they lose sight of the approach? they were shortsighted. they did not think of the consequences. they found themselves at a stage of curtains. we would give up. if you pull the spring too hard, it will recoil. russia is active in international affairs. we have national interest that we need to consider. [applause] of course, we appreciate the action of countries that respects our decisions.

the action of china. i want to thank their leadership. they view the situation in its historical, cultural concepts. we appreciate their reaction. i would like to address the people of the u.s. i am proud that freedom is above all for them. but what about the free will of crimean. is that not the same value? i do believe that europeans are understanding. the germans understand us. the reunification of germany, that with a high level issue. not all countries which were

allies of germany then, not all of them supported the idea of reunification. the soviet union did support that. it was up to germans to engage in reunification. i hope that germany will support the decision of russia to restore unity. [applause] to address the people of ukraine, you don't want to damage your system. we respect the cultural sovereignty of ukraine.

there are those who use greek rain to pursue their agenda. they have a slogan to unite ukraine, but they split ukraine. they are to blame for the divisions the country is experiencing. you cannot say that russia will ignore that and take other regions. we do not need that. crimea has always been and always will be russian, ukrainian, and crimean tartare. [applause] i will repeat that. it will be the home to all the ethnicities. [applause]

it will never belong to one alone. crimea is our common legacy. it should go where it belongs. [applause] otherwise -- i would like to address russians and ukrainians alike. we could lose crimea. it could happen very soon. think about that. we have heard statements of kiev that they are planning to join nato. it would be a threat to the south of russia. [applause]

there is free will in the crimea. also of course, we welcome cooperation of nato, but we do not want a military alliance. we do not want a military invasion to be present near our homes or historical lands. i cannot imagine that we would go to sevastopol and be welcomed by nato. [applause] it would be a real threat. that could happen.

also of course, we welcome cooperation of nato, but we do not want a military alliance. we do not want a military invasion to be present near our homes or historical lands. i cannot imagine that we would go to sevastopol and be welcomed by nato. [applause] let them come over to sevastopol. we sympathize with the people of

ukraine. they do not know what will be in the future. their concerns are legitimate. kiev is the mother of all russian cities. [applause] ukraine is our roots in russia. we cannot live without each other. millions of russians live in ukraine. russia will always protect their interests using political, diplomatic, and legal means. [applause] first of all, the ukraine should

be defending and observing the rights of its people. that is what will strengthen the stability of the country. that will ensure their sovereignty. we want ukraine to be a strong state. it is one of our major partners. we have so many joint projects. this thing was crimeans and the residents of sevastopol, russia admired her courage and dignity.

you started the fight in crimea. [applause] during those days, we were as close as ever. we supported each other. we see the maturity of nations. russia has expressed its strong will and maturity. [applause] a strong foreign-policy for the free will of millions of russians -- i would like to thank all of you for this. we need to react strong to rise up to the challenges. we are facing opposition from

the west. we need to make it clear whether we are ready to pursue national interest. there are threats of sanctions. there are threats of internal problems. this is meant to incite problems. did they want to worsen living conditions in russia? we will respond to these issues in an appropriate way. we will never seek confrontation. either in the west or the east. we will take all of the steps to be good neighbors just like it should be in a modern world.

the crimea has a clear language. they ask whether they want to stay as part of ukraine or to join russia. the leadership was in the interests of people. then you have a referendum. it is based on demographics, social and historical background, and it will only lead to an escalation in the situation around crimea. it is to the detriment of the people. crimeans put it bluntly. it was a straightforward

referendum. it took place in an open and fair way. crimeans have demonstrated that they want to be with russia. [applause] russia will have to take a very complicated view. there are internal and external practices. we have different opinions. does the position of the absolute majority align with these? you've seen the recent polls. about 95% of russians believe that russia needs to protect the interests of russians and other nations. 95%.

[applause] 83% believe that russia must do it, even if this position would complicate our relations with other states. 83%. 86% are convinced that crimea is still part of russia. [applause] they are part of russian lands. it does correlate with what you saw. 92% believe that crimea should be made part of russia. [applause]

so as we have seen, the consent of the russians and the crimeans have occurred. they all support reunification with crimea. [applause] now it is up to russia to make a political decision. it is based on the free will of the people. they are a source of power.

distinguished members, federation council, deputies of the state, citizens of russia, citizens in crimea, based on the result of the referendum that took place in crimea and the free will of the people, [inaudible] we want to welcome two new parts of russia. crimea and sevastopol. [applause]

and to rectify the treaty affecting crimea and sevastopol as part of russia. >> on our facebook page, we ask if you think u.s. sanctions on russia were enough? our viewer said - another one from daniel.

you can continue the conversation on facebook.com/cspan. a conversation about russia on wednesday including face the nation anchor bob schieffer, former national security advisers, and the tenant generals. live coverage of 5:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. >> secretary of state john kerry said that russian president vladimir putin's move to claim crimea as part of russia is on the wrong side of history. he is speaking to university students at a town hall meeting. he was disappointed in president putin's remarks. this is 45 minutes. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> secretary of state john kerry said that russian president vladimir putin's move to claim crimea as part of russia is on the wrong side of history. he is speaking to university students at a town hall meeting.

he was disappointed in president putin's remarks. this is 45 minutes. >> i apologize for being late. we have a few things on the plate. i got held up. i was on a phone call with the prime minister of a country. [laughter] the phone call dropped multiple times. that is modern communications, i guess. i am deeply appreciative that you are here. ambassador ed perkins, thank you for being with us. he is one of the founders of the school.

