the com a dants on my behalf. to our midway veterans, guys, good to see you again. is . . and having a beer the night before and listening to the tales. they continue to amaze me. i thank you again for what you did. we will always remember what you have done for us, what your colleagues did. this battle to find the world that we know today 70 years ago. i thank you again for that. fellow flag officers and friends and supporters of the navy memorial, thank you for your support. thank you for your attendance today. sailors in the honor guard, you look great. appreciate the flags, appreciate the cadence and all that went with it. well done today. this was really a defining moment in navy's history and the country's history. history is full of success

stories and hard lessons. in this year, as this particular commemoration, we are kind of getting a trifecta of special years, the 200th commemoration of the war of 1812, the 70th commemoration of the battle of korocea and the battle of midway. we have to remember what it taught us and what they remember in the past as we go forward in the future. folks, think about it, only five months after the japanese attack on pearl harbor, japanese expansion is seemingly totally unstoppable. they are just rolling through asia. then, there is the battle of coral sea. in some respects, the battle of coral sea might have been an attack or loss depends on how you interpret it, maybe a tie. the it was clearly, a strategic victory. as i look out today and i see the attendance of our naval attaches and our defense

attaches, i say thank you. it is partnerships that make the difference, have made the difference in history and will make the difference to us in the future. so, coral sea kind of stopped the momentum of the japanese. it was really a foundation for the success at midway and only a month later in the battle of midway, the japanese strength like their strength at coral sea was greater. they had more carriers. we had three. theyed four. they had more battleships. we had non. they had two. they had more aircraft. we had about 230. they had about 250. so how did we win? well, there is a whole series of stories and articles written on that, courage for sure and the gentlemen to my left are a tribute to that and a represent prep sen tation to that. i think embedded in all of these campaigns that we talked about and that we are commemorating this year are three enduring

lessons and trades since 1812 that those of us that organize, train, equip and lead forces can take away. i think the first lesson we take away is technology matters. it matters a great deal. there is nothing like well-built and resilient aircraft. in 1812, it was u.s. navy fire power that really surprised the brits and our ships with stood attacks and shocked them into saying, boy, that ship must be made of iron and old ironside got her name, the constitution. in world war ii and midway, the indus does industrial bases and technological advances and resilient ships were key. look at how hard and tough yorktown was before she suddenly succumbed. we built quality ships and

submarines an aircraft then. we bimt quantity. by the end of the war, about 7,000 ships and aircrafts. today are the performance of our ships and aircraft are second to none. we have the finest ships and aircraft. they are durable and resilient. they operate forward anywhere, anywhere, any time, above and below the sea. our country expects it of us for our sailors and for our pilots. te technology matters. we had bold and accountable leaders. they knew how to take a chance using calculated risk. they knew you are not going to get perfect information. in 1812, a situation was presented where there were opportunities to put forth a culture of command and independence, taking charge. captain david porter took charge of that. he grasped that opportunity and he captured the first british warship, sailed around in the cape of horn.

in world war ii, anymore its, fletcher and sprueens at midway showed bold leadership and the ability to be accountable. the same thing happened at coral sea with nimitz and fletcher taking a calculated risk. today, as general williams mentioned, there are people in the middle east and have been taking the calculated risk, willing to be bold and accountable. thirdly, you have to have confident and proficient crews. in 1812, our crews trained daily in gunnery an seaman ship and it paid off in battle as they won encounter after encounter with the british. in the battle of midway, it was the confidence and the proficiency of the crews when things had to turn on a dime because an opportunity presented itself, it was then that turned the tide.

again, the gentlemen to my left who made things happen, grabbed and opportunity, executed well and when necessary, they innovated. their individual skill and their self-sacrifice and jairo womher the difference. confident and proficient crews. today, we have amazing crews. you have a snapshot of your future that marched in front of you as they represent the hundreds of thousands of sailors, hundreds of thousands of marines and coast guardsmen that sail and serve around the world today with expert seamanship and aviation skills as well. sailors who are living their legacy and adapting as necessary in missions around the world. their future success and our future success depends on our ability to learn and to adapt from the historical events of our world. we must always remember those and look to them as we think about our future.

for those that serve today, i want to thank you for choosing to serve. for those of you that support the families, the friends, those of you that support those that serve today, i thank you for that. behind you, over here at about what i would call the 7:00 position is a bronze sculpt and it says the navy family, those who wait also servement i commend that to you as we think about this event, this commemoration, this 70th anniversary of the battle of midway. thank you all for attended today and supporting our veterans and for thinking about your history. let's think about our future. god bless you all. god bless our navy and god bless this great nation. thank you, ladies and gentlemen. [ applause ] .

sxwr. to honor our midway veterans, they have declared this way as battle ofmyway commemoration. joining our sir moan any, each will receive a proclamation signed by admiral grainert. please rise. attention to proclamation. battle of midway proclamation, 4 june, 2012, a proclamation by the united states navy chief of naval op per are racials, where as the united states navy recognizes the battle of midway annually and remembers the proud maritime heritage and traditions. members of the united states navy are extremely proud of their contributions to our

nation's security and now take time to renew and build upon our obligation to preserve our rich naval heritage and history. we recognize the need to carry forward the legacy of the many heroes of the battle of midway that have spoken to our sailors and to the public about their contributions to the navy and our nation. where as, we view the challenges of the future by understanding the importance of our past. now, therefore, i, jonathan grainearth, chief of naval operations by virtue of the authority vested in me do hereby proclaim 4 june, 2012, battle of midway decoration day and remember those who have led their way through bravery and sacrificed to make ours the world's greatest navy. in witness hear of, i have set my hand on this 4th day of june in the year of our lord in the 236th year in the united states of america. signed jonathan