i walked across the green of yale and there was this line of about 300 yards of white. it was the nine navy authority students. that is the start. after 40 years of not having any kind of rotc, it is a great start. we are making progress. it will take work. if the military and civilian parts of society are not forcing themselves together, you build up here. -- fear. you build up mistrust. you do not know. you have to find that. it is frightening for a veteran to go to a university or to go into business. this is a veteran who may have walked into danger in iraq but it is frightening to walk into a company and try to get a job because it is a different culture. same with going to a big university. the organizations, the institutions have got to open their arms. there will have to be an awful lot of veterans and some who will week bills behind them.

-- who will help lead those behind them. it is different than after world war ii because the smaller population, which makes it harder. they are more of a minority. it is important we do these things to reassure them and the organizations. >> i need a point of order. [laughter] >> you can go on this time. i do not want to through do that again. >> it is not as ivy league schools. my college -- public institution that serves the inner-city section of york -- did away with rotc about 16 years after i graduated because of the vietnam war. they have decided to bring it back this year. [applause] >> i want to leave you with one story and one thought. i was in minnesota. they have the military appreciation fund.

they collect money for rehab, college, and other things. it unifies the entire state. the speaker was a mother of a national guardsman who had gone three times to iraq. she is a big executive at the target corporation. she did not want to be involved with her son's activities. she went off to see him often. she was named the chair of the parents left behind. she took on the responsibility. look at the young mothers with their children who were crying because her daddy had gotten on the airplane. she thought she owed it to her son and her country into the sun people. -- and to these young people. she gave me the most haunting line i have never heard -- i quickly learned when you are a military mother, you go home and draw the lines on the window

that looked out across the driveway. you cannot bear the idea of the military arriving and a chaplain will get out. that was a template for what military families go through. the rest of us do not have that kind of fear. what we do have is not just the opportunity but the application to reach out to those families -- but the obligation to reach out to those families and these returning veterans. we could not have had two better representatives of the military services than general powell and general mcchrystal. they took ust -- us through our common oblication. -- obligation. thank you all very much. [applause]

one of the many privileges in my life is the range of people i am able to meet. early on as these wars were not winding down, i have two young men talk to me about their mission. they had served in the military services. paul rieckhoff is the founder and executive director of iraq and afghanistan war veterans of america. the first really major organization to address the problems that bring us here. he did not have to go into the army. he did not have to serve in iraq, he did as a first lieutenant. he went to am worse. -- amhers -- amhurst. he served as an army first lieutenant. he was a platoon leader in iraq in 2003 and 2004. from september 7, 2001, he left his job on wall street after 911 happened.

he went to serve. he has dedicated himself to the issues that bring us here today. he will tell you firsthand what you need to know and we all need to know about the success they have had so far and the word that is still to be done. paul. [applause] >> thank you. thank you very much. i want to start by asking you all to please give a round of applause to mr. brokaw, who has been an incredible voice for us before we were able to develop our own. he talked passionately about the greatest generation. he set the groundwork for what now we believe can be the next great generation of veterans who come home and surf. -- serve. general powell and mcchrystal

have an incredible voice for us. because of my unit said -- is easier than being getting shot at. that is true. my story began in another big city in new york. right before 9/11. i was working at j.p. morgan at 60 wall street. i was in the new york national guard. i never thought my first mobilization would be at ground zero. i have come from a military family. my grandfather was drafted in world war two in the bronx. he served three years in the south pacific. my father was drafted in 1968 in vietnam. back then, every family was a military family. i wanted to get back. i never thought it was dark in manhattan. my story is not unique. many people have answered this call.

this generation of veterans is not a charity. they are an investment. it is one of the strongest investments we can make at a critical time in american history. i want to tell you a story via video about a man who grew up not far from chicago and is one of the many members of iava. >> i took the hard road. my story has been a story of success and survival. my name is nicholas. i deployed to afghanistan from january 2007 until april 2008. it is hard to come home. war can transform you. the military does not train you to come back home and be an american citizen.

that is where groups like the iava step in. on my right shoulder i carry my best friend's name that was killed in iraq. he transformed my life. i would not have joined if it were not for him. on the same arm i would get the iava logo. iava transformed my life since i got out of the military. i could have been a statistic. i could have committed suicide. i could still be unemployed. iava did a lot for me. >> are you sure you want this? >> yeah. >> this symbolizes everything that was great about the military and carrying it forward. you do not always see it every

day. you see it in the veterans of our becoming leaders in their communities, great husbands or wives, out there leading this nation and becoming the next greatest generation of veterans. >> that is nick. yes, that is a real tattoo. [applause] the tattoo shop that nick got that tattoo at was created by in iraq vet who use his g i bill money to get trained and started a small business that not the tattoos. both of their stories underscore the opportunity that exists in this dynamic, dedicated generation of young men and women. nick is one of 2.4 million men and women who served in iraq. they represent less than one- half of 1% of the overall population.

in world war ii it was about 12%. not everyone has someone in their household, classroom, but these people are coming home and facing challenges. not everyone comes home from war wounded. everyone does come home changed. some of them are stronger for it. they do not view themselves as victims or villains. they are a tremendous resource waiting for this country to give them opportunities to excel. 15% are women. 30% of them used the g.i. bill. over 700,000 are graduating across the country. they want to continue to serve. that is something you hear from the veterans. we want to continue to serve. that is the opportunity.

we have challenges. over 40,000 have been physically wounded. the unemployment rate for returning veterans is 12.1%. 12.1%. that is what we can track. in states like michigan, it is close to 20%. these folks need an opportunity to continue to serve. not everyone else comes home with stress disorder. one in three folks have post- traumatic stress disorder or depression. they need our help. they want to get involved. they contribute to our nation and communities. what they need more than anything else is a connection. they need an on ramp into society when they return. whether it is at their college , the national guard, or a company, they need an on-ramp

back into their communities. that is what we can do. we cannot do it alone. the va is facing serious challenges. there are almost a million disability claims backlog. folks are waiting to find out if they will get care, if they would get payment, what is next. that can be a burden. these are all solvable problems. the challenge is isolated to the veteran community. these conversations are branching out. you do not have to be a veteran to support the movement. it does not matter who you voted for or how you feel about the war. we can be united and reassured that we do not repeat the mistakes of vietnam. last week there was a high- profile debate on domestic policy. the two presidential candidates that together as americans watched. there was one word you did not hear in that debate -- veteran. veterans w not considered a domestic policy priority.

that has to change. in order for us to galvanize the country and around this issue, you need to get involved. the va cannot do it alone. they need private companies. they need you. a lot of folks tend to think maybe they will be robotic. i was an infantry guy. i have the stereotype. people assume -- wall street, turn left, turn right. they do not appreciate the entrepreneurial string of that come out of these folks. they are dedicated. they do adapt, improvise, and overcome. if you really want to support the troops, hire them. they are a tremendous work force that will not only serve themselves with their communities.

we have been working with different industries who understand that. we were in new york city for advertising. the advertising community understood this was a tremendous resource for them to utilize. they did a job fair. we were in silicon valley where leaders are realizing this is the group they want in their workforce. that message is spreading fast. when you leave, you will see incredible speakers. remember that we are not a charity. we are an investment that can lead this country to do great things through tough times. george washington said -- and we assume a soldier, do not lay aside the citizen. that is what the lead. -- what we believe. we are not partisan. we are frustrated with the in action and what looks like slow things happening in washington. these are the types of folks that can pass through and take this country to the next level. we need your help.

when you leave, take this with you and think about veterans day. it is november 11. every city will have a parade and events. please step up and join. be a part of this movement. help us deliver a return from this generation. we are not a charity. we are an investment. now is the time to invest. thank you very much. [applause] >> imagine what it is like when paul comes into my office with one of his friends. i sit up at attention when he comes in. you have seen now three distinguished american male military officers who returned home on damage from this service.

i want you to meet melissa stockwell. she was a lieutenant in iraq in april 2004. she was hit by an i.e.d. it was on her home. -- her humvee. in a way, her new life began on that day. she is a champion paratriathelete. she is an expert on prosthetics, having lost her leg and had it replaced by what you would not describe as an artificial leg but just a different leg. ladies and gentlemen, melissa stockwell. [applause] how did you go into the army? >> i love our country.

i wanted to be in the military. >> did you go in before or after 9/11? >> after. i was in rotc at the university of colorado in boulder. we were told it was more a matter of when we were deployed. it became real. >> we were making the transition at that point -- women serving downrange in combat conditions. was it difficult to be a female in a military? >> i was in a service support unit. i was transportation corp. we all wear the same uniform. everybody got treated the same in the same uniform.

>> let us go back to that april day in 2004. it is cathartic. we ought not to be afraid to ask about these episodes. tell me how the day began. >> april 13, 2004. routine convoy. only difference --i was on humvee. i was behind the driver. we had no doors, no armor. 10 minutes into the right, a belasco's off. -- into the ride, a big glblast goes off. that was the -- what you see today is the last day i have ever stood, two legs. there was the last of the i.e.d. >> how did they treat to in the field? >> there was a medic. they were two vehicles back. they got and iv started. they did not tell me my leg was gone. i found that out later. i was flown to a hospital. i was rushed into a surgery. i woke up without my leg.

>> what did you think when you realized it? >> it sounds so cheesy -- i have always been positive. i remember thinking and knowing that everything was -- it was ok. i knew i had a strong support system. i would be able to get through it. i wanted to do that. i wanted to start the healing process. >> you transferred from baghdad to germany. how long were you there? >> for about five days. i was stabilized before making the long trip back. >> you are back to walter reed. you get the prostatic. the bad news is we have too many young people losing limbs.

we have learned about how they can be replaced. is this the latest model? is it different from what you got from the first time? >> yes, it is the latest model. at walter reed, we get the best prospects. when i first got to walter reed, the prostatic i got was the latest and greatest. i was able to stand, walk, do pretty well early. in the american public, there are perceptions -- someone sees me walking and they say -- look at her. poor her. her life most be horrible. they think i said in a dark room and cry. but they do not know is that i wake up the next day, put on my leg, and i do more in my life than i would have done with two.

my life is more fulfilled. that day in 2004, it changed my life for the better. that is one perception. a lot of us may have seen the olympics, pistorius. they -- they claim that those prosthetic legs gave him an unfair advantage. that is not really the case. i can do everything i want to do, but i have to work at it. thanks to the media, you have heart breaking stories and the wonderful stories and the reality is somewhere in the middle. >> were you a good athlete? >> i have always thought of myself as athletic. >> you are a swimmer. >> yes.

it started out good. >> what about the people participating in the paralympics with you? you are obviously competitive, but is there a different bond? >> take anyone in the games. they all have inspiring stories. each one of them has gone through an incredible obstacles and have been able to make themselves better. you know that you have overcome hard obstacles. >> having the prosthetic and having improved your life, what is it that they should know about them and how they can approach them and talk about it?

>> treat them like you would treat anyone else. we want to be part of reality. we want to be integrated back in life. we do not want to be treated differently. if you start talking across something i do not want to talk about, i will let you know. treat them the way you would treat anyone else. >> do you have a job? >> i do. what do you do? >> i work in prosthetics. those who were born without limbs or due to trauma or disease. >> when you talk about your work, is it a demonstration of how life is much better? >> absolutely. it is kind of an unknown field unless you know somebody or you have it.

when i first joined the military, my dad asked if they let girls into the military. i was the youngest daughter. it was very unknown. a gib -- big wakeup call. they loved it. a lot of times it was reassuring them that life is ok and that i will be ok. we grew and thrived together. i think that they are proud. >> i think i can say on behalf of all of us that it is ok and we are glad to have you here and share your story with us. >> thank you. [applause]

>> part of the big idea of this conference and the subject is that we want you to have exposure to a full range of people who have experienced the triumphs and the traumas of the war.

this there is nothing harder than having lost someone. michael davis. his wife was back here in the united states, taryn davis. she was stricken into solid grief, but she also knew there was a calling for her as well. their other military widows. she founded the american widow project. dedicated to providing a wide range of services and support for those who have lost their spouses. it has served 1100 women altogether. she was named one of newsweek magazine's 150 women who have shaped the world and a top 10 cnn hero. a recipient of vh1's "do

something" award. we're very pleased to have her as a guest here at the chicago conference on big ideas. [applause] >> can i talk? >> yeah. as she describes her project, i want you to in some way to put yourself in her shoes. britain you got the call in the middle of the night, sometimes from a disconnected voice, and you are 21 years old. you just got the love of your life. expand the moment into the mission she is about to describe to you. the audience is yours.