in the university of oklahoma, the founder of the school of international studies. are you the principal founder of the school? we are grateful to you for being here today. do we have be dean groves from uva? some uva folks? now i have to give a shout out to every college. i am in trouble. ve to give a shout out to every college. i am in trouble. thank you for being part of this. start first of all by chancethat today i had a to read a speech given by vladimir putin. it was in the kremlin. it was in respect to ukraine. i must say that i was really struck and somewhat surprised and even disappointed by the aserpretations of the facts

they were articulated by the president. with all due respect, they did not jive with the reality of the situation and what is happening on the ground. the president may have his version, but i believe that he and russia are on the wrong side of history. thatis clear to me is international law means something. it means something because the international community came together over a period of time to give it that meeting. it was well established by law -- how countries can succeed from their own countries. that is supposed to happen according to their constitution. -- and their legal process. if that is not available to them, there are procedures by

the international community. you cannot go into a country with god is to augment troops that are rd there and then suggest that there were no is -to forces -- don augment- guns to augment troops that are already there and then suggest that there were no russian forces. we have to deal with reality it is very dangerous to see the rise of this kind of nationalism that if exercised unilaterally. it is to the exclusion of the international legal process. ways that can in be dangerous. that is what we have worked hard to avoid since world war ii. it is a division that many presidents have brought to the international table over the years. grievance, you try

to work it out through the process. anyone haveeve that a sense that fill in the situation was the last resort. result, we have this tension in this challenge -- and this challenge is international structure. president obama has been clear. there will be a cost attached to this. wanted, notwe because we are seeking confrontation, but because when people move unilaterally in this way, to test the world structure, it is important for every country in the world' understand that the law means something and if there are cost attached to a breach of that duty and responsibility. i have heard much about how

close to vote was a model for this. it is not a model. not a model at all. the united nations passed a resolution. it was stationed under international law. there was nobody in crimea and needed protection the day goes troops entered. except perhaps the ukrainian forces who were threatened at gunpoint having to give up their weapons. us ind facts to guide international affairs. heed ouro responsibilities as nations to live by these international laws and standards. we need to expect that others will too. i hope that in the days ahead, we have the ability to be able to live by that higher and better standard. the president has made it clear that if there is this move to

full annexation, which appears to be the direction in which we are headed, it will be unfortunate. it will not be because we want to create some kind of confrontation. it will be because there is no choice but to enforce the standards that the international community has worked on for so long. that is where we are. that even aswith we deal with these other challenges that are very real. we will look for the ways to bring the world together around the need to meet the challenges , iran's nuclear weapons, afghanistan, south-central asia. many parts of the world. what is amazing -- and let me just comment. i was in the senate for a long time. had 1300e years, i

interns come to my office. it is a lot of people. a lot of them have gone on to run for office. they are involved in various endeavors. i am very proud of them. aren't public service. that is important. -- far in public service. that is important. something about going to college in the greater washington area is this ability to synthesize in some sleepy class one day a future gridlock breaker or gridlock creator. [laughter] many interesting how congressmen, senators, various high level of point he is have cut their teeth -- i point these -- appointees have cut their teeth that interns. they had a thirst for knowledge

and for the action of governors. -- governance. we have to close the gap in this country. we have some serious challenges here at home. you all know that. it is vital that we do that. what we get done here at home is what we are capable of taking two other parts of the world. it is what we project. it is what people test this by. is not enough to say that we are exceptional in one way or another. the reason we can point to american exceptionalism is because we have done exceptional things. we continue to do exceptional things. we have to live up to that standard, your generation and mine. the fact is that that one percent is a magnificent one percent. one penny on every dollar. america with

enormous reach in the world. , our aid and development programs, our battle against aids. significantly in africa, the cuts are program. -- another program that has saved millions of children's lives. it is about to produce and eight-free generation. it is an extraordinary accomplishment. that comes of that penny on the dollar. not to mention all 285 of our embassies and consulates around the world which take care of .eople we issued 12 million passwords last year. while million. -- 12 million. countless numbers of people travel abroad. what we are excited about and that we will unveil today is a presentation by the department called

state-by-state. what we are going to do, and this is why i came to uva to give my first speech of my tenure as secretary of state is because foreign policy is not just about what happened over there. it is about what happens over here as a result of what happens over there. the security and peace that we can bring to american, the stability that comes to our relationships, orough nato or proxy on -- various associations where we work through rule of law and international structure. is about a new jersey company that kept $144 million contracts to build bridges in another country. that means jobs here at home. it is about another company that is laying fiber-optic cables between samoa and the rest of the world so they can be

connected. that is a $500 million contract. that is jobs here at home. we will show you state for state. you can come online in such a state. go to a district. will find out what is coming to that district or state as a result of our efforts to help a contract or an economic opportunity with the capacities that we have been very parts of our country. means jobs your home. it is real. in a globalized world, i see a lot of smartphones. look at me here. this is the connections we have. instantaneous, to everywhere in the world. do you know what happened and her readers square, in egypt? it was young people -- terror square, intahrir

egypt? it was young people connected to each other. same thing in tunisia. it preventer who is tired -- a fruit vendor who was tired and frustrated at being slapped around by the police and what did he sell his goods of his stance, and he could not do it because an officer was harassing him, he went down and sell them related in front of the police ated in -- self-immol front of the police station. the dictator was gone within days. that's the power of day and that's why there is so much turmoil and energy at the same time. there are failed states where you have these greedy people for whom it is not enough simply to have some power and to be able to do good for people, but who want to get rich while doing it

