the honorable sally jewell, secretary of the department of interior. a great american, gary sinise, national spokesman of the disabled veterans light memorial foundation. robert vogel, superintendent of the national mall and memorial parks. michael mccoy, acting director of the national vh chaplain center. representing the disabled veterans life memorial foundation, are its passionate, hard-working board of directors who have been charged with erecting this memorial and they spent the last 16 years working on this and have given countless hours of time to ensure its successful completion. mrs. lois pope, co-founder and

chairman of disabled veterans' life memorial. thank you. co-founder and president, arthur wilson. secretary dennis joyner. treasurer gene murphy. mrs. diane mussleman. roberto bobby barea. we owe all of them a deep debt of gratitude. another round of applause for all of their hard work. thank you for your work. and sadly, there are three men who made enormous contributions to the memorial who did not live

to celebrate this special day. the honorable jesse brown, former secretary of veterans affairs and co-founder of the memorial. and board members, the honorable gordon mansfield, former acting secretary of the va. and kenneth mussleman, a distinguished disabled vietnam veteran, please join me -- please join me in a moment of silence to honor these three great men. i know they are here with us in spirit today.

thank you for remembering them. we are also indebted today to many individuals, foundations, organizations, and corporations whose donation made this historic day possible. many of them are listed in your program. there are more than 1 million individual donors whose contribution made this memorial a reality. again, we thank everyone for their generous contributions. many of you are gathered here today. thank you all for your contributions. and now i'd like to welcome the reverend michael mccoy, the acting director of the national va chaplain center for the invocation.

>> let us pray. oh mighty god, we invoke your presence as we come today on this ground in our national capital to dedicate our nation's first memorial to living and deceased disabled veterans. we thank you for the american veterans' disabled for life memorial and for those whom you use to bring it into being. we raise this memorial to span as a reminder of disabled veterans sacrifice. may it stand as a lasting symbol of their love for us and for their country. may it stand for the world to

see the commitment beyond the call of duty that they may have given. let this memorial stand, oh god, as a monument that generations now and forever may always remember our military men and women, patriotism, sacrifice and suffering. we ask this day that you make this monument of blessing to all who pass by and whose eyes glance upon it. may it call us to remember that which is commemorates and also to find in it your love forever. feel us with your peace and strength as we bless this memorial in your name. may it span as a symbol of the love that we have for each other and as a reminder to us and to

our nation of the cost of freedom, inspire the president and others who shall speak on this occasion. and may we all carry to our homes an increased love for our country and for nation's disabled veterans. in your name, o god, we bless and dedicate this monument. amen. >> ladies and gentlemen, please rise if you are able for the presentation of colors by the armed forces color guard military district of washington and remain standing for the pledge of allegiance and our national anthem.

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>> to lead us in today's pledge of allegiance, the director of veterans' life memorial foundation, mr. robertoberea. >> please join us. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands. one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

>> thank you. you may be seated. it is now my pleasure to introduce our first speaker, mr. lois pope, whose commitment to disabled veterans knows no bounds. she was instrumental in the creation of this memorial. joining forces in 1998 with then

dav national adjunct arthur win son and late secretary of veteran affairs, jesse brown. please welcome lois pope. >> thank you, ray. thank you for that very gracious introduction. and thank you for your strong interest in support for the memorial for so many years. good morning, everybody. and welcome to the dedication of this magnificent american veterans' for life memorial. history is being made here today. at long last we have a memorial to inform, educate and remind

our public of the courage, sacrifices and the continuing struggles of the more than 4 million living disabled veterans and the hundreds of thousands who have died before them. these walls stand as a symbol our disabled veterans have never been forgotten. to adjust to new family life and professional realities. our respect and recognition of >> our respect and recognition of their struggles and sack ra fiess are long overdue. [ applause ]

>> i wish i could tell you that i've always had the plight of disabled veter rans close to 34i heart. but that simply was not the case. i started out as a young broadway actress in musical theater. i was naive and clueless about the horrors that war can inflate on the bodies and minds of human beings. disabled veterans first entered my consciousness in the 1960s in a dramatic way when i was asked to entertain vietnam vets at the russ rehabilitation center in new york city. as i walked into that room, jammed with men lying on gurneys, hobbling on crutches