>> on may 21, 2007, my life ended. it started out like any other day. i woke up to the ding ding of instant messaging. as a military wife with a deployed husband, that made me like pavlov's dog. i ran to my computer and got to see my husband, michael, on the screen. i met him when i was a socially awkward clarinet player in the high school band. it made no sense to me that this gorgeous trombone player would talk to me, let alone to ask me out. but he did. we eventually did it all through high school and college and parted ways to until i received a call from him knowing that he decided to join the army. total surprise to me. we wrote letters every day during his training.

three months after we got engage. a month up to that, we got married. he was the kind of person that if you walked up to him and said "i want to walk on the moon one day," he would not laugh at you. he will look at you sternly in the eyes and say to bring back a rock. he was the kind of person who made you believe in yourself. he loved "star trek" and frozen pizzas and he was my "shark week" companion. he would watch "antique road show" with me even though i am pretty sure he hated it. he was my soul mate. in this conversation that morning, we talked about mundane

things. we did not talk about the missions that he was going on. we talked about what i ate for dinner the night before and what happened on "grey's anatomy." he was just indulging me. he hated that show. in this instance, we were talking about a laptop computer. after a month of deployment, you say i love you in so many ways. i typed it out. "i love you and am in love with you." i do not know why, but i typed out, i hope you know that i love you more than life itself. i am glad that i wrote that. an hour-and-a-half later, my husband would be leading a convoy of vehicles to baghdad. he had been down that road 100 times. there was stop over. when they stopped, they said that they were driving through up. -- forward.

there were explosives that killed my husband and a few other soldiers. i would be a my parents' house and later and getting ready to head home. my mom was asleep and my dad was out of town. when the phone rang, my little sister would pick it up and handed to me. they said, you need to come home. when i asked why, they responded that there are men that need to talk to me. who are the men? i cannot tell you. you need to come home. my heart dropped as a drop the phone. we asked a neighbor if they could drive me to my house. it was the longest 10 minutes of my life. dear lord, please let it be an injury. i stopped when returned on to my street.

i saw the two man wearing the same uniform that my husband wore on our wedding. i got quiet. at that point, it was like a movie scene. i got out of the car and walked to our patio. i remember seeing two men. they were shaking. wait toinking, "i can't talk to him tomorrow about these service members who couldn't compose themselves to notify his wife." used to the fact that michael was killed and i was the wife they were notifying. after that, it was a whirlwind of memorial service and writing the obituary. it became apparent to me that the world would keep turning. i would keep inhaling and exhaling without michael on

there. i could not die of a broken heart. i like to say that with time it became easy, but months later i hit rock bottom. joining my husband seemed like a better idea than being in a world where people disregarded my grief is due to my young age of 21. it seemed better than being in a world where people this regard my husband's sacrifice because of their political views or because of his young age at 22. that night, i took a step back. i thought about michael and what he would want. it would be the ability to stand here with me today and fulfillment teams to have for each other. -- and fulfill the dreams we had for each other. i had to try to live for michael until i could find a reason to live for myself. in doing that i would be embracing this title i had been given -- widow. i went to the one place where i could find answers. i went to google. [laughter]

i typed in "widow." i hit enter. google came back with the response i will never forget -- did you mean "window"? i'm pretty sure for 99.9% of people, that would be discouraging. that was a catalyst to me. i found out that the average age of a soldier killed was 26. 56% of those serving are married. in the past 24 hours, a service member has taken the lead due to -- his live due to posttraumatic stress disorder. their other young men and women out there like me who are grieving and trying to grasp onto any life out there. there are individuals of or behind the statistics.

i want to bring those people together. that is what i wanted to start a nonprofit. thank god google had the answer to that. [laughter] i wanted to create a place where women could come together, men and women together and give the peer support that is necessary to see others like them. we have served many through the american river project. we allow them to overcome mental and emotional problems. it has been amazing. it has been an honor for me to look at them in the face and see perseverance and to see their legacies being carried on through their actions. we are taking the program is the further. as a nation, it is our duty to recognize these men and women. you cannot see it, but they are

there. it is our duty through our new program to allow these women to see not only can we show them the they can survive, but to thrive. given the tangible tools to pursue education and overcome obstacles. these women had given me hope. they are the reason i am standing here today. they have given me purpose. i want to give them that, too. i saw on may 21, 2007 that my life ended. i have learned through each one of their stories and their heroes that the day has not ended, but has only just begun. thank you. [applause] [cheers and applause]

>> we're going to move up in rank. i am a lowly non-com. we have major general marcia anderson. been in the army for 32 years. when to university in omaha, nebraska. went into service. recently let the u.s. army as a general. we are a leader, an officer, a

warrier, a wife, a mother, and a grandmother. summed up, a great american. she serves as in wisconsin, wisconsin been her home. she has served as a deputy chief of army reserve. that is the highest ranking african american woman in the u.s. military. these three women are one more demonstration of the changing face of the united states military and the changing face of our society. i honestly believe and not just because i am the father of daughters and granddaughters, the 21st century will be the century of women. general anderson. [applause]

>> thank you. i appreciate that a standing ovation before i said anything. i appreciate that. thank you for the invitation to join you this afternoon. i also want to thank and i am very honored to be part of this discussion we are having, the conversation of a community about our transitioning service members. i am going to talk to in the next few minutes about what i know best -- what we are doing in the army reserve for our soldiers. we took an oath, many of us never expecting to serve as we

have in the last 11 years. we stayed. we also have more join us. you may not realize this, but the army reserve has over 200,000 citizens soldiers. over 200,000 of them have deployed. some of them have deployed four or five times. they are still joining. they still expect to be utilized because they love this country. they have something special to offer. you may know whether someone who is in the reserve, a family member, because these individuals live in your community. we go to work every day. we work on your car. as a reserve soldier, there are working on tanks and really cool stuff. they may be your dentist. my dentist is a member of the army reserve.

she joined late in life. a person behind in the grocery line might be in the army reserve and you do not know it. i will talk about the programs we have for the special members of our communities. start thinking about things we can do to make these programs better and to expand their reach. as we e-book after these 11 -- evolve after these 11 years of war, we cannot remain static. they need to evolve. we need to support them. i will talk about our partnership program. that is the lynchpin. back in 2008, the army reserve created an employer partnership office.

its sole purpose was to link soldiers with employers. we felt very strongly the soldiers bring something very special to the table. you may see them as an infantry soldier, but that does not explain what they have done and the responsibilities they have had and the equipment they have been responsible for. they do more than supervise people, but they are expected to mentor the soldiers that work for them. talk about professional career goals and sometimes help them out when they have family challenges. you might see a soldier, but i see someone who covers an immense amount of responsibility and touches of the people that work for them. employer partnership leverages those skills. it allows them to connect with employers that need some of

those talents. we all winning. they understand about being a member of a team and the importance of dedicating yourself to something that is greater than to. it is important that we all across the finish line. one of our success stories i will talk about -- a drilling company talks about why they need soldiers. he says, soldiers are good at drilling because it is hard, dirty work, and away from home. supervisors ride you pretty good. doesn't that sound like a soldier? it does. i'll talk about timothy thomas. he was one of the outstanding soldiers have benefited from this partnership. timothy was laid off in 2008.

he was having difficulty finding employment. he joined the army reserve in 2010. he took advantage of the employer partnership offered. this is him with one of his new best friends. you probably cannot tell, but that is antonio banderas. you probably cannot tell, huh? [laughter] he took the opportunity to work. it were extremely happy to have him. he was a soldier who was an asset to the company. uh, i never got to meet antonio. [laughter] other organizations are capitalizing on soldier skills. a major partner in the employer partnership office is a national trucking company. they have hired 1800 veterans. they have 180 in one of their

programs. -- in their apprenticeship program. think about it. you have someone driving an 18 wheeler. they are driving a route in afghanistan or i ran. there is no reason they cannot come here and navigates. no way. [applause] they value the skills and work ethics that the soldiers bring to the table. that is what they are a committed partner. we're talking about noncommissioned officers who are transitioning from acts of duty. -- active duty. maybe they decided to go back to school. maybe they had a lot of deployments. we want to repay those individuals and their talents in the army reserve. we have invested a lot in their training. as a taxpayer, i feel strongly

about repaying -- about retaining those individuals. we want them to transition to the army reserve. this program is a way to do that. find them a job in whatever community decide to move to. link them up with the army reserve unit said they can continue to support and help the army reserve remains strong. we also need to take care of our families. that is a priority in. our families make a strong. -- make our soldiers strong. all of us together can make our nation stronger if we support them and their families. i will talk about a couple of programs we have. i will describe these programs in general. we need to evolve and change i recognize there are different needs than originally thought. we have armies from the

immediate centers and families. there is an 800 number you can call for assistance. the community centers it takes all. it is not a member in your member of any branch of our military service. there was a veteran who was bipolar and homeless. he needed assistance getting food and medicine. he also needed a place to stay. the center was able to help him and connected with people who could help them move forward with his life. if we talk about our families, we cannot forget some of our youngest heroes, the children. the yellow ribbon program which some of you might be familiar with is a program designed for reserved soldiers to assist in pre deployment, during deployment, and when they come

back after deployment. there are various programs provided for them to help with their legal issues and employment and educational benefits to be explained. we bring in everyone. we bring in this house and -- the spouse and single soldiers and child care so they can focus completely a bigger health specialists and -- completely on the behavioral health specialists and opportunities that are being provided in terms of counseling. we make a holistic approach to the entire family. for our children, as army children -- especially the army children -- iowa has a military installation. a lot of them don't live on i nstallations. iowa has no military

installations. we need to rely on the army reserve resources to support our soldiers and take care of them and address their needs. children are an integral part of that. there is something called tutor.com. what is provided for army kids? it is an opportunity for them to connect with appears online. -- with tutors online in more than 16 subjects. there have been over 8 million sessions with army kids and this particular program. i call this a success story. we also a partner with the small business administration, the department of veteran affairs, and the department of labor to provide other opportunities. you have to be pretty of entrepreneurial when you're out there away from resources and try to make do with very little. you need to think on your feet and be created. -- creative. be innovative.

soldiers rock. we also have an opportunity for people who may not have thought of joining. i will talk about a person named sandra. she decided to join the army at 51. i'm 54, so i give her a lot of respect for making that decision. her son during the marine corps. the completed basic training at the same time. i looked at her in the front. her son is the man behind. who looks more tired? [laughter] she is ready to go. she's an example of a citizen who said, i want to do my part.

i want to do my role. i want to add value. that is what she did. she is still serving as far as i know. i think that is great. from my own personal experience, mr. brokaw asked me, how did you get into the army? it was not a plan. it was kind of serendipitous. i went to a small catholic university in the midwest. i needed a science credit. i can't cut up a chicken. i did not want to take anything involved in getting messy. i wanted to take astronomy. i was working my way through college. i had night jobs, so i couldn't do astronomy. a gentleman said, rotc. military science department. too good to be true. i'm still here. one of the best decision i ever

made. i do not look back and anything i did with regret. it has been an honor to serve. i will continue to serve until they tell me to go home. as i talk to you this afternoon, i want to highlight a few programs. there is this perception that we do not have programs out there that are serving our soldiers. we do, but we need your help. we need continued support for those programs. we need you to get involved and get educated. find out where we have gaps in services. come together as a community and provide the support we need for our veterans. this is our next greatest generation. there will be the next members of our state and local legislature. they will be our doctors and attorneys and engineers to help improve our infrastructure. their kids and their spouses will continue to add value.

we need to support them. we need to give them everything we have in terms of opportunities. one of the things we do know is that we have mental health and behavioral challenges, but you cannot be afraid. they just need to know that you care. it goes beyond, how are you doing today? you really do not want to know, but that is what you need to know. you have to get to know these soldiers. they are in your church. you run into them at the grocery store. the pump gas. they are your neighbors. just say, how are you doing? and buy them over for dinner. take care of their families when you are gone. those families find themselves out there without support.