at the expense of people. we have people stealing from the people who they are supposed to represent and levels of corruption are absolutely extraordinary in various places. and the result is, people feel that. and if you're young and 65% of much of the middle east is under the age of 30, 65%. i was talking to one of my staff who told me, i don't remember the country and i should, but i apologize but the median age is 15 years old. there are a bunch of countries like that, frankly. and if you are 50% under the age of 21 and 40% under the age of 18 and you don't have a chance to go to school and you don't have a chance to get a job, even though you may have been educated and went to the university of cairo or american university in cairo and ready to go and can't do it, that's

tension, it's huge in the social fabric and structure of the place. and that's what's going on in a lot of places. it's a clash of aspirations and opportunity and modernity and culture all at the same time and it creates a huge tension and as clyptocrats hese you have failed states in many places and governance becomes a roblem and when you have supremism you have them filling the vacuum and those extremes are dangerous. they don't have a plan for health care or plan for education, they don't offer you anything other than you have to live the way i want you to. and if you don't, you're the

enemy. and particularly those of us who offer real freedom and real opportunity and self-determination and a whole bunch of other things, really scary to some of them. so, we live in interesting times. slogan curse and chinese about opportunity. it means opportunity. and so we, you, have this extraordinary playing field, kind of staring you in the face as you go through college and i think george bernard shaw says youth is wasted on the young. getting older, i feel that. but i hope you guys will make the most of it. and i think by being here you have already indicated you want to. i look forward to a good conversation here, a chance to

answer some questions, focus on a few of the things that i tried to maybe stimulate a little thinking, if you haven't already landed there and hopefully we can share -- how much time do we have? a few minutes left? good. all right. [applause] >> thank you, mr. secretary. i'll start with a couple of questions and people can line up to the two microphones that are on either side of the aisle. i would like to go back to the ukraine. we saw administration announced sanctions against the russian officials. what is the administration to do if russia invades east ukraine? >> you know, we have made it very clear that that is a hard line in terms of the level -- i mean that will be a major breach . and i hope we don't get there.

i'm not going to go into the details except to say that would that egregious as any step i can think of that can be taken by a country in today's world, particularly by a country like russia where so much is at stake. now i hope that's not going to be the case. president putin in his speech today did say that he did not envision a struggle between east and west over this issue, that there was a huge historic connection between russians and ukranians, that he wanted to see that they could resolve the future in a peaceful way. so i don't want to start laying out a whole series of specifics about the option until we measure where we are obviously and put that to the test. but today is egregious enough en you raise this national

fervor which could, in fact, infect in ways that could be very, very dangerous. go back and read in history of the lead-up to world war ii and the passions that were released with that kind of nationalistic fervor and there is a tough history of check slaffvack yeah in 1968 where the rational was to protect the people in it. you go ask the poles about how they felt about being protected for all those years. so this is very questionable activity and we have to be very wary but i'm not going to go into the specifics, but that would be an enormous blow to the international community and would require a response that is commensurate with the level of that challenge.

>> one more from me, you mentioned pepfar and we heard from the administration there will be aid given to several countries. we had a story up on buzz feed yesterday, quoting a bunch of senators, quoting several people on the hill saying they received no direction from the administration on what they should be considering. can you outline some of the principles that the administration is ready to apply to aid to countries like uganda? >> we are formulating those guidelines because of the signing in uganda recently. there has been already a review taking place and to my -- i did not know this until this review was taking place, but there are 80 countries that have laws of

one kind or another that discriminate. we are reviewing all of those to figure out what the options are changeow we can begin to minds, move leaders, reach the public, same kind of education frankly, that took place in our country. measure where we were a few years ago. i will tell you as a senator, when i was running for president 2004, this was a very big hot-button issue that was exploited on the hill in many different ways. i think it was in 2003, 2004, i was one of only 14 senators to vote against domea and i was the only senator running for election that year to do so. i'm prove of that. i was proven correct when it was thrown out as unconstitutional. we are still going through this in various places.

we are making enormous progress. there are places in the world that we have to reach out. one of the things we have already started to do -- i had some 200 chief submissions from all over the worldcom in last ek or two weeks ago and we focused in during that on a session where we talked about how everybody in every one of those consulates and embassies is going to have a responsibility to become an advocate of facts, with facts, to go out and try to figure out what's the strategy for this country. one thing i would have to say, it is going to have to be country by country. i don't think you are going to find different countries who have different needs, different sensitivities. what we are going to try to do is put together the overall umbrellas program by region by

region and country by country. and that's what we are developing. >> uganda? >> i talked to the president a committed o and he to meet with several of our experts so that we could engage him in a dialogue as to why what he did could not be based on any kind of science or fact, which is what he was alleging. and he with comed that and said we can engage in that conversation and that's what we are going to do. that is the approach to that particular place and maybe we can reach a point of reconsideration. >> if you guys are ready to ask your questions, just identify yourselves by name and where you're from. >> secretary kerry, i'm a sophomore at the college of william and mary and my question is given that both qatar and

saudi arabia are allies how do you receive the expulsions in the region? >> we take it very seriously. i talked to one of the ministers in the gulf cooperation council and we are concerned about it because the gulf cooperation council is a very important entity within which we have an enormous amount of interests. and it's important to us that the cohesion that has existed within the gulf cooperation council is very, very important to many priorities that we have within the region. our hope is that this can find a resolution, but it's very difficult right now. a number of countries feel particularly strongly that qatar has been operating in a way that is outside of the interests of the council and of those countries. and there's a real clash. it's unfortunate, but it's the

reality and it's -- they are going to have to work it flue through but we are going to encourage them as much as possible to do so and hope very much this can be resolved soon. >> thank you. >> secretary kerry, with regard -- you were talking about the digital age and its effect on egypt. when we were lining up to get in this building, media outlets were reporting the recent closures of the embassies -- syrian embassies in washington, d.c.,. what are your thoughts moving forward and what this means for syria and the situation in crimea, what would the focus be moving forward. >> i'm not sure of its impact on crimea. but we just felt very strongly that the illegitimate si of the