and multiple amputees in wheelchairs. ifgs shocked. but a piano started to play and i began to sing the song kwt somewhere" from "west side story." and as i sang the line hold my hand and i'll take you there, i reached out to hold a young soldier's hand. but he had no hand for me to hold. that was my first impression of the sacrifices that our nation's disabled veterans have suffered and sacrificed. years later, estopped by to place my hand on my cousin's name inscribed on the vietnam memorial. a young man, multiple amputee, struggled in a wheelchair to lay a bouquet of flowers on his

buddy's name. as i turned to leave the park, i asked the park ranger where, where is a memorial for disabled veterans. and he said there wasn't one. well, that was it. that did it. that was a spark. that was the catalyst that september me on this 16 year quest to build this memorial so that our nation's disabled veterans could earn the respect and the recognition that they so deserved [ applause ] the memorial, though, we dedicate, is the rightful achievement of the many. >> the memorial is the right achievemented of the many. and talent to the project. chief among these were the late jesse brown, who's standing

beside me here today in spirit. he was a former secretary of veteran affairs and arthur wilson, past national adjunct of the d.a.t. he's sitting right here. [ applause ] he is also the co-founder and president of our memorial foundation. to the many donors of the memorial, both large and small, to the dedicated board of directors, to its superb staff, to the able and cooperative members of the united states park service, you have my profound gratitude. this magnificent edifice was built with private donations and largely, largely, from the disabled veterans themselves. this is their gift to a grateful nation. [ applause ]

this is a day of firsts. this memorial is the nation's first public tribute in our history to the 4 million living disabled veterans and those who have died before them. it is also the first in our history to honor the men and women of all five branches of the military services, army -- where are you guys? navy, marines, air force, and coast guard. yea, coast guard. okay. it's the first in our history to honor all of our disabled american veterans and over all of our nation's conflicts. all of them. all of our nation's conflicts

and wars. of the 12 memorials along the mall, sits closest to the united states capitol. a mere 1,000 feet away. this is significant because this memorial with its ceremonial flame bears witness to one and all including our elected representatives in the nearby capitol of the continuing human costs of war. today our journey that began so many years ago in new york city has ended. but our fight for disabled veterans continues and our commitment to their cause endures. for too long, they've been unsung heroes.

today we say, unsung no more. thank you. >> thank you, mrs. pope, for your vision, dedication and generosity. i just noticed sitting in the front row here, an outstanding member of congress, outstanding veterans affair member. jeff fisher. thank you for your leadership. stand up and be recognized. you've been a great leader for veterans. thank you for being here.

now i'd like to welcome the outstanding secretary of interior, the honorable sally jewell has shown great leadership since arriving at the department of interior. the nearly 20% of america's public lands, national wildlife refuge, national parks, including the very spot on which we stand today. w please give a warm welcome to the secretary of interior, y secretary sally jewell. >> thank you so much, ray, and thank all of you for coming out on this spectacular day. i can't think of a better day to honor a better cause than what h

we're here for today, and thanki you, lois, art, volunteers, and over a million donors and the board members for what you have done for all american people through this spectacular memorial and everything that it stands for. fiv one of the great privileges of being secretary of the interiorg is the honor of overseeing the national park system. 401 special places that tell the story of america. among those are more than 50 national parks, which include wh monuments and battlefields that serve as the memorials to the men and women who fought for our freedom across the country and around the world. collectively these sites underscore the cost of war, the burdens and the sacrifices that few make on behalf of the many. at pearl harbor oil still leaks to the surface from the "uss arizona" after more than 70 der

years, a reminder of over 900 men entombed in the sunken ere, battleship below.rful i have been there, and it's a f powerful placero.rans a few blocks from here the vietnam veterans memorial is a living memorial where visitors have left more than 400,000 poems, flowers, photographs, and other items in remembrance of the 58,300 men and women whose names are inscribed on the walln and i invite you to go there to see this memorial live and the number of people that come ever. day to pay tribute. so today it is a great pleasure to add a new memorial to the national park system to honor those who carry with them the visible and the invisible scars of war, a memorial dedicated to disabled veterans, our friends, our neighbors, our co-workers, our family members who bear the physical and emotional cost of defending our country. like so many of our national

parks, the american veterans n disabled for life memorial is a result of a partnership between the american people and their governmentth.vernment with the inspiration and funding coming from private citizens ane organizations, and i applaud all, all who contributed their time, their talent, and their treasure to making this day coni possible. thank you, all of you, who appl contributed. the national mall is one of the most visited places in the national park system with 24 the million visitors a year. many of those visitors will now cross independence avenue just over there to visit this memorial.volu and when they arrive, a volunteer coordinator with the national park service named james pierce might just be the one who greets them, like he greeted me when i came shovel it hand to do work on the martin n