we can do this. i know we can do it. one thing i wanted to remember is the h2h.jobs. everyone needs to sign up for this. the little company down the street -- everyone needs to put the jobs that have out there and post them and hire a soldier, a sailor, a marine, hire a hero. thank you. [applause] >> i want to introduce the real commander of the mcchrsytal family. [applause]

she runs the home front. she was deployed for months and years on end in special forces. could not imagine what it would have been like. this is been a remarkable afternoon, i hope, for all of you. the whole idea was to the big ideas before you and carry out of here and that will help knit this country together when we feel too divided. the most important thing you can do is not just take the lessons from these remarkable speakers, but make a pledge to yourself and your friends that there is never been a more important time in american life than right now to re-enlist as citizens. thank you. [applause] [captioning performed by

national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> coming up, leaders in the film and music industries discuss hollywood impact on american culture, and how the industries are adapting to technological innovations. then, the memorial service for the first man to block on the moon, neil armstrong. he died last august. then, medal of honor winners talk about their lives and experiences. friday morning on "washington journal," the editor in chief of "government executives" discusses the potential impact of budget cuts on the federal work force. the future of the postal service, which has lost $16 million in 2012.

in america by the numbers, a look at consumer confidence with a washington post financial reporter. plus, your phone calls, e-mails, and tweak. -- tweets. >> what if the soviet union and uses' tomorrow that it protect you but it is going to be a war? >> we are going to be uneasy. you have to do something. i will say this. i will keep my own people very alert. >> it is a fascinating moment. the is amazing that eisenhower tells him to have his people

color. everyone is completely on edge. of course that are alert. he says, hang on tight. even on this terribly tense day, they are able to joke a little bit with each other, especially during this crisis. i think they can sense how lonely it is to occupy that office. you are getting all kinds of the advice. there are getting criticism, which kennedy was, including from his joint chiefs. he was able to speak with the supreme authority of of the dangers as well as the advantages of military of vice. >> listen in. the secret white house recordings of john f. kennedy. sunday night at 8:00. "you remember barack obama fifth

speech in 2004 at the democratic national convention? it instantly makes him a national figure. without the speech, he is not a candidate for president. linking gives a dazzling speech in new york. it really is a beautiful testament to the quality of lincoln's mind. but when he ran for the senate, when barack obama give the speech in 2004, he was running for senate, and he won. abraham lincoln lost. think about abraham lincoln in 1860. think about barack obama running for the presidency in 2008 if he had lost the senate election, not if he had won it. that is the level of national of security we are talking about. >> the professor profiles historic and modern leaders to show the lessons that can be learned from those who have had the greatest impact on their time.

he talks on book tv, sunday at 9:00 p.m. and midnight eastern, part of a book tv's holiday >> actor and former california governor arnold schwarzenegger joins a group of executives for a discussion on hollywood impact on culture. this marked the launch of the university of southern california's new schwarzenegger institute. the discussion was moderated by ben smith. from los angeles, this is about an hour and 15 minutes. [applause] >> thank you for turning up for this. it is an honor to be here. anyone who has been uncovering policy in new york kind of feels entertainment industry has this enormous power in politics and

public policy, and also as a dark matter out there. we do not fully understand how it is affecting and changing what happens on the east coast. we have a remarkable panel of longtime leaders in that industry to help explain that to me and to you. one regret -- he apologizes for not being able to be here with us. he is working on the next "avatar" script. i will bring out the panel. the first person is arnold schwarzenegger. [applause] he is our host today. he is somebody who uniquely came from the entertainment

industry and into politics. he is at the intersection of those things. he is extremely active in things like this. he will be starring in a new movie called "last call." the next person is ron meyer, president of universal since 1995. [applause] he is someone who has seen the industry whether the technological changes. prior to joining universal, he was the president of the creative artists industry, which he founded. i will keep is relatively short. the next is brian grazer, the

chairman of imagine entertainment. [applause] and the guys behind shows like "24" and "a beautiful mind." there was a great profile about him. it said that he likes to make movies that are hits and wholesome. i love that. jimmy is the chairman of -- he has a lot going on. he is a producer for u2. there are headphones are a remarkable marketing story.

you can catch it on your phone. he is also a mentor on "american idol." finally, rob friedman. come on up. [applause] he is the co-chair of lionsgate and producer of governors schwarzenegger's latest film. paramount merged with lionsgate and did the "twilight" series. without further ado, thank you for coming. we will get rolling.

[applause] did i forget someone? the topic is innovation. filmmaking has change in the digital revolution. there are great talk down a stories -- top-down stories. when the media environment is being disrupted with kids with iphones and youtube, how do navigate that transformation? >> anyone who is buying our product, we are content providers. someone who is licensing and buying our products is a friend. the innovation works to our

advantage. we get paid for it. [laughter] assuming we are getting paid and most yards unpaid for it, i think it is a friend and not a foe. >> you're successful in the music industry. i guess i wonder whether there are lessons that you learned that we will see playing out in film. >> what i found in 1999, the entire record industry was terrified of silicon valley. it was like a giant spaceship that landed on us. people getting music for free. i come from a music background.

i will talk to one of these guys. it woke me up. i went to one of the founders of intel. i give them a 20 minute speech on how this is impacting the low salary people and the musicians investing in artist repertoire. he said that every industry is made to last forever. i got into the car. he asked, how did it go? i said, we are -- i realized at that moment that we had to do something to augment our business. we cannot as we for the technology industry to help us.

it does taken a long time. business has been slow at dealing with this problem. the basic facts are, in 1999, we were act this amount of billions of dollars. we need to have subscriptions. >> i saw you nodding. i know people -- some will have never heard this language before. i will not repeat it. from the situation of the music industry? >> we were witnessing a car accident or a train wreck. we were on the verge of bringing our product to the dvd market. as an industry, we took a bit of a pause and to make sure

that the protections that we needed for us to release our product to these new devices was at least as productive as we could make it up that time. that was always in counter intent to the hardware industry that did not want protection. it wanted it universally able to be downloaded and consumed. we waited a long time before we allowed our product to come out on dvd. piracy is a giant issue for us as an industry. we have implemented all sorts of activities to work at this on an ongoing basis. we learned from watching the music industry. >> in the end, do you feel that it was worth it? there were some people who were saying that the industry was moving slowly.

>> i feel the same thing. 10 years ago, he created an alert as to what was going on in the music business and we would have the parallel things in the movie business. their piracy meetings. i was probably the only producer there. we could not do much. we disbanded our group and then i really do much about it. it is affecting us. >> that shift has played into politics. the money and power has shifted from los angeles to northern california, at least inside the

democratic party. if you ran through it, you would see for the first time more technology executives down their work studio executives and a film executives. their interests were not always aligned. do you see the power shift affecting your industry? >> they certainly have a lot more money than we do. in short time, they have amassed a great fortune in silicon valley. piracy is a major issue. i think that we are all in one form or another looking for solutions to it. i do not feel affected by it. i think that there are a lot of pluses. there are advantages in

marketing and communication with your audience. good and bad. there are a lot of advantages. we need to find a way to work together. we are not really competitive business. we need to find a symbiotic relationship. >> between the people who run the content and the platform -- >> we are in the content business. with new technology, it will be starved for content. we are seeing a different viewing habits on different devices based on age and experience. it is a symbiotic relationship. there are certain issues we do not have in common. >> one of the big industries is the abrupt rise of social media.

that is kind of where i live a lot of the time. covering politics, you see these political campaigns competing as producers of content with people like me in the news that mess with folks like you in the entertainment business. we are competing for the same time. we're trying to produce a high- quality content. i guess i wonder and i am interested in how the shift toward me as such as facebook and twitter has affected the market and everything that you guys do. give me an example of that. >> well, i will try to addressed both questions. the plot from industry and silicon valley -- we are what differentiates them from each other.

verizon and at&t, how do you pick a phone? technology companies such as apple and sony are culturally inept. they have twitter and facebook, but the content is provided by the consumer. the use it to generate content. you go and you watch them on their own. you have spotify and rhapsody. they are utilities, but they need culture. we have an enormous advantage. google, youtube, apple, amazon, microsoft.

what happens? a lot of cranky people. we have to be smart about this right now. we need to build our own platform. we have what people watch. the content is by older users. other places need content. we need to know how to push it out. we cannot say that we will get 20 cents from youtube and 20 cents from apple and 20 cents from microsoft, but that is not a strategy. there is no reason why been the record industry does not until the user experience or online videos.

70 years of saying that somebody else does that. i resist trying to prove a marketing concept. people are advertising everywhere. hardware companies are intimidating. screw this. i'm going to make a piece of hardware and selling through the culture. i've got to make a piece of hardware as good as they do. they make all of their hardware in china. they're not creating. most of the technology is done in china. here is the new driver. here is the new driver. we build the best headphones in the world. we marketed it to the our culture that we grew up on and that we control. it worked. >> yes. do you think that would have been possible in an earlier media era?

guysm one of the record that gets invited. somebody said, i'm sorry about your business. he was talking as if somebody's grandfather had died. i called up doug. if they are not in to pay for it right now to buy our music, let's figure out a way to get them to listen to it. that is how the phone started. [laughter] [applause] >> do you think that there are

lessons from the successes are the mistakes of the music industry that you're taking to heart other than the headphones in? >> i think what he said is true. their disadvantage is that the music industry has. you can listen to that everywhere and download it quickly. people used to getting music for nothing. they listen to their radio. no money or little money. for a movie, you need to concentrate. yet the pay attention for that when hour or an hour-and-a-half or two hours. it is a different kind of experience. as soon as we learn a lesson, someone comes along and beats us at it. it is easier to steal it than to protect it. we need to get smarter.

we need to find ways to make our product more entertaining and more accessible and affordable and more interesting in many ways. we are working on doing that. we have to give the more reason to buy it. >> does the industry affect policy? an article said we liberals owe not a small part of our success to a tiny cultural elite, basically ignoring conservative critics in the 1980's, going ahead with pro-gay rights, pro-rights programming. and joe biden cited "will and grace" as a central thing in

changing the culture toward gay rights, really very effectively, changing the way people see a lot of these issues. i wonder. you've made music and television programs and one that comes to mind is "24," which kind of got people used to the idea of a black president. when you are producing these, what is the thought process? do you think past the -- >> on that particular thing we did. we thought it would be interesting to do that and that it could expand people's sort of neural corridors and have an open mind about how they would see things in the future. but a lot of the movies i do or the ones i like are about social or cultural issues and i made sure like, for example, on

the "parenthood" tv series there is a kid with asperger's syndrome, and same thing with "a beautiful mind." i'm trying to destigmatize mental disability and at the same tile be entertaining and engage people and also, you know, there are other examples. jimmy and i also produced "eight mile" together and i think the point of view there was, i mean i thought jimmy had a narrative, i had a sort of manifesto and i find of felt that hip-hop was being perceived as a sub culture and i thought 23 we could find a way to prove it wasn't a sub culture, it was the culture and have the establishment acknowledge it as the culture and be established in the lexicon, that would elevate me. it's something i'm excited about doing the

>> jimmy, you produced a concert in philadelphia -- i did. >> right. you did. >> i went to it though. i went to a concert in philadelphia. >> yes. sorry. you called it made in america. i wonder if that was -- which again it was called made in america and again it seemed like in part it had some bilingual stuff, about projecting a very specific vision of america. >> although i produced it, jay- z -- jimmy can speak to this very well. it was jay's idea to show that we're going through a revolution right now and that the restusion is about tearing the walls down and that everybody, you

know, you don't go to record shops any longer and go to the rap section or you don't go to hip- hop and you don't go to rock 'n' roll, but everything is accessible through the internet and that all these kids are, there is a unification with all these kids, they're creating their own message and there aren't any walls. jimmy, i would love for you to speak to that. >> with hip-hop in the 19 0's and going into the 1990's, there were a lot of children from that, kids of friends of mine from all over, and one common thing they would say to me, you know, there are a lot -- there are many fewer racial barriers than there were when we were kids, you know? and i'm not saying hip-hop is the only reason but i think hip-hop helped an entire generation communicate better and understand each other and accept each other better in a way music never did about.

will -- there was still white and black. when hip-hop impacted, one of the things was that movie, eminem and dr. dre' and jay-z brought together kids of all cultures in a way that was so unifying, but it was also, they did something together. it wasn't just listening to the music. it was a movement, an attitude. i think it had a lot to do with it, myself. now you're seeing the electric dance movement along with hip-hop and pop and it's all kind of bringing the same kid to a festival and you're seeing the communities in these festivals really become one and it's incredible to watch. there's a show brian did that had all different kinds of kids at. it was fantastic. >> what we wanted to do was have all different kinds of music.

but we wanted to have the vertical feed through jay-z's perspective. that's going to be in post production and the concert itself will inform this production but if there is such a thing as a hip-hop amadeus, to see it through jay-z's perspective. >> all right. stay tuned. stay tuned. >> if we get to promote stuff, i'm doing it. [laughter] >> and do you think there has been a hollywood campaign that's changed the values on this and turned the country to the left? >> no. i think there are plenty of movies that have -- that are conservative and have wholesome values and run the whole spectrum of what we want for our ose -- society. many of us that are in the film or music industry may have more, sort of, liberral cultural views of our own, some

yes, some no, the governor, but on the sort of other, little bit on the other side and i think we have a variety in what we try to produce and to communicate. >> i mean, one of the issues i think of the film addressed is environmental issues, and i'm thinking about the loe ark special the anybody that doesn't know, it's dr. seuss, about environment al depredation that you made into a film. but this year a film was made called "the truax," but how good the logging industry is. but i wonder how good that film is?

the lorax. >> well, it was very environmentally could, -- conscious. he believed there was a message there and it was a good positive. my wife, who is an environment alist saw it and right away said the same thing, this is a film that can educate children about the environment and the dangers of not paying on to what is going on in the global universe. as a studio we were very fortunate to be the studio but chris was really the inspiration for bringing that to life. as you said, it's been around a long time. those of us that were making dr. seuss films out of his books frankly never thought of doing

it as a movie. so i wish as a studio we could take credit. we were smart enough to be in business with chris and distribute it. but no one ever thought of that at the time. with had "is the cat in the hat" and -- >> but dr. seuss -- do,e all found ways to whether it be television or movies, dr. seuss-related projects and none of us thought to do the lorax. >> there are a the lot of very political seuss books. the later books get very political. governor, environmental nishes are one where maybe despite hollywood's best efforts, people who want to regulate carbon emissions are basically losing the war of opinion right now. i wonder, is that hollywood's failure? somehow the culture changed.