,ssad regime is so overwhelming 140,000 people killed, more than 10,000 children, millions of refugees, millions of internally-displaced people, people attacked with gas, people tortured and killed by thousands. a documentable account of almost 11,000. extraordinary violence perpetrated by the government of dropping barrel bombs on its own population, some kind of chemical being dropped on kids in schools indiscriminately, indiscriminately attacking civilians by doing an old-fashioned siege and starving them in their villages and we have seen the pictures of the corpses. i mean it's -- you can't believe you are in 2014. and so we just felt the idea

that this embassy is sitting here with representation that we could take seriously, is an insult and we closed it. it's that simple. and we'll see what happens in other places, but the assad regime can never regain legitimacy in syria, whether they win, don't win, they can't regain legitimacy. the people of that country who have been driven out as kids, parents, brothers, sisters, grandfathers have been killed, are never going to look to him for leadership. and so i think this is a -- one of the great compelling things. and we are working in so many different ways, we are the largest donor of any nation in the world to the humanitarian side of this to the refugees in the camps and we are aiding the opposition in a number of different ways. and we will continue to do that. and we will augment that if we

have to. there's a lot on the table. >> i was curious as to -- >> sorry, there are so many people waiting. go ahead. >> good try, though. i admire your spirit. >> can i follow up on that really quickly? sorry guys. do you have any concern the fact that relations are so bad with russia right now that that is going to affect cooperation on syria getting rid of the chemical weapons, but also on what's going to happen with iran? >> obviously, we really hope not. we hope that russia will realize beyond what is happening in crimea, that it has serious interests that haven't changed, the interests that brought it to the table originally to work with us are the same interests today. and so if you are serious about nonproliferation, then you shouldn't walk away from the responsibility to make sure iran

does not have a nuclear weapon. if you are serious about wanting to end the war in syria and keep chemical weapons out of the hands of terrorists, you shouldn't walk away to finish the deal that you helped broker. what's significant is, we have been able despite differences with russia to find areas of significant cooperation on the big ticket items, afghanistan, start treaty, nuclear weapons, on iran, on syria, on other things. we have been able to cooperate. even as we have some differences and serious differences on other things. that is the tragedy what has happened with respect to crimea. nobody that i know of who reads the facts doubts russia's interests in crimea. that's not at issue here. russia has an enormous historical connection to ukraine. kiev is the -- i mean this is

the birth place of the russian religion. it has extraordinary connections. we know this. but that doesn't legitimatize just taking what you want because you want it. or because you are angry about the end of the cold war or the end of the soviet union or whatever it is. you need to work through the operative process. the government -- the interim government in kiev, the prime minister, has publicly stated, and i have seen the plan, that they are completely prepared to work on full representation in the country, full protection of minority rights, full protection of chutches, full protection of russian language, all of those things can happen. but they ought to happen through the legitimate legislative process, not at the butt of a arrive will. >> i want to say thank you for all you are doing to fight climate change. it is a critically important

issue for my generation. rumors are rampant that you will be realming approval or rejection of the keystone xl pipeline. >> that's not a rumor. >> say no to the keystone xl pipeline and ask how do you think a decision to invest in the world's third largest oil reserves would be per seffed by other countries considering their own investments either in tar sands. >> we have just time for one more question after this. >> i don't know what i have -- i can't? . d you hear him say i'm sorry are you sure. have to go back -- i'm sorry. [laughter] plusnow have 1.9 million -one comments on keystone.

>> i did one. >> i respect so much the passions on both sides of that issue. and really, we have had one -- we have had almost two million people commenting on the most recent e.i.s. it's 11 volumes long, thousands of pages. i need to review it. and my job is to stay down the middle, neutral, measure it. obviously against some life experiences, but on the facts and then render an opinion to the president of the united states as to whether or not i find it is in the national interest. i have to get the input from i think some 11 different agencies so there is a massive job of information sifting and accumulation here. and i honestly -- i'm not commenting in any other way on it to anybody, including my wife

and others, all of whom have opinions. [laughter] >> one last question. >> secretary kerry, i'm with the university of georgia but was born in ukraine. >> i don't have my braids today. but i was disturbed recently by the rise in putin's approval rating in russia given his policy in ukraine. that is frankly a little bit terrifying and i heard the other day a statistic that only about 11% of russians have regular access to the internet. almost makes it difficult for us to give them any other kind of message besides what they are earing from some firms and nasty propaganda that is being told about us. should we be reaching out to

those 89% or -- >> absolutely we should be. and i appreciate the question very much. it's very, very difficult. i am told -- i was in kiev a couple weeks ago, and i heard and saw some of what's happening propaganda-wise, but if you are in the eastern part of ukraine, you are being bombarded by russian television, which is carrying these extraordinary exaggerated sense -- you would think that the nazis had actually come back and taken over ukraine. that's what's going on. and that has huge historyal linkage to istoryal russia's past. there are economic challenges in russia and unhappiness often