luther king, jr. memorial on a n day of service there. i enjoy running into james as a multiple times on the national w mall. he walks with a brace on his leg, the result of an injury he sustained at a suicide bombing when he was serving in afghanistan, and like many wounded veterans, james has chosen to continue to serve his country as a public servant. he now has a solemn honor to be one of the caretakers of this powerful memorial. so, james, i think you're out there, if you would please stand as just an example of the men and women of the department of interior and national park service who continue to serve all of us. right over there. thank you, james. rit enthintenaarice and thank you, colleagues of james, who also are giving isvice after serving in wars. james' story is one that's echoed throughout the walls of this beautiful space. stories of bravery, stories of injuries sustained, stories of s hope and healing, stories abouts the rediscovery of purpose. the national park service is am

america's storyteller, and on er behalf of the men and women at the department of the interior, we are proud to welcome this s memorial and this story and the many other stories that will be told on this memorial to the national park service family. thank you all so much.or easure and now it is my pleasure to introduce someone who has been an incredible champion, not only for this memorial, but for tivec veterans and active duty u.s. military personnel and families. what began decades ago as a personal commitment to our nation's heroes back home in his native chicago quickly evolved q into handshake tours with the m uso in iraq and afghanistan and around the world. he formed the lieutenant dan in band performing for hundreds of

thousands of troops at home and abroad. in 2011 he established a foundation to honor our troops, our veterans, our first responders, and their families. for his tireless work and dedication he's been honored with the presidential citizens medal, the second highest civilian honor awarded by the president of the united states. so please join me in a rousing welcome to the stage, this actor, humanitarian, and national spokesperson for the american veterans disabled for life memorial, gary sinise. eten >> thank you so much. >> thank you. >> thank you, secretary jewell a for that wonderful introductiony thank you so much, everyone. welcome, everyone.

a special thank you to all our i past and present military here today.boar it's an honor to be in your rout presence. there's my ride.uests o first i'd like to congratulate art and lois and the foundation board of directors who after a 16-year effort brought this memorial to reality.owledgme a magnificent tribute to the most honored guests of all here today, our injured veterans. [ applause ] and also a special acknowledgment to the late jesst brown.begins a i know that he is smiling today. in his farewell address to the nation in 1988 ronald reagan it said that all great change in ae america begins at the dinner table. it is clear what president reagan meant.an it is at these gatherings often with family members that one respects and admires who have ih experienced and sacrificed much

in life that one can have the meaningful conversations that stir our convictions, inspire us to action, and bring us to an understanding of what life is '8 really all about. in the late 1970s and early '80s as a young man, i sat at that b dinner table with a vietnam egdn veteran side of my wife's family, and i began to receive an education of what they at th experienced during the war, how bravely they fought, and how they felt at the shameful way they were treated when they returned home imagine it being a risk to wear the uniform in public as was the case for many returning from b vietnam, and i'm sure some here today remember that all too well.ss my brother-in-law, jack trice, a combat medic, passed away this past wednesday of cancer at age 68, and today, october 5th, he 5 would have been 69 years old. he was like a brother to me and

told me once how after his tour in vietnam, upon arrival back ir the states, he went into a stal in the airport bathroom to st remove his uniform, to change hs into his civilian clothes to keep from being stared at or tad shouted at or possibly spit at.a i will miss jack dearly and learned much from him. listening to his stories and the stories of the vietnam veteranss in my family was an epiphany for me. it made me think hard about thee precious gift of my own freedom and the price paid to secure itm and i felt a strong sense of an guilt for being so oblivious as a young teenager to what our trg vietnam veterans, many just slightly older than i, were going through.eenager but it was out of that guilt and shame that a new mission began,t a need to take action, to do something, to try to make a lt n difference in the lives of thos who serve. in 1993 as i continued my ence journey in television and th

theater and film acting, good things came my way, and i was d fortunate to have the opportunity to play wounded rtut vietnam veteran double amputee lieutenant dan it taylor in "forrest gump." am that role -- plause that role led me to what is now a 20-year association with the p disabled veterans association and for the past eight years thg great privilege as acting as national spokesperson for the american veterans disabled for l life memorial foundation, and this extraordinary tribute to our wounded that we dedicate today.resident it was president abraham lincoln who said, "any nation that does not honor its heroes will not os long endure." today and from this day forward with the opening of this national monument, we honor mill o