>> first of all, i think the power of films and television is enormous. i mean i think it is much more powerful than politicians ever can be in convincing the voters out there of doing something or going in a certain direction. instance,that, for when we used to promote fitness. i was the chairman of the president's council on fitness and they were debating policy and what to do about the lunch programs athat every school should offer every child three times a week 45 minutes training and all this and how much money should be done. then all of a sudden came out the movie ""saturday night fever"" and disco and john travolta looking handsome with the white suit on and having all the girls dancing. around the globe, they opened up discos. there were more discos opened

up within one year than you can imagine. even in my village in austria, only a population of 800, but there were two discose 0 -- opened up in the year. [laughter] there were young folks dancing and dancing and eventually the amount of people that were participating in dancing and how hip disco dancing became, the amount of calories that were burned off, and all the debates in washington couldn't even come close to what the calorie count was that they burned off with disco. and at the same time, having a great time, government wasn't allowed, nobody told the kids, you can only dance from 6:00 to 8:00, here's the limit to what you can drink, whatever. you can dance and burn more calories than through any kind of physical fitness program. that just showed you the power of just one movie.

inve seen it over and over environmental causes that have been promoted. i don't call it the left so much. hollywood movies are about tolerance. if someone is gay, be tolerant. poetnot like you're pro mole -- promoting, you know, the gay lifestyle, just saying hey, accept it. if somebody is an environmentalist, accept that person. if someone hates smoking, accept that person or if someone smokes, accept that person the let's be open minded. i think hollywood has contributed a lot towards that. i myself for instance when it comes to the environment, the question we have, one should not forget that at a time when you have economic downturn and a worldwide recession and the most important thing is to get a job, i think that will always be the number one thing in the political arena to talk about job creation rather than to talk

about the environmental issues even though eventually someone will figure it out that what california has done was they created the jobs and also at the same time protected the environment because there is a total relationship between job creation and also protecting the environment. if you think about all of the solar plants, building the biggest solar plants right now in the desert. guess who is building that? thousands and thousands of workers are building that. or when you redo bls to make them energy efficient, there's endless amount of workers. when angela merkel came over from germany and asked how did you improve your unemployment rate that quickly, she said, "we immediately made a decision to weatherize all the homes in germany." that's energy efficient but also put the employment -- unemployment rate back down to 5%.

there is a relationship. >> i think maybe people thought "the inconvenient truth" was like that movie or "avatar." do you think there is a big environmental movie that needs to change people's minds? >> i think incon convenient truth was a terrific movie but it is screaming loud for a sequel. it exposed the problem but that's -- has not ever told us what is the solution. that's the next step i think people are waiting for. avenue abtar or inconvenient truth or many other films, i think they're very good because no matter how you put it, whether you are on the left or the right, as eff said many times, people breathing if you are republican air or democratic

air. people just want to breathe clean air and people when they go to the faucet they want to turn on the water and know that that water is clean and not packed with chemicals that will kill you down the line. and groundwater is clean so when you turn on the faucet, that's, you protect it in every way possible. we've got to clean our environment, no matter how we voted. left or right, everyone is afraid of dying of cancer and all be those chemicals in the ground and the air, the particulate matter and all of those things, they'll kill you. that's why we have seen the cancer around. they talked about it during lunch time, the things they have done to reduce the pollution to -- pollution p -- 70%, it was because the people around there were dying and get -- getting sick. it's very clear that pollution kills people.

100,000 people die in the united states every year because of pollution related illnesses. it's inexcusable. they should forget about left or right, just solve the problem. end of story. [applause] >> have you talked to algor about the sequel? >> no, i think maybe it needs different people to do that. >> and we have stationary microphones in the aisles if students want to start thinking about questions. continuing on this, i wonder if your your career you drew a straight line there, if you felt like the governorship was a

logical progression from the movies and if the movies are a logical progression back? >> i don't know if it's a logical progression. but i feel maybe a lil different than most people because as an imi grant when you are received with open arms in a place like that and then you get all the opportunities, as soon as you have made it a little bit, you are ready to feel like, how can i give something back? this place has given me everything. i've always had that need to gib something back. that's why i was involved in the president's council on physical fitness, i was the chairman for that for bush sr. and then started getty heavily involved in special olympics and the best buddies programs and then the after school programs, passed the initiative in california to get more money for after-school programs. that was the debate where the conservatives said the parents

should take care of the kids. i made the fiscal argument that for every dollar we spent on an after school program you get $3 back, great investment because of the teenage pregnancy, the crime, juvenile crime and all that, putting them in jail costs so much more. they voted for it. we have had great success. but i always felt i wanted to give something back. when the recall came up, talking about the power of the movie business, i don't think i would have ever won if i haven't come from the movie business. that gave you the name recognition and in politics as much as in movies, you need the name recognition. very important. and you need to be likable. luckily i made movies that i was likeable. "the terminator" maybe not so. but even that was accepted. but anyway, the movie industry helped me to run for governor,

to have the name recognition, the name likablity and i won. way ahead of my other opponents and i think there is a relationship there for me. and for they it was the greatest honor, greatest pleasure to be able to step into that job and to serve the state for seven years and as i said, as soon as i am finished i will go back to the movie business. that's why, you know, cincinnatus, who ruled rome 200 years before christ, was one of the great believers. he went and r50u8d and as soon as i -- he finished he was a farmer again. i think that's cool. i want to go back and do wa i did before. i'm having the greatest time being back in the movie business and had the greatest time serving the people of california the >> sorry to put you on the spot. but does it change his identity as a star because he was governor of california? or was he such a high star that

people don't even notice? >> well, on his -- the new movie is called the last stand the opens in january. >> what did i call it? >> opens in january. >> what was the date again? >> january 15. [laughter] >> the answer is that the goodwill that the governor built as a performer, as an actor, carried through his governorship and continues to carry on in his return to the screen. >> so people kind of, audiences see it as kind of a continuous identity? >> i think they -- yes, i think they embraced the personality, the person and what he stands for not only in life but on screen as well.

what he did for the state and what he does as a performer. and the enjoyment and entertainment he brings to the screen. >> you were making the case earlier that you think hollywood gives as much away as any other industry, maybe more. i know you came, ed, with your folders from the special olympics board meeting. >> right. >> sometimes you look at -- i mean some of gusegsh you guys are publicly traded companies and there is an investment of time and money. how do you justify that not just as doing good, which is obviously always easy to sell, but how do you justify it as a business? >> i think it is about doing good. it's not just our companies who contribute but we as individuals. everybody on this day for sure dedicates a lot of time and money and energy into charitable work and public service and we as an industry have i think our

town not just hollywood but our community in los angeles is probably one of the most give communities in the country if not the world, with a variety of chairates and causes. and i good evening that it's just a spirit that we have enjoyed in our community and our industry for sure does give back and does, i think preerk the interaction with our consumers and with the people around us and i think that it's instilled in us. it was instulled -- instilled in me early on in my corporate career and i carry through and try to instill it in our employees as i'm sure everybody on this panel has. >> and i guess, why the special olympics in particular for you? >> the special olympics was introduced to me actually in the movie business in 1978 when we had a world premiere for the benefit of special olympics of "superman" in the jimmy carter

administration and that's when i first met eunice kennedy shriver. she introduced me to the special olympics movement. coincidentally i grew up was a young boy in the -- a small southern down -- town it a down syndrome boy, intellectually challenged, who was far from included in everyday activities but he was one of our friends and pals. but you cut to 20 years later, 25 years later and meeting mrs. survivor -- shriver and having her talk to me about the program. i became first involved then. later on in 1990, maria asked me to join the southern california board of special olympics, and i've been involved ever since. i'm currently the chairman of the world summer games coming to los angeles in 2015.

the biggest single sporting event in the world. [applause] over 7,000 ploits will be here. not since the 1984 olympics will there be an event taking place in los angeles of this size and importance. >> and before we get to the question, you mentioned this in passing before, but i think one of the biggest transitions in hollywood ofe the last decade or two is the portrayal of the family. you had an, a really interesting take on this. you mentioned that not in the film but in the tv series "parenthood" there is this kid with aspergers. it seems like it's more of a complicated family, a complicated, diverse family. well, i mean, this all -- many of my foys -- movies deal with

family, whether "friday night lights" or "parenthood" or even "arrested development," they all deal with what looks to be a family unit that makes sense, but then underneath it there is normal dysfunctionality. arrested development is very extreme, outrageous. the tv and movie parenthood, we try to pick real things that happen within family units that are crises for the family that you wouldn't expect. it started off with a movie that looked like the perfect family but undefeated neath -- underneath it you see what the rules of a family are really about. and up deal with issues. one of 9 issues we chose for our tv series which actually jason kidd who created and shared every issue, he has a son with asperger's and he has a son with asperger's and we created

the character in the series. you get to do real-life experiences and express them through the series. for example, this week i looked at a rough cut that my son riley actually experienced when he was going to a normal school, malibu high and i found the perfect school outside of malibu high for him to go to, which took about 10 years to figure out. i one day said hey, i would like you to look at this particular school. he said, no, no, i decided what i'm going to do is run for office. i said, "well, what office do you think you are going to run for?" i was thinking secretary, president. "i'm going to run for student body president." 800 kids, the best and the brightest.

and he ended up winning. [applause] it was the most, you know, the most emotional moment that i'd had ever perhaps because tass life-changing to him, it affected his self-image in a way that was so profound and i let him stay, of course, and serve as president of malibu high and it was just something that changed his life. and now we were able to do a -- an episode that almost replicated riley's experience and it affects people. you get to destigmatize mental disability and the you kids and parents need to understand it. other artists do this all the time. you find a cause, a subject, it's either personal or something you really care about or it's

happening to your family and up get to express it. you get to find a narrative or a vehicle. in the case of "beautiful mind" it wasn't even about john nash. it was a different story about michael lauder. you had -- he had a tragedy in his life though. he was schizophrenic. so i chose john nash. artists do this all athe time. >> do you think the change of the way families are portrayed in tv and film, interracial couples, gay couples, do you think that's something that's led the culture? >> oh, no question. we did broke backe mountain and people said why would you make a movie about two men and their relationship in such a serious, poignant way? we believed it was the right story at the right time and it obviously turned out to be a huge success. but as brian said, you do those

kinds of movies. it's great when it works. but we certainly do everything, i think all of us have been through this before. sometimes they work. sometimes they don't work. but we all care about doing something that makes a social impact of some kind. whether it has to do with the family or with events. for us, i think for me the most important film was the year 1993, a lot of people were involved in making that film. it was a story that was important to tell, about heroism and what people can do in the worst of stirks. i think we have a chance as an industry -- not always because in order for us to come back and fight another day, we've got to make hits -- but you have the chance to tell a story that can make an impact i think on society and the way people think and feel. so yeah, i think hopefully we do

more positive than negative. but unfortunately in a business trying to entertain people you probably get a little be both the >> 1993 was a great movie that did probably not a big hit but did you get another kind of satisfaction from it in >> oh, the satisfaction was beyond belief. it really makes you proud of -- proud to be an american and what people can do in the worst circumstances. when we agreed to make that film, it was a story that needed to be told, and told in the right way with the right film maker and production company. i think when something like that works, we all take great pride and feel quite good about it. >> this is maybe more a question about "brokeback," but my impression is when you took over in 1995 there was still a vocal conservative movement that would occasionally picket

theaters, there were morality groups that were after hollywood. that strikes me as having faded. is there less political risk these days in doing these things? is this there less heat around it? >> well, you never know what is going to incite a politician or public outrage. you do your best. but you go back and look at films like "guess who's coming to dinner" and films like that were really important. a wasn't one of ours, but film like that is unusually important in shaping opinions of society and how people feel and think. and schindlers list, educated people in a way they had never been educated before the i think all of us as an industry take great pride when you are able to make a difference and make money at the same time.