gets challenged into this national sort of pride and anger could be directed elsewhere. indeed, you're right. the president's approval ratings has gone up significantly. everybody's feeling great about flexing their muscles about this , quote, achievement, as they put it, but in the end, i think it's going to be very costly if they continue to go down that kind of a road, because it will wind up -- and in the vote in the united nations on a resolution was 13 in favor of the resolution, one and extension, china, and one no, russia. i call that isolation. and i think that's what's going to begin to happen in various ways if this were to continue. our hope is that we can find a

way out, but today was very confrontational and very -- about a breach of international law and people are deeply concerned about it. >> thank you. >> one more i'm told. >> lucky me. >> thank you so much for doing this. you're amazing. [laughter] >> do you want to hear the question about gridlock or history and the future? >> history and the future. >> i'll go with fear then. you mentioned the tension and i thought about that previously. it seems in my generation a like and so i'm wondering there is an attitude of fear that is built up in america through mccargetism and now the war on terrorism? i'm not saying i have a say on

this but are we afraid of something, what is it? how does this affect us and how does it affect gridlock and the way my generation is going to react to american politics and democracy going forward? >> you are dragging me out of my role of secretary of state and my previous role, which i try to stay away from. without getting into trouble, i will share a couple of thoughts with you. i don't think americans are fearful. i don't think americans fear very much at all. i think americans are concerned and i think they're concerned about the future, because they see gridlock and americans see a stagnation in the rate of wage increase and americans see challenges in terms of life, every day life, for education, getting your kids the opportunities they want and so

forth. but we are a very optimistic people. i think america is amazing for that. it's part of our country. it was noted in the 1700's. it was noticed our charitable giving. it was written about in terms of america, what really distinguished america was the way in which americans would get involved in charitable efforts, be involved with their neighbors and give to other people. we have a huge spirit for doing that in the united states and it is quite special. and i think there's a confidence in america -- what americans are frustrated about is a feeling that, you know decisions aren't being made that are advancing that sense of optimism in the direction that they want it to go. so there is a frustration built.

i'm on every side politically. this isn't reserved to one side or the other of the political spectrum. if i took a real poll here, you would say you are agnostic which party or where you want to be or how you affiliate because that process is losing some people to our system, losing some talent in some capacity. i don't think it's fear. i really don't put it in the category of fear. i think it's frustration and little bit of anxiety of where we are going with this turmoil in the world and how's it going to affect us, which forces people to look inwards a little bit. >> how do we fix it? >> all of you get involved, that's how we fix it. demand accountability. get involved in the political system. if you don't think someone is making good choices, tell

someone what the better choices are and don't get bought out by the vast sums of money in american politics, fight that and give peoples' voices back to people. that's how you do it. [applause] >> house budget committee ranking member then holland followed by a conversation with -- regarding the midterm elections. >> the privacy and civil liberties oversight board looked at the foreign intelligence service act that gives the authority teeth conduct

surveillance overseas. you can see that live on c-span2 . , thever on c-span3 secretary-general, and broad eastern.at 2:30 pm >> i would be delighted to yield to our distinguished speaker, if he wishes to continue this. >> please use the microphone, please. >> there is no question in my mind that the arguments and statements that i said came to members.plaint of the they're not been notified. i do not believe they were notified. , truly, they did not get the mail in our office, number one. number two, the sense of your letter here.

i have been writing you to hear a dialogue on what foreign affairs should be. i am going to go back good you did not tell me you're going to go back to 1970 to get clips. 1972. in the instance of the chairman of the intelligence committee. and you're going to ask him a question about their policy and how they felt about the vietnam war? and, did you beat your wife lately? i want you to come in and answer your questions? you don't talk about how during the eisenhower administration, we were the very people that they were later on opposed to. you do not say anything about things of that nature. very interesting. my personal opinion is this.

you deliberately stood on that well before it emptied out and challenged these people and challenged their americanism. it is the lowest thing that i've ever seen in my 32 years. >> if i may reclaim my time. let me see -- >> i move we take the speaker's words down. >> more highlights from 35 years of house coverage on our facebook page. c-span created 35 years ago and brought to you today as a public service by her local cable or satellite provider. honored 24t obama .rmy daughter and -- that runs -- >> president obama honored 24

army veterans tuesday with the medal of honor. the recipients were found to have been wrongly denied the award because of prejudice. they were recognized for their valor during major combat operations in world war ii, korean war and vietnam war. this ceremony from the east room was attended by the three living recipients and those family members being honored posthumously. all knowing god, we are sometimes not the people we like ourselves to think that we are. we have at times failed to be a people whose actions measure up to our words. we have been called to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. we are humbled by the love demonstrated by these men, the valor, 24 whom we honor today. from world war ii to korea and vietnam, you will hear stories would haven into a heroic hole remind us that though we may be different in many ways, we are alike. we are american soldiers. we sell bait a legacy which

inspires our service, grant unto us the decency of purpose, steadfast the resolve and strength of will which these men possessed, courage, with humility that we may follow their path. grant us eternal god, that we may never forget that the highest preeshes is not to utter a word but to become a model of what we advocate and we pray and ask in your holy name, amen. >> good afternoon, everybody. lease be seated. welcome to the white house. the presentation of our nation's highest military decoration, the medal of honor is always a special occasion. but today, it is truly historic.