obviously we're in the business of making money and you have to be very concerned about doing that, but i think we're all looking to be as responsible as we can so it doesn't come out that way and there are different degrees of what is responsible and whap isn't. >> do you think hollywood kind of won the culture wars from "guess who's coming to dinner" to brokeback mountain? >> that's such a broad statement. i'm not sure we won the culture war but we try ans -- and i think as a country we've come such a long ways. i have four children and i try to explain to them what took place in the orville faubus south as we were all growing up and how extraordinary segregation was, what a horrible, horrible thing it was. and it was in our lifetime. not like this was 100 years ago. it was 45 years ago.

it's a pretty extraordinary thing when you think about it and i think all of us as a nation try to find ways to education our families, our children, about what the horrors that have happened in different times in our life. but that was in america. that wasn't a foreign country. and i think we as filmmakers, distributors shall exhibitors, financeeers -- financiers, have an obligation to tell those stories and hopefully we make a difference. >> anyone else? do you think hollywood has won or is losing? >> hollywood, i always was proud of our industry simply because there is no one that is out there raising more money for various different causes and charities than hollywood. think about it and you see, for instance, with 9/11 when that happened, hollywood was the

first to jump in and start raising money for the twin tower fund. when with an earthquake happens they're the first one to have a -- an -- a fundraiser. the whole campaign against aids, elizabeth taylor, magic johnson, elton john, all these people coming together and having fundraisers and raising endless, really houge other. of money. hollywood has many, many causes and charities, and is always the most generous in terms of putting money up. i think the rest of the world should look at this community, about how actively it is involved in the political arena, whether holding fundraisers and things like that, or being involved in charities, nonprofitts. it's a place one can be proud of. >> i would just add to that,

throughout history culture has always been, has always changed the way populations have thought and we're just a continuation of that, between music and literature and film we try to educate and inform and change attitudes. >> i think we're probably just about 15 minutes left. there is a microphone over there and over there. if folks have questions, you can head over there and while you do i will take a moderator's privilege to ask ron about some news that's been in the lately. you've been at universal quite a while and there's been a bit of chatter about whether you might be retiring and i figured i would ask you directly about it. >> it takes a lot of stuff -- no, i wouldn't know what to do retiring. i have no plans to retire. i like what i'm doing and as long as they will have me, i plan to stay.

thanks for asking, no, i'm not retiring the >> lots of folks. let's start over there. i think we'll probably have -- probably have time for three or four questions >> first of all, i want to thank all of you for coming. this is such a wonderful opportunity for us as students to hear from people who are influential in the industry you are in. my question is for mr. iovine. mr. springsteen talks about the disconnect between the american dream and the american reality. i was curious whether you find this is something that's further politicized americans to where they feel they need to pick an extreme in order to pick that gap between what they're promised in the american dream and the reality, which is obviously an economically depressed time at the moment. just generally your experience peers -- experiences. >> are you asking me if bruce

spinning steen himself is dividing people? >> i'm sorry. i should clarify. i know mr. springsteen talks about how american dream is not often met with the american actuality, how there is a divide between what we are in a sense promised and what we are able to achieve a lot of times and i'm curious to know if you believe this is further politicizing america because i know there is a lot of discussion of extreme left and extreme right and not being together in the middle. >> well, i can't speak for bruce. i worked for him for a very, very long time and we're very good friends. but a lot about what he sings about, throughout, when i was, his early albums like "born to run" or "wrecking ball" today, it's a very similar character -- character that's gone through life with him.

just general america. it's true that it's harder today than it was for my generation, but there are some opportunities. but i think bruce -- bruce is a very unique character, a real life force. you can always learn a lot by watching him and listening to him and he is a working guy. when i first met tim -- him he was broke, living in a surfboard factory. and the most impressive thing about him which i've always tried to emulate ever since, but never been able to quite get there, he was completely uncompromising. there was nothing anyone had that he wanted that would make him compromise his art or his position, you know? and he's that guy. so i don't -- i mean i just think that america, like everyone else believes or most people belief, is at a crossroads right now. if you go to other countries,

especially asia and other stuff, importing all their students to get educated here and exporting all the brain power out right after that, i think it's a real problem, you know? but there's nothing i can do about that except try to make great music and great headphones. >> next question, please? >> i really enjoy the conversation you all were having about the entertainment industry an the -- how it relates to the technology industry because i come from an industry that's sort of a marriage of both, the video game industry. of. i study at the school of cinematic arts but my specialty is video games. my question, in the spirit of all that great information sharing you all obviously do between the music and film stry, where do you think we are? what are the big challenges in trying to work more together than the current state of

affairs? we're all trying to figure out how to work together and there are things like games based on movies and movies based on games. >> [laughter] >> i'm not sure -- you said made in america. >> i couldn't hear. it sounted like you. [laughter] >> i think you should dive in. >> mide in america was a manifesto made by jay-z and ron howard and i were in service his two days of his idea, the two days he created this concert in philadelphia. what wea -- we wanted to do was

just film it and turn it something that would further project his belief system, which is that you have go. black kids with skate boards, chinese kids with berets, and everyone is just doing his own thing. go. black kids with skate boards, chinese kids with berets, and everyone is just doing his own thing. that's what's going on. there aren't any barriers, you can access any location from anywhere on the internet. to help nurture that into a bigger platform is something i'm going to do, and i'm sure, you should speak to it, jimmy, this is your world. >> thanks, brian. narrow the question down for me a little bit the >> i think part of the question is whether the video industry deserves to be sort of taken seriously as an artistic partner with what you guys do. >> well, i think they are. >> where possible and where

applicable, you know, again, success in all businesses is really about branding and brand identity and any opportunity you have from a marketing perspective to take advantage of a successful brand and try to bring it into i new medium to try to create new product is something that we always try to do. we try constantly to take, you know, the video game industry and to work closely with them to bring their vision and their creativity to our screens and to our medium. so the answer is question, sometimes we do it well, sometimes we don't. >> you're up. >> thank you. >> hi. since the music and movie industries are so incredibly prevalent today, do you think it would be effective to implement mandatory courses just as math, science, history,

throughout high schools and maybe middle and elementary school to educate students on music and film, rather than jamming to music and watching with your morph -- boyfriend? >> i actually think it's funny you bring that up because i've been talking about that a lot recently. think i what's being taught in music schools right now, a lot it -- of it is irrelevant the none of it is teaching them how to get into the modern industry, all the problems they will have in the modern industry. i was sitting next to the president of your school at the lunch, and usually they go into a musk course and they're keach -- teaching you ads chords. but -- it's really nice but it has nothing to do with music today. but they communityly understand the communication of music, how

to communicate it to their audience and i don't think in colleges any of that is being taught. i've been to n -- n.y.u., and none of it be approaches the modern record business for the modern musician. so you have deejay going out completely on their own, creating their own audience without a record company or any of the things we are aware of because they had to grow another arm in order to evolve and stay in business. now they get $ -- paid $200,000 a night and have never had a record album. no one is teaching the modern industry with both the great ness of it and the problems of it. i think it's time for a new curriculum in music and i'm very interested in because they had to grow another this. thank you. time for a couple more. next question? >> thank you. we touched briefly on the effect of social media for your industries, where we're seeing youtube, stars are coming out of the living room and korean

pop stars are shooting to the top of american charts. just via a video on youtube. i was wondering if you guys could discuss the pros and cons of youtube on your industries and how it's actually changing how you guys are doing business? >> i'm not sure that it's just youtube. i think that all of the sort of social media is you guys could discuss having an effect on our basic business. i mean i use -- we had a -- "ted" was our film, and seth mcfarland had a million followers before it ever came out. we were able to, our marketing group was able to, sort of along with seth, treat ted as his own personality. first he became a personality, then ultimately he maim -- became a star, whether it was through facebook or twitter the he had his own, ted had his own

blog, and so before the film came out, we were able to create this personality that really never existed before. so when the movie came out, he had as much, ted had as much rogsnition as brad pitt. that's reality of it. so i think all the social media haves -- has a real impact on how we market things and sell our product. when you see, i forget, i watched it, jimmy, you tell me, it was a documentary, i guess justin bieber was discovered on youtube. >> right. >> i thought it was pretty extraordinary. i saw a young agent who saw this kid on youtube and went and convinced his mother to sign him. i think that's fantastic. when whether he -- when we were all growing up in the business, nothing like that ever existed. >> but those are the benefits that the artist community is receiving. on the other hand you have giant corporations, who we're

all as self-serveing a as the next guy, i guess, but what a company like youtube does, they have user generated content, which is they take the song, put up a lyric video and they hide behind safe harboor -- harpor lies, and a lot of piracy, those musicians you talk about like justin bieber are selling 1/10th of the records they do because after the record comes out, it goes up on youtube or blogs and gets listened to for free. the music industry hads a lot of leverage the while we were hit -- hit with piracy, we were also hit with the degradation of our music. we spent thousands of thrors -- dollars and musicians spend thousands of hours making sound.

we had bad m.p. 3's all over these, compounded by the little ear bud that came with the i pod, then computers that were made for talk. most computers, their speakers are facing down at the tabletop. it took me three years to convince one computer company to face the speakers up because they don't care. they say people don't care about sound. so that's kind of why we started an audio movement. but what i really tried to prove is how much influence we really have over the tech bases -- business. don't know if you noticed this, but a month ago, apple, one of their ads is that our ear buds now sound better than they did. we put cultural pressure on them and on h.p., h.p. backed us and their computers sunday ssh sound better now. people are starting to do notic than this, and to face their

speakers toward the listener. so, you know, we have a lot of influence over a lot of these tech companies. we should take advantage of that and use the experience to make the consumer better and help the artist realize the things -- that question you asked about bruce springsteen, there's thousands of musicians that are not realizing their dreams right now because they're being caught up in this crazy technology cultural wore -- war. that's why dee jase existed and they said screw that, i'm going to go make my own career. we have a lot of influence up here in the community of the arts. we can get the technology companies to do whatever we want. tomorrow,, and to face we can s -- no, january, to be frank -- can he -- we could stop giving them user generated content like that, but the record industry because -- does --

doesn't have the guts to do it. you know why? because google will come september and write a gigantic advance and everyone will say, oh, i'll make my numbers this year. they take the advance. it's kiting the we have a lot of juice in this area and we should not shut them down but get them to play ball in the ecosystem. i'm afraid we're out of time. the institute's director are going to come up for a quick set. but thank you all for participating the [applause] >> thank you. nancy and i just want to thank everyone that was here for our inaugural symposium and we hope we have teased you with the kind of brilliant leaders we're going to bring to you to explore public policy. like arnold says, it doesn't

matter what there political persuasion or philosophy -- philosophy, we will bring the best and brightest people together to explore the solutions. >> now i'd like to invite professor arnold schwarzenegger , my new colleague, professor, to join us. >> to close the day. [applause] >> well, thank you very much. i want to again thank everyone that was involved in putting this event together. i'm going to thank them because it takes a lot of people to put something like this together. i want to thank also the press for participating here today and the panelist again. i want to thank you guys. i know you are very busy running your companies and under a lot of pressure all the time to produce the grosses. taking time out for something important, i think this is what

the schwarzenegger institute is all about, to expose the students to the best of the best, no matter what the party affiliation did -- is and to inspire them to go in directions to become great leaders in the future the ands thanks to all of you for being here today. thank you very much. thank you. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute]

[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> i am proud and honored to

introduce two individuals. he is a former staff sergeant of the united states army. he is the first living person to receive the armed forces medal of honor for actions that occurred after the and vietnam war perry dead -- be it now war. the major general was awarded the united states highest military decoration for heroic actions in 1968 during the vietnam war. he served on active duty in the marine corps over 33 years before returning in 1995. his last assignment was in new

orleans, louisiana. his decorations include the medal of honor, silver star medal, a bronze star medal, the purple heart, and able accommodation nettle. i now present to you the staff sergeant and the major general. >> the start of this in 2006. jerry served at hotels and conference centers in new york and northern virginia. while serving as general manager as a resort in leesburg, he founded the national medal

of honor society. 15 recipients participated. they went on to raise a total of $150,000. this continues to this day. in addition to volunteering, he also volunteers for the church hill center which was founded in 1968. he is the proud father of three children who have also volunteered over the years. he took winston churchill's

lifestyle very seriously. the wine flowed very freely. they were great times. take it away. good afternoon. is this microphone on? can you hear me now? thank you again, and welcome. on july 12, 1862, president abraham lincoln signed a joint resolution that created the first medal of honor. the first recipient was

presented to an army won in 1963. -- 1863. today there are only 81 living recipients of the medal of honor. i'm very honored to be here with two of these great american heroes. before i asked general livingston for some questions. i fell one of the most interesting facts, is as whether a woman would be asked to be president of the united states. do we know there was one woman who earned the medal of honor? let me tell you a little bit about her.

dr. mary walker was born in 1832. she was a prisoner during the american civil war. she was assigned to duty as an assistant surgeon. she served as a contract surgeon and the service of the united states. she was not a commissioned officer. she was an early leader of women's rights in america. she wore pants. she cause a big scandal back in the day. president andrew johnson presented her with our country's highest military award, the medal of honor. she wore that pinned to her chest. it was rescinded in 1917 with .

jimmy carter restored her medal of honor. we do have one woman who has received the medal of honor. perhaps one of these days we will have another woman earn the medal of honor. you can read about her on the medal of honor website. i like to start with you. a your book, there's wonderful photo a few swearing in your daughter in 1991. do you want to tell us about that experience? >> let me acknowledge a special lady first of all.

i was coming to her early today. last time we saw her husband we were at a bar in georgia. there. -- a couple of beers together. it is good to see you. veterans. i was very pleased to hear about the stories of the korean war. my daughter is a very special person. she was 17 years old. we doctor at the naval academy and got on an airplane and went to the philippines. to is by yourself or a year before she came to visit us. she excelled in the naval academy. she became a flag sergeant. -- flight surgeon. we are just proud of her. put as far as women in the military, i am convinced there is a great place for ladies in the military.

i am also convinced the place is not to be on the front lines. and not think that is the place even for men to be some time. this is something we can all be particularly proud of. this was done with an exceptionally fine job. i am pleased to have the opportunity to serve. we welcome to the ranks and except on the frontlines of combat that they can do any job any man can do. >> would you like to share your thoughts and comments? >> i did not serve with any

ladies in the military really. it is one team, one fight. to defend this country and to stand up for this country, we are all capable of it. we say 18 years old is when you should come in. we are all capable of doing everything we want as long as we set our minds to it. that is a level playing field. >> this talk about that you brew -- grew up in georgia. the graduate a year before i was born. book. you need to go back to school and do better or write this tractor for the rest of your life. tell us what happened after that.

>> i was going to north georgia college military school. they had me locked up for a year trying to get my grades to be a little bit better. my dad allow me to transfer to auburn university. i joined a fraternity which i never should have done. i partied for a quarter. when i got my report from the first quarter, they were all f's. my dad brought me home. he said i could work on his tractor go back to auburn and study hard. i graduated in 1962. there remain a defining moment in my life. that was a very defining moment.

>> why did you decide to join the marine corps? what lessons did you learn about leadership during york trad -- during your training? >> after i attended north georgia college, back in those days you had to have two years of rotc. i went to auburn university and i had one year of r.o.t.c. remaining. i joined the air force because i did not want to carry a rifle. i finished my two years and i got my draft notice in 1961. i had all intentions of graduating from auburn and going to work as a civil engineer and never had anything to do with the military.

i got my draft notice income across ago looking marine purity city could go to quantico and they will get you in good shape. i had to do both boot camps and -- in one summer. i then went back and graduated in joined the marine corps. it was the most defining experience of my life. i have all intention of staying in three years and getting out. as i got involved with the people in the leadership and the mission of the marine corps and what we're doing for the country and just the experience itself, i decided to stay. it was a great opportunity for me to serve the country. what i learned from that experience is everyone that you meet in the military and the

country has something to offer. everyone has something to offer. everyone is capable of doing something. you are more capable of doing more than what you expect to can do. i always say that we always raise the bar higher. that was some of the experiences. people are extraordinary. the young marines were exceptional all through my career. >> your younger days were a bit different. i read that you grep up in iowa. you worked at a subway sandwich shop. >> i did. i was a stand which artists. -- sandwich artists. >> you served under john

fitzgerald kennedy. why did you decide to join the united states army? >> i was a senior in high school. i graduate in in 2003. to school anymore. i did not want to go to college. i did not know what i wanted to do. one night i was mopping the floors around 930 or 10:00 at night. a subway was closed and a regular commercial came on and something to the tune of see the recruiters to get a free t- shirt. i was working as subway. i wanted a free t-shirt. that sounded fun. i went down there and talked to the recruiter. he told me what they tell you. we are a nation at war. we have been at war in iraq since 2003 and afghanistan

since 2001. if you want to make a tangible difference, join the military. i thought that was pretty solid. i took the shirt and i left. what he said to me really resonated. all these privileges and freedoms we have as americans and given to a so really, at such a great cost. they come from the costs of other people that have provided us this lifestyle. all these people have something in common that they have stood for sending more than themselves. i thought that sounded like something i wanted to do. i am proud to be an american. the best way i could do that was to join the army. i went in and i told them wanted to join the army. he asked me what i wanted to do. i did not know. i thought you just joined and

they decided. i had to come up with something. what do want to do? spit and fight bad guys. there was a parachute hanging in the office. of searching for something. i said jump out of planes. he said that is an extra $150 a month. i wanted to do it. i signed up for four years. >> you were decorated with the medal of honor by president nixon in may 1974 your heroic actions. in looking back, how did the training you receive help you have the courage to take the

heroic action you took that day? >> the defining moment was witnessing the young americans that i was certain with. -- serving with. and understanding the intensity. the head into companies up until that point. they had been wiped out. this is a thing that i remember most about that particular battle. the thing that i liked it is back morning we had a company totally pinned down. later we found that there were 10 vietnamese in that area. -- 10,000 vietnamese in that

area. i had 180 marines. we had to go across a rice patty that was totally open to help rescue that particular company. at 5:00 in the morning, i tell these young marines to fix bayonets and we are going. there is no moment of the legislation -- of hesitation. there is no looking back. fellow marines. i tell you what. that particular moment in my life, to see that happen with a 19 year-old marines, it is a defining moment in my life. how great and how lucky this country is to have young people here would be in a situation of that sort on that morning who did not realize what would happen to them.

as a consequence, 35 marines walked away from that engagement. it was not over. i said we have to sell up and held the other country. the 35 remaining marines are hesitating. it is an indication of the exceptional quality of the people who are wanting to serve this country today your and never was so proud to see how what they would do in a moment of difficulty, how they would rise to the occasion. i did not answer your question. it was a message to wanted to get out. we are blessed in this country. >> president truman often said he would rather wear the medal

of honor then the president of the united states. you received the medal of honor by president obama. what did he say to you when you were presented with it? >> that is a difficult question. i do not remember that so much. that he was proud of me and that the country was proud of me. one thing for me that that it, it is not for me. i've never been in a gunfight or battle alone. i've never been asked to do anything alone. we have always done it together. it is not about the individual. it is about the team and the person to the left and right of you. that at the white house thing with the president was something very special. to see my buddies that i fought alongside with receiving the

accolades was something very special that validated what we were doing and that people did appreciate what was going on in the small pockets of the mountains in afghanistan. he told me he was proud of us. >> we have a very important election coming up in a few days. a few questions about the democratic process. i like to know your thoughts on the democratic process here in america. some people have to live under the role of dictators and elected leaders. -- unelected leaders.>> i just about the number of people in the world today that have an opportunity to vote an exercise that democratic process because young americans were willing to

go into harm's way. as i listen to the korean veterans, south korea. i listened to the world war ii veterans in thing of all the people in the world who have the opportunity to exercise that right to vote and elect their leaders. the thing i would say about this great country we call america is world. we absolutely need a strong, responsive, at least from upfront america. if we did not have that, i'm not sure where we would be today. your responsibility is beyond my ability to express. what you represent not only to your country but to the people of the world. i am really honored to have a chance to have served this

great nation and witnessed through the years what we have done for the world's, specifically what those who have served have done for the world where people can exercise the freedom to vote. >> i am 27 years old. this'll be my first time voting. i say that because when i was in the military, i spent all my times overseas. i did not want to have to vote on something and then find out the person i wanted did not win and the decision on what we were going to do was going to be up to someone else. i am excited about voting. i feel bad that i am 27 and it will be my first time ever have. i am excited for its. this'll be a good step for me to actually participate in my

own government. i'm pretty proud of it. we should. a lot of people still do not have that opportunity. we are very blessed to be able to have that opportunity. >> for those individuals here who decide to serve in the military, how does that leadership and experience better prepare them for civilian life and work in the private sector? >> i think the biggest, and i can say in answering that question, i think the thing that really defines the military and how it translates to the civilian sector is to learn about people. if you want to be successful in the military, you do it through other people.

you have great expectations of other people. i look at the ceo's in the country. they do not do by themselves. they are able to delegate and get people authority and responsibility and empower people to get the job done. regardless if you're in the military or the ceo of a company, if you have the ability to really understand and empower and delegate requirements to people, people will perform for you. there's really no difference between the military and the civilian world. the person who knows how to deal with people can be successful either in the military or as a ceo on wall street. >> i think the military has given almost all my experiences. too often in the civilian world you have a boss. in the military they have a leader.

they're like to say follow me i'm going to do this. i will show you how to do it. next time you do it. they can still be your boss but first and foremost they are leaders. the military taught me about standards not just making standards in setting standards but obtaining the standards. not everyone is good enough to run with the big dogs. we except that. by inspiring one another in the military, as soon as you join you will be inspired by others because it is no longer about you. it is about you and everyone around you. and having a list of goals. a nine year old can have goals.

without a plan failing to prepare is preparing to fail. that is a guarantee. the military has helped orchestrate a plan. >> as we are approaching this election, i like both of you to think back in history, all the way back to 1776. who are some of your favorite presidents you admire the most and why? >> general livingston knows more presidents. i only have a few i can actually draw on.

one that always stuck out to me was fdr and the new deal. he had personal adversities such as polio. he was in a wheelchair, but he did not let that bother him and he did not show weakness in the face of the public. we can all learn from that. whatever we think our disability may be, we can overcome and show we can push forward and motivate others around us. that was strong. i liked that. i like him. >> we had so many inspiring president's. and i do a lot of reading about fort washington.

if it had not been for george washington, we would not have a country. have always been very inspired by him. when we were at a defining moment in this country, abraham lincoln made those decisions necessary at the time to pull the country back together and put us on a new course. a very defining individual. in terms of modern day, i looked at all of the presidents, we are at a critical point economically, i looked at ronald reagan. i think he has been the most touching for me as an individual. you look at all of them. i hear pros and cons about the president. at the time the american people thought they were the best candidate. i will never say we have ever had a bad president. we have had better presidents

always. they tend to come along at the right moment. washington came along at the right moment, as did lincoln, roosevelt, j.f.k., reagan. it is a tough job. i think we have been blessed as a nation to have great presidents. >> i think we will open it up to the audience questions. >> thank you. before that day in the white >> i was curious how you dealt with its tension you and your family had -- attention. >> the attention the is good because it's not really about me. it's about the military.