this is the single largest group of service members to be awarded the medal of honor since the second world war. and with several of these soldiers recognized for their valor during that war, this ceremony is 70 years in the making. as one family member has said, this is long overdue. many of these families -- and i had a chance to meet all of them who are present here today, they have known these stories of heroism for decades. still, they were pretty surprised when we called them to break the news about the medal of honor. some of them thought it was a prank. [laughter] >> some of them thought it was a scam. a few of them thought it might be some trick to get their credit card number. [laughter]

>> when i called melvin morris, who we'll recognize in a moment for his actions in vietnam, his first reaction was, oh my god, what have i done? when i told him it was all good, the medal of honor, i could hear through the phone, he almost passed out. [laughter] >> you see, for their gallantry under fire, each of these soldiers was longer recognized with the army's second highest award, the distinguished service cross. but ask their fellow veterans, ask their families and they'll tell you that their extraordinary deeds merited the highest recognition. and today we had the chance to set the record straight. this ceremony reminds us of one of the enduring qualities that makes america great, that makes us exceptional.

no nation is perfect, but here in america, we confront our imperfections and face sometimes a painful past, including the truth that some of these soldiers fought and died for a country that did not always see them as equal. so in each generation we keep striving to live up to our ideals of freedom and equality and recognize the dignity and patriotism of every person, no matter who they are, what they look like or how they pray. and that's why more than a decade ago, congressman dated a review to make sure that the heroism of our veterans wasn't overlooked because of prejudice or discrimination. our military reviewed thousands of war records. they teamed up with veterans' groups and museums to get this right. it was painstaking work made even harder because sometimes our service members felt they

needed to change their last names to fit in. that tells the story about our past. but ultimately after years of review, these two dozen soldiers, among them hispanic, african american and jewish veterans were identified as having earned the medal of honor. this is the length to which america will go to make sure that everyone who serves under our proud flag receives the thanks that they deserve. this is going to be a long ceremony and we are going to read all 24 citations, because every one is a story of bravery that deserves to be told. but first i want to take a few minutes to describe the americans behind these actions. the men these families know, the brilliant lives behind the smiling faces in those old photographs and how they reflected all the beauty and diversity of the country that

they served. they were americans by birth and americans by choice. immigrants, include understanding one who is not yet even a citizen. they grew up in brooklyn, rural communities like hooper, nebraska, small towns like puerto rico. they loved to fish and play baseball, they were sons who made their parents proud and brothers who their siblings looked up to. they were so young. many in their early 20's. and when their country went to war, they answered the call. they put on the uniform and hugged their families good-bye. some of them hugged the wives and children that they would never see again. they fought in the rocky hills of italy, the blood-stained beaches of france and freezing mountains of korea and human jungles of vietnam. their courage almost defies

imagination. when you read the records of these individuals, it's unimaginable the valor that they displayed. running into bullets, charging machine gun nests and climbing aboard tanks and covering their comrades so they could make it to safety, holding back enemies wave after wave even when the combat was hand-to-hand. manning their posts, some to their very last breath so their comrades might live of the. of the 24 american soldiers we honor today, 10 never came home. one of them, corporal joe baldonado from the korean war is still missing, reminding us that we have a obligation to give the families from our missing family

members, a full accounting of their loved ones. through their grief, the families of our fallen summon the strength to carry on. wives whose hearts ache for their husbands, sons and daughters who grew up without their dad, nieces and nephews and grandchildren and these families join us today. and they know more than most that because others laid down their lives for us, we have been able to live our lives in freedom, pursue our dreams. o there's a legacy here, borne of sacrifice. and that includes a soldier's nephew, a kid from new york who gue up to become one of the great rock stars of all time and honors his uncle here today. it includes soldiers who came home and took different paths, some continue to serve in uniform, some beginning new

careers, some getting married and raising their kids, serving their communities, taking care of their fellow vets. these veterans lived out their lives in the country that they helped to defend in doing what they loved, like william leonard who at age 71 passed away in his back yard sitting in his chair listening to his beloved yankees play out on the radio. and that's where this story a friend ended, but of one of these soldiers and army vet himself set out on a mission. he and his wife spent years writing letters and working with congress and our military to get this done. we thank for all of those who worked so hard to bring us to this moment especially marlin and mitchell who are now 83 years old and i ask them to stand so we can say thank you.

[applause] >> finally, of these 24 soldiers, three remain with us and have joined us here today, men who remind us that sometimes the heroes we seek are right in front of us, literally living right next door. most days you can find jose row dello in his san antonio home, 76-year-old retiree who enjoys baseball on tv and working on his 1975 chevy pickup and mowing the grass. joe is such a humble guy that he did not even mention the

ceremony to his neighbors, who i think would be pretty shocked to turn on the news tonight -- [laughter] >> and see that the guy who cuts their lawn is getting the medal of honor. [laughter] >> today we remember how 32-year-old sergeant first class rodela fought through his wounds in vietnam and rallied his men during 18 hours of constant combat. most days you can find melvin morris at home in port st. john, florida. 72 years old. a retired salesman and a great-grandfather. you will find him working on his boat, going fishing, reading the bible, spending time with his beautiful wife mary, married 53 years this month. you are going to have to give me some tips. we aren't that far along yet. [laughter] >> today we remember how