it is about actions that happen every single day. i tried to stress how generic my story is. in the day that i received the medal of honor from the actions of october 25, 2007, i was not there alone. i did not shoot the most bullets or still the most bad guys. i did not do anything more amazing than anyone else around me was doing. we all had a job to do. we had more steps to convert and people to convert them. we all went about it in a method of not knowing what we were getting into. we were professional soldiers. after receiving the medal of honor, i still was one of the boys. i have been average at best. that is what speaks so greatly about our military today. there are a lot of people around the united states that think i am something special and i am not. i can use this medal because

they will listen to me in order to say we've are all capable of changing the world. every day we wake up we have an opportunity for doing good things for ourselves and others. if we don't take advantage, we are missing out on an opportunity. exports lights on me, but i will just tell stories about other people. it has never been about me. -- it highlights on me. >> i am u.s. army retired, brigadier-general shelton. i was with you the morning you received the medal of honor, at the sheraton hotel in washington, d.c. i also met your wife in the elevator and had a nice chat with her too. i don't know if she's here today, but i would like to meet her again. you have come a long way. when i spoke with you that day,

that was of big day, you were getting ready tto receive the medal and on your way to the white house. that's when i messrs.. i was there for the funeral of a guy that i served in vietnam with who died. and this guy over here and i were there to see him be buried. you just happened to be there waiting to go to the white house. maybe you don't remember that. i gave you my card and i said if i can help you in any way, let me know, i am still around. it was an honor to meet you. i have a grandson in the big red one in afghanistan right now. he was wounded three weeks ago.

just took a few mortar fragments in the leg and called on to say he was sticking with the outfit and was not getting medically evaluated. i just wanted to say hi. >> hello, sir. good seeing you again. [applause] >> hi. i have been a teacher librarian. we are all fortunate to be here at this convention and get this education which is better than any classroom i have ever been in. we were talking earlier about the book that has been written about you. one thing we can do is make sure to go back home and make sure our public libraries and school libraries have these books so people can learn about the

people we have gotten to hear today. >> thank you very much. i just want to abolish the vietnam veterans here. let me see your hands. i want to thank you guys for your service and ladies for your service. we never lost a fight in that war. it was lost in washington. i just want to let acknowledged the fact you did a wonderful job. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you, everyone, for joining us today. special thanks to general livingston and sergeant giunta. >> next on c-span, former tv anger tom brokaw, moderate a discussion on treatment of returning veterans. joining him are retired generals

colin powell and stanley mcchrystal. live at 7:00 eastern, washington journal, washington editor taryn davis on budget cuts and alan ota on the postal service cuts, and the washington post reporter danielle douglas on consumer confidence. [video clip] >> with soldiers now placed on duty on the votes in and out of boston and on guard outside the homes of crown officials and with british artillery now aimed at the townhouse, the home of the general corp., it was easy to understand why many bostonian felt threatened by this occupation. many hated town some soldiers tried to stir racial tensions in that town. not everyone in boston is white at the time. within a month of their arrival

in october 1758, three british officers had been discovered encouraging some african- american slaves in boston tio attack their white masters. one of those drugs officers, captain john wilson, a shared the black bostonian it's that the soldiers were come here to procure your freedom and with your help and assistance we should be able to drive all the liberty boys to the devil." one of the slaves he spoke with -- while the slaves ignored him, several white residents lodged complaints and captain wilson and his probably drunk friends could engage in a dangerous conspiracy to foment. >> colonial life in british occupied boston, saturday night at 8:00 eastern, part of a holiday weekend now through monday morning on c-span3.

[video clip] >> we remember barack obama's speech in 2004 at the democratic national convention, the dazzling masterpiece that instantly makes him a national figure. lincoln gives a dazzling speech in new york. >> cooper union. >> the quality of his mind, the research she does, the logical argument. worthy of praise. but when he ran for the senate -- when barack obama gave the speech in 2004 he was running for the senate in illinois and he won. abraham lincoln won for the senate in illinois and he lost. you think about lincoln in 1860's and barack obama running for the presidency in 2008 if he had lost the illinois senate election. that is the level of national scrutiny. >> harvard business school assistant prof. going to moscow

a-- professor gautam mukunda on sunday it 9:00 p.m. and midnight eastern, part of the holiday weekend on c-span2. over the next hour-and-a-half, a journalist and author tom brokaw moderates a discussion on the treatment of returning war veterans. you'll hear from former secretary of state colin powell, former general stanley mcchrystal, major-general marcia anderson, as well as from the founder of the american widow project. the second annual chicago ideas week conference. [applause] >> thank you all for being here.

this is a marvelous idea because there's an opportunity for big ideas to unite us as opposed to smaller ideas that divide us. there's no larger idea we should be clear about than high our returning veterans from iraq and it can afghanistan. [applause] they represent less than 1% of the american population. most of them come from working- class families from not far from here in a working-class neighborhoods of chicago or from the barrios of the southwest or the pine needles of new native greatom a royal coumy plains. they volunteered out of a sense of patriotism and determination

to advance their own lives. the course of these two long wars, they have taken 100% of the risks and 100% of the wounds and deaths. their families and home have been living in a kind of a bubble of emotional trauma thinking dead and no one around them in the workplace or elsewhere cares. if we did not have somebody in that war or if we did not know someone in that war, they can be out of sight and out of mind. we're not asked to make any sacrifices. we have not had to pay any higher taxes or give up anything. the war just went on, followed by these braden americans, men and women, representing a cross- section of this immigrant nation in terms of where they come from. that is not just unjust, it's

immoral for a democratic society to allow that to happen. we all have an opportunity now to begin to correct the course. that is not just to welcome them home with a sign at the airport. it is to make sure they feel they are a part of our civilian society, that they have the opportunity to find a job, to be educated, to raise their families, and to have the kind of services that so many of them need to deal with their physical wounds as well as their emotional wounds. we also have to remember that some many of them -- so many of them are coming home wanted to make a contribution to their society. they're not victim's, they're proud of what they did, and with good reason. so we open this session today with two of our finest military men, two career officers who gave us all a sense of pride as their fellow citizens.

the first is the former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff who also served as national security adviser and as secretary of state. he is a modest man with nothing to be modest about, general colin powell, my friend. [applause] >> thank you very much. thank you. " you've already made it hard for me. he and i or on a panel the other night and he asked for an extension of his remarks and i said no. he said being the general trumps and anger man. and he went on with his remarks. now you give him a standing

ovation and i have to deal with this. [laughter] another man who's come to be a close friend and has been described as one of america's greatest orders. minivan are combined forces in afghanistan. -- one of america's greatest warriors. he's a graduate of west point military academy. he's not just a great warrior. he's a great thinker and a great leader. he is deeply involved in the issue that brings us here today. ladies and gentlemen, general stanley mcchrystal. [applause] that you all very much. we hope in the course of the

next half-hour or so-we will be able to not just in light in you about the needs of our society in terms of how we deal with our veterans but to motivate you to get involved as well. we have talked about this issue before, so we have familiarity with how we all think about it and we are eager to share that with you todays youtcan dey. describe the kind of young man or woman now enlisting in the armed forces and how their lives are shaped by that experience. it would be helpful for people to have a clear portrait of what happens to an 18 year-old or 19- year-old man or woman going into any branch of the service and how would affect their early life and how it forms them. >> thanks. i appreciate the chance to be here today and for everyone's interest. if we start at the inflexion, there is an explosion, there is

a burst of machine-gun fire or a single rifle shots, and american is wounded. that has happened for 200 years of our history. it's the inflection point in that young person's life. things start to change immediately. they provide aid and their buddies do it. within an hour, typically, so we can get them to a hospital, helicopter picks up that individual and applies them off. flies them off. their bodies stay on the ground in the fight. they get further from their buddies. it did not start there. it started in a small town or city when the young person got the feeling they ought to enter the service. sometimes it was because their father or grandfather or uncle or brother served or maybe they lost a loved one or sometimes just an idea they got. sometimes they get the full

support of their community and people make a big deal of them leaving. sometimes they actually do it over protests and concerns of friends and family. sometimes they have tried college or work and did not work out for them and they decided they just need to serve. once they join, it's a completely different life from anything you have done. a matter what the reporter tells you, is never like that. [laughter] and so, you get there and immediately the service wants to make you a service member and the address you differently and have you learned a different language. really what they are trying to do is make you part of a team. you are no longer an individual. it's all being part of a team and the team is more important than individual. -- than the individual. from basic training, they're always in groups, and teams or squads or squadrons or flights, whatever the difference services call them. then they are assigned to permanent force. they might be in a platoon or a

battery. what we stress is collegian, being part of that doing your share of the efforts everyone has to do so that your buddies can rely on you. and the word comes they will deploy to combat. that is even reinforced more. because everything about, that is about and teamwork. the saying that i will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into enemy hands is the responsibility for every soldier. it's all about the voting yourself to the team. they have done something that we as americans ask them to do. we asked them to believe. we ask them to believe in themselves, to believe in each other, their comrades, and to believe in the nation. as they go forward they are now part of a team and we have asked them and they have accepted the responsibility that comes with believing. and so, if you think from that moment this team that has become a family suddenly as the

helicopter flies away the team becomes farther and farther. as they fly away from that team, although they still have deep feelings, emotionally and physically it gets farther at the very emotional time in their lives. that's why it's so important that we as the rest of america be ready to be the team that gets them back together. >> it is at least on the table in this country at the moment about what we do with returning veterans. we have the wounded were your project and jpmorgan chase has gotten involved. i've written about it and you have talked about. it was a lot different than when you came home from vietnam. and the military reinvented itself. it did not pay a lot of attention to the idea of how we make the transition from a military life to a civilian life. >> it's true. first, i am pleased to be here with my old friend tom and with

general mcchrystal. i did not work with the general, but i worked for his father years ago, general herbert mcchrystal. i was counting the years. scary. [laughter] when i came home from vietnam the country did not welcome us as they have with subsequent generations. the most difficult part was the country's said we are not going to have conscriptions anymore. you cover officers, you change this so it becomes a volunteer army, go and find your soldiers in the labor market, go find them in the villages and towns of america. we create an absolutely splendid force of young men and women willing to serve their country as volunteers. they had the same tradition, the same culture, the same loyalty and dedication as any other

generation of americans before that. they proved themselves in the gulf war, the panama invasion, they prove themselves in the last 10 years in iraq and in afghanistan. but the thing we have to keep in mind is something president lincoln said at his second inaugural address, to care for those widows and children. that means never forget that they are carrying the american spirit, carrying the american traditions with them. when they get injured or hurt or come back to be integrated into society, we have to be waiting for to care for them. not just the federal government or the veterans administration, fellow citizens after care for them. many of our soldiers -- most of our soldiers come back from iraq and afghanistan and if they leave the service, all they want to do is integrate back into society. want a job, they want a home, to

rebuild their family relationships or create a family. government can help, but it's really up to us. the government can always do more, to increase the gi bill or do more with respect to the veterans administration, but nothing is as important as companies like jpmorgan chase or a next-door neighbor reaching out to help a young gi as they reintegrate into their community. we owe that to them. it's our obligation because they have discharged their obligation to us. alatas changed. what makes this period so much different in vietnam or world war ii is these youngsters have gone back and forth, especially noncommissioned officers, for almost 10 or 12 years depending. they come home for six months and they are gone again. i have known soldiers who have been on multiple tour, five or

six tours. stanley can attest to that himself. we ask so much of them. unlike many conflicts in the past where there are moments of terrible danger and then quite. in direct anti-afghanistan there's no such a thing. every morning you could get blown apart by and ied. the pressure they are under is perhaps greater than any generation of warriors america has ever put in the field. we have seen them come back with posttraumatic stress problems, and traumatic brain injury. stan and i both have been to hospitals, walter reed. we know how to save them. we know how to protect the torso, but we cannot quite protect the head or the limbs. i was at walter reed about a month ago and came to a

crosswalk as i was driving on to the base. a mother was pushing her son across the street in a wheelchair missing two xbox. i went to the next intersection, a wife was pushing her husband across the street missing two exit. -- missing two legs. you see these terrible injuries. and the brain injuries especially. nou can get pesett a persp artificial limb, but to recover from the brain injuries is much more difficult. one young man's mother and sister now faced with the problem of caring for this young man for the rest of his life. we owe so much to these men and women who served us. most of them coming back, they

will make a contribution to their communities wherever they go. they are going to be great, just like previous generations of soldiers. we also have a generation coming back who will need our help. so don't wait for chase or j.p. morgan. look around in your own communities. look in the community next to yours where you might find some of these young veterans who need a house. chip in to help create a handicap facilities for a hoome so they can get in and out -- a home. if you see someone having trouble, invite them to dinner. a lot of the problems with stress disorder have to do with loneliness you can help with that. don't shy away. don't look the other way. just don't agree to them at the airport. we need you to greet them in their communities. reach out to them and their children and spouses of these families, because they did so

much for us. we have an obligation to them. [applause] >> you have been in the midst of this transition. a lot of the private- sector did not know how to deal with it. one of my favorite stories, i think he was a captain who came home and the personnel officer said i don't see any qualifications and experience here. on a regular basis every once or two weeks i would lead a squad into a village in afghanistan, town, and meetsquad in with a village elders, i think that counts for something. the private sector has tune in to capabilities a lot of these young people have that may not fit their idea of a harvard mba. >> i think slowly we have come

from both sides. military service members, most of whom never really had a civilian job, probably never did a resume or a job interview, not done some of the things that allow them to build experience and contacts that help other people and then they come out a few years older from experience and what they put on paper, driving a tank, may not line up with a company that says we don't have any tanks, what do we do with this guy? but it's a $3 million piece of equipment with a four-man crew that has to be maintained and operated. we are starting to see much better appreciation this and job fairs and some of the transition programs. but there's a lot left to do. it particular a tough business and permits businesses are trying to make sure they get the right kind of skills, there's pressure on human resource

departments to get just the right fit. we can do more to mine the kinds of experiences help people bring back. the vast majority come back not just well, they come back better. they have done things that have matured and season them. we can do all the paperwork and connections side to mine them. it's an opportunity for us. >> the gi bill, which has been renewed, thanks to senator webb and others, are they getting the kind of training they need in this economy? >> i think it's available. i think we can do better with it. there are some facts like completion rates for gi bill education are not as high as they ought to be. i think we can structure some of those programs a little better so individuals who start school have the kind of support mechanisms to be built to finish either an associate's degree or

bachelor's degree, if that is their goal. but we can do better at that. there are well-intentioned programs that are not quite as efficient or effective at this point. >> the wharton school of business and the university of iowa, the university of iowa offers in-state tuition to returning veterans. i ask the president what's the impact on the campus? he said beyond my ability to describe. i could have used that kind of mentoring and leadership at one. -- one point as a graduate of iowa. when these young and women come back and enter an academic or training program of some kind, we need this. >> i cannot agree more. city college of new york, mike alma mater, we had a specific program and we take in returning

gi's and we have mentoring programs there for them. -- my alma mater. we have programs that get them up to speed if they had witnessed from their earlier academic career. and we have money that is used to supplement not only their academic cost of the cost of living. more universities are doing that. it is especially important now because the economy is still in a weak state, still improving, but this affects our veterans. the other thing is, unlike after world war ii or after korea or vietnam, you could come back and find a job that did not require the highest skill. world war ii, he worked in a car factory before the war, and when the war was over you could go right back in. increasingly, our society is becoming more complex and our society is becoming more complex. , we need a higher level of skill, especially with respect to the information of a motion.

i used to be a shade tree mechanic. i loved taking carburetors apart. people don't know inc. is these days. so you have to be skilled to handle that kind of machine. increasingly, those are the jobs that will be available for american youngsters, not sticking to be a pieces of cloth together. are we better able to match up the requirements, military and civilian life? if your military life as a truck driver, operated big trucks, that licence does not transferred to the civilian? >> it does not. that is just one of the examples of places where an individual has very relevant experience that ought to relate into certification or licensing or approval to be able to operate in a field. maybe there should be all tweaking for the state or locality requirements, but we

don't do that very well right now. as a consequence, many of the service member skills when they come out are not leveraged like they could be. and they have a lot of high technology information skills. >> the government has latched on to this in recent months. what they have done is gotten all the government departments involved. what are the certification requirements to be a nurse or a truck driver, something like this, and what can we do to take a returning veteran into a system where you get the additional skill and certification requirements met so you can get a certificate for that particular. particular i think the government is finally mobilizing itself to do that. >> what we need to make everyone aware of is when you think about returning veterans, you may think of the classic warrior who has been spending the last nine months on patrol under a kevlar vest and helmet and goggles. you have nurse practitioners. you have their posts. -- you have therapists.

you have an 18 year-old kid below using technology to run it. >> the ping the military does well is train people. it is an education factory. it gives people wide variety of skills and the ability to produce that and then have them to matriculate up to peer experience levels is built into the system and is something that can be tapped into by american industry, by american business. >> there are a lot of clubs around the country, the wounded warrior projects, something in st. louis done by a former navy seal, he works a lot to with greatly wounded veterans and we cannot forget them.

they can bring a lot to the workforce. there's a young man who's a member of the minnesota state senate to lost legs. he said it made him a better person. he went into the minnesota state senate,. we cannot overlook that piece of it. >> i was at a dinner a couple years ago and some wounded warriors were invited to the dinner. i sat next to a sergeant who had lost two legs and one garment and was there with his young wife. about 27 years old. we talked a little and made small talk. finally we got to tell me what happened and what are you going to do now? he told me what happened and then he said he was contacted by a real-estate company in san francisco on the of the side of country. they knew about my situation and they said if you come out here as a trainee we will teach you the real estate business and we know how to teach the real-

estate business and then we will have a job for you. he said, so we are moving to california and we cannot wait to get started. i subsequently learned he is been very successful. what he said to me right after that almost brought me to tears. he said, "the general, this is probably the worst thing that is ever happened to me, but it might be the best thing that is ever happened to me." that spirit, that willingness to look ahead, this is the situation i'm in now, i'm not going to let it get me down now, give me my artificial limbs and turn me loose and i will show you what i can do. these kids not only have a particular technical skills, they have been trained to say yes sir, they show on time, they are disciplined, they have been trained to get the job done, and it all starts at the very beginning when we take them into basic training. you put them into a group of human beings and teach them the right face and left face and if

one guy goes the of the way, everybody suffers. you learn the importance of teamwork. [laughter] and it is an efficient way to a group of individuals around, by marching. they're introduced to drill sergeant. the drill sergeant is the worst thing they could ever have imagined. he says i am now your mother and your daddy. so forget everything you learned at home, you will now learn from me. they hate him immediately. after eight weeks or so, they don't hate him any longer. the overwhelming emotion at that point is to pleased him. this guy has shared all the dangers with us and trains us. we're going to be the honor platoon at graduation. the only emotion is to please that drill sergeant and they will never forget his name for the rest of their lives. that kind of bonding takes place. the other thing, we talk with kids in the hospital. if they have any chance of recuperating and going back, they want to go back. the first thing they say is i

want to get back with my team, with my buddies. they fight for the country, they fight for a cause, they fight for tedder, because they are seen. >> even if they cannot get back to their military units, they will look you inside and say i want to continue to serve them in some fashion. that is a value added that companies cannot really build into a job description. >> in 2005 i had a noncommissioned officer wounded in action in iraq and he lost a leg right above the knee. i was still in the fight and annie went to visit him and he said to tell the boss i am coming back. she thought that's great but that's not realistic. then he knew that i like monty python a lot so he said tell the boss is only a flesh wound. [laughter] about a year later, this is a commando, i went on a raid in

baghdad with a squadron and he was back on an artificial in doing an operation in baghdad and he is still on active duty today. he's that kind of guy. there are lots of those types of men and women. when someone is wounded, it tests them, it tests inside, their family, it's just their young spouse, their family, their children, it tests everybody. it tests us even more. we were talking before this and i did some numbers research. and there were about 500,000 americans wounded in the civil war. 34 million persons population, that was 1 for every 68 americans. there was a wounded person in your town or village and probably in your family. so you were comfortable. some people who had been wounded in war. that was familiar to you. there have been 46,000 americans wounded in iraq and afghanistan.

but that's about one wounded for every 7392 americans with our current population. so most of us don't see a wounded service member very often, certainly not in your coffee shop or your school. but it is a test of us as a group of people. what are we going to do about it? carta family? are we a family? that's a measure of a society, do we look out for them? >> the spouses who stay at home are also veterans. the children who are at home wondering about mommy or daddy, there also veterans. they are going through their own transition. they are suffering in ways that are not immediately visible to us. the veterans administration is not watching this, but they have served and suffered just as much, it's not exposed to the kind of danger as their loved one overseas. and so, as you run into these

folks as you see them out, with each and everyone of us can do, remember that it's a whole family that has to be taken care of and not just a veteran. >> we will reserve the last 10 minutes to get some solutions. i think it's terribly important to have the exposition we just had, but we need to look at society, what we need to do next as. i've been following a young man with a mortar squad, a sergeant, at the beginning of the war i kept track of him during the war and came home and was having a hard time finding a job. he moved to northern wisconsin where his wife became a special- education teacher, but he cannot find work in the middle of the recession. we put a profile of him on the air. north of chicago a man who is an internet market for named mike, profile, realized he had been

sitting and homemaking a lot of money while they had been fighting a war, he looked him up, found his address, drove to wisconsin, knocked on his door, took him to lunch, and said i think i have worked for you, man. charles said how much will it cost meet? mike told him you have paid enough. now he is his number one provider salesman on the internet of used cars. there's a whole business in america i did not realize existed. you want to sell your 1996 camaro for five under dollars, you go on-line and somebody buys it. and what happens is charles does the deal. now he has hired three other veterans to go to work in his marketing unit. that's a perfect example for small businesses to get proactive and go out and look saddam. the other its debut dear friends, both vietnam veterans. at walter reed. he was a great hockey star. small businesses need to

get proactive and go out and looks for them. she goes up and down the neighborhood and says if he starts his motorcycle at night, don't say anything and there may be a little more drinking, ago by and find a way to connect with them in some fashion. the fact of the matter is wars downrange are won from the ground up and when they come home we heal their wounds from the ground up. the question is, for someone who has a small business, where can they go to find out what's going on? the best way to do it is go online and type in veterans who need work. you will find sites that will do that. we had something called robin hood in new york. we have a summit meeting all day

long. people who are employers, mike mullen, the chairman of the joint chiefs was there, and we put on-skill sets up a lot of these veterans and tried to raise the consciousness of what is going on. so when businesses talk to you, what is its asu most of all about what they need to know? >> it is typically that question, how do we connect with veterans so that we have a series of jobs that require certain backgrounds, how we can identify that and get to the population of people who might be interested geographically and skill wise or in the training programs that would do that? we are doing better with that. the internet offers extraordinary opportunity to do that. there are elements that help connect resume, and no military service members wrtie their resume -- write their resume. some of that is being done.

it still is not perfect. it is still harder to find the body of available veterans than we would like it to be. so i think that is one of the areas we can look. it's also very good for companies to track how many veterans you have. in many cases you don't know. i'm not talking about quotas. i'm talking about having a sense of how many veterans you have and using the existing veterans to help you network to other veterans. you'd be surprised how talent can find other talents in many cases. an organization that is very veteran-friendly will find talent comes its way because word of mouth will happen rapidly. >> i have worked with a lot of companies in the course of my travels around the united states. the ones that are doing the best job of this have made it part of their culture, part of their business plan. this does not happen serendipitously that a veteran walks in or somebody hears aboutth a veteran hearsn.

they task their leaders to go out and find veterans. we have to go out and search for them, look for them. they're not just going to walk in the door. if you just go online and put in any search keywords or phrases you would like to, helping veterans, go to the veterans administration, go to the department of defense, and you'll find dozens of web sites that tell you how to get in touch with veterans, how to run a job fair, or how to look for a particular skill sets in an individual you need for your organization. sometimes you are going to have to do more than just check the skill set out and hire somebody. what's he did when he was 17 or 1819 dust out of high school, they may pick up a lot of things in the army that they did not come in with a particular skill, so we might have to have a program that builds on that early education and gives them

the training they need for the job you have for dumping. not just expect them to walk through the door with everything that you need. you may have to provide training, mentoring, and other kinds of support group activities for these and people. >> how do we use this experience that we are all now much more aware of to establish a template? if we ever go to war again, and this type of issue probably would be even more critical, given the changing nature of the economy and the global economy, do we require more legislation or should it come from the private sector? or should it be a combination? how do we deal with this downstream? >> it has to be a public-private partnership. government cannot do it all. the government's most important goal is to make sure we have gi bill activities and have funded all of our programs. then the government has to reach out and help communities to set

up systems that will help these veterans. states should get involved and states are involved. cities should be involved. it's a public-private partnership. let's hope we don't get in another conflict in five or 10 years. >[applause] >> stan, you have been teaching leadership at yale, and it's very popular. there was a time when no returning military officer could gone on to an ivy league campus and taught a course in leadership. moreover, now returning rotc to the campus at ivy league schools. are we finally healing the wounds of vietnam and that time and closing the gap between those who served and those who did not, by having these kinds of things? >> i think we are. i walked across the green of yale and there was this line of about 300 yards of white. it