27-year-old staff sergeant morris, one of our nation's very irst green beer a -- berets -- ink about that, that's legendary, how staff sergeant morris recovered a fallen comrade in vietnam and took out several enemy bunkers and kept going after being shot three times. and on most days you can find santiago erevia at home in san antonio. he is a 68-year-old retired postal worker. he is fixing up his house, tending to the garden, going on walks with his wife or doing some pushups to stay in shape. [laughter] >> today, we remember how 23-year-old specialist 4 erevia,

under a hail of bullets in vietnam, gave first aid to his wounded comrades and single hand he hadly destroyed four enemy bunkers. these are extraordinary americans. they are exemplary soldiers. nd so i want to begin by welcoming santiago areef yeah to the stage for the read -- erevia for the reading of the citation. >> santiago areceivey, united states army, the president of the united states of america authorized by act of congress march 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of congress the medal of honor to specialist 4 santiago j. erevia, united

states army for gallantry at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. santiago j. erevia distinguished himself above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a adio telephone operator in irst battalion air mobile, 101 airborne division near tamky republic of vietnam on may 21, 1969. specialist 4 erevia rendered first aid to several casualties and the rest of the plaptoon moved forward. he came under intense hostile fire from four bunkers. although he could have taken cover with the rest of the element, he chose a course of action. with heaven my fire directed at him, he moved in full view of the hostile gunners as he proceeded to crawl from one

wounded man to the other gathering ammunition. armed with two m-16 rifles, he charged toward the enemy positions behind the suppressive fire of the two rifles. under intense fire as he continued to advance, he was near the first bumpinger. disregarding the enemy fire, he pulled the pin from a hand grenade and advanced on the bunk er, wounding the insurgent. without hesitation, he employed identical tactics as he eliminated the next two enemies. specialist 4 erevia exhausted his supply. still under intense fire, he courageously charged forward. arisk at the very edge of the bumpinger, he silenced the occupant in the for the fix at point blank range. through his actions, the lives

of the wounded were saved and the members of the company command post were relieved. his performance in the face of overwhelming danger was an inspiration to his entire company and contributed to the success of the mission. specialist 4 erevia's gallantry and extraordinary heroism at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty where in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflected upon his unit and he united states army. [applause]

>> sergeant first class melvin orris. >> sergeant first class melvin morris, distinguished himself by acts of gallantry above and beyond the call of duty while serving as commander of a strike force drawn from company d, fifth special forces group airborne during combat operations against an armed nemy in the city of chi lang

republicic of vietnam. staff morris' affiliated company were engaged by a hostile force. he learned by radio that a fellow team commander had been killed near an enemy bunker and reorganized his men into an effective assault posture before advancing forward and splitting off with two men to recover the team commander's body. observing the maneuver, the hostile force concentrated its fire on his three-man element and wounded both men accompanying him. after assisting the two wounded back, staff sergeant morris charged forward with only his men suppressive fire as cover. while enemy gun placements were against him, staff sergeant morris destroyed the positions with hand grenades and continued his assault eliminating four bunkers. upon reaching the bumpinger

nearest the fallen team commander, he repulsed the enemy and began the trek back to friendly lines. he was wounded three times as he struggled forward but succeeded in returning his fallen comrade to a fall safe position. they are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his you noit and the united states army. -- his unit and the united states army. [applause]

>> master sergeant first class jose rodela. aster sergeant jose rodela served as a company commander b-36, company a, fifth special forces group, first special forces against an armed on september 1, 1969. hat afternoon, master sergeant

rodela's battalion were under gun fire. ignoring the enemy fire, master sergeant rodela began placing his men into defensive positions to prevent the enemy overrunning the entire battalion exposing himself to enemy fire, he moved from position to position providing suppressing fire and assisting wounded and was wounded in the back and head while recovering a wounded comrade. alone, master sergeant rodela assaulted and knocked out the b-40 rocket positions before returning to the battalion's perimeter. his extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the united states army.

[applause] >> before jose returns to his seat, i just want to ask santiago and melvin to return to the stage, please. this is a remarkable moment. and as they come up, i would -- take their positions, i would like to recall the words of a poet, though much is taken, much abides and tho we are not now that strength which in old days

moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are. one equal temper of heroic hearts, made weak by time and faith, but strong in will to strive to seek, to find and not to yield. antiago erevia, melvin morris, jose rodela, in the thick of the fight, all those years ago, for your comrades and your country, you refused to yield. and on behalf of a grateful nation, we all want to thank you for inspiring us, then and now, with your strength, your will and your heroic hearts. lease give them a big round of applause. [applause]

>> gentlemen, thank you. please take your seats. we'll proceed with the rest of he ceremony.

l. pecialist 4, leonard alvarado. >> specialist 4 leonard alva radioedo distinguished himself above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a rifle man with company d, second against , 12th cavalry an armed enemy in vietnam on august 12, 1969. on that day, specialist four alvarado moved through dens jungle to a friendly platoon. he detected enemy movement and opened fire. despite his quick reaction, he

and his comrades were pinned down by the hostile force that blocked the path through the trapped platoon. he moved forward through the hostile machine gun fire in order to engage the enemy troops. suddenly, a grenade exploded nearby stunning him. retaliating immediately, he killed the enemy just as another enemy barage wounded him. he crawled forward to pull several comrades back. realizing his element needed to break away from the hostile force, he began maneuvering forward alone. thrown to the ground repeatedly, he kept advancing and firing, silencing several, including one enemy machine gun position. from his position he laid suppressive fire on the hostile forces and after the enemy troops had broken contact, his

comrades discovered he died. for his extraordinary heroism and selflessness at the cost of his own life above and the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of service and reflects upon himself, his unit and the united states army. [applause] class felix mrst .uest: -- felix m conde-falcon

he distinguished himself while acting as an acting platoon letter in company d, first italian, 501st infantry regiment, third brigade, 82nd airborne division during combat republic ofn the vietnam on april 4, 1969. while and filling a heavily wooded section, first-class conde-falcon and his company encountered a bunker complex later identified as a battalion command post. following artillery and airstrikes on the enemy position, sergeant first class conde-falcon's platoon was selected to assault and clear the bunker fortifications. leon ahead of his platoon, sergeant first class .onde-falcon charged as the hostile fire increased, he crawled to the blind cried of the entrenchment position, jump

to the roof, and tossed a grenade into the bunker aperture. he proceeded to two additional bunkers, both of which he destroyed. platoon, hes advanced about 100 meters through the trees become -- before becoming under intense fire. he moved towards the flanking position. he single-handedly assaulted the nearest fortification, killing the enemy inside before running out of ammunition. after returning to the three men with his empty up in and taking up an m-16 rifle, he concentrated on the next bunker. with than 10 meters of his goal, sergeant first class conde-falcon was shot by an unseen sailing and -- assailant and soon died of his wound. his selflessness and heroism at the cost of his own life are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the united states army.

[applause] four ardie r. copas. specialist for ardie r. copas distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty

while serving as a machine gunner in company c, first the tie-in mechanize, first infantry regiment, 23rd infantry regiment during combat operations in cambodia on may 12, 1970. that morning, the company was attacked by a large, hostile force firing rocket propelled grenades and rocket -- automatic weapons. as specialist four copas returned fire, his car was struck, knocking him to the ground and injuring four american soldiers by the vehicle. ignoring his wounds, specialist four copas remounted the burning vehicle and commenced firing his machine gun at the belligerents. breaking the hostile fire and a possible detonation of the mortar rounds inside the track, he maintained a heavy volume of suppressive fire on the faux while the wounded americans were safely evacuated.

undaunted, specialist four copas continued to place devastating volleys of fire upon the adversary until he was mortally wounded when another enemy round his vehicle. copas' daringr action resulted in the safe evacuation of his comrades. his extraordinary heroism and selflessness at the cost of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest additions of military service and in foot rate credit upon himself, his unit, and united states army -- inflict great credit upon himself, his unit, and united states army. [applause]

>> accepting on behalf of her father, specialist four jesus s. duran. specialist four jesus s. duran distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty all serving as an acting m-16 machine gun or in company e, second battalion, fifth cavalry,

first cavalry division air mobile ring combat operations against armed enemy in the republic of vietnam on april 10, 1969. platoon wasssance moved into a bunker complex when the lead elements begin taking concentrated fire. the command post was in danger of being overrun. with an m-16 machine gun blazing from his have -- his hip, you rushed forward and assumed a defensive position near the command post. specialist four do ran up -- specialist four dduran stood tall. learning that two seriously wounded troopers were helplessly pinned down under fire, specialist four duran assaulted the enemy position on the run. he fired rectally into the enemy's foxhole, illuminating for and cutting down several

others as they fled. specialist four duran then again to poor effect fire on the fleeing enemy. his extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect hist credit upon himself, unit, and the united states army. [applause] >> accepting on behalf of of sergeant candelario garcia.

sergeant candelario garcia distinguished it self by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as an acting team leader for company b, first battalion, second infantry, first brigade, first infantry division, during combat operations against an armed of vietname republic on december 8, 1968. conducting reconnaissance, sergeant garcia and his platoon discovered communication wire and other signs of an enemy base camp leading into a densely vegetated area. they came upon intense fire. several men were hit and trapped in the open. ignoring the bullets, sergeant garcia crawled to within 10 meters of a machine gun bunker, let to his feet, and ran directly at the fortification, firing his rifle as he charged. sergeant garcia's jammed grenades into the import and placed the muzzle of his looking

inside, killing the occupants. continuing to expose himself to fire, sergeant garcia raced 15 meters to another bunker and killed his three defenders with hand grenades and rifle fires. after braving the enemy roche to rescue two casualties, he joined an assault which overran the array -- the remaining enemy positions. his extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest additions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the united states army. [applause]

>> accepting on behalf of his are old and upward baldonado. he served as an acting machine gunner in the hundred 83rd airborne regiment in korea on november 25, 1950. on that morning, the enemy .aunched a strong attack most ofoon had extended its ammunition and the platoon leader decided to commit his third squad in a defensive action. since there was no time to dig in because of the proximity of the enemy who advanced within .5 yards, the court -- 25 yards,

the corporal provided a withering stream of fire on the enemy. the enemy than concentrated all their fire on his gun and attempted to knock it out by rushing the position in small groups and hurling hand grenades. explodedimes, grenades extremely close to the corporal but failed to interrupt his continuous firing. i hostile troops made repeated attempts to storm him and with your with casualties. a grenade landed near his gun, killing him instantly. his extraordinary heroism and selflessness at the cost of his own life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and united states army. [applause]

>> accepting on behalf of his father, corporal victor h. espinoza. corporal victor h. espinoza, distinguish himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as an active rifleman in company a, 23rd infantry regiment, second infantry division during combat against an armed enemy in korea on august 1, 1952. on that day, corporal espinoza and his units were responsible for securing and holding a vital enemy hill.

as a friendly unit neared its objective, it was subjected to a devastating volume of enemy fire. , being fullynoza aware of the hazards, left his place of comparative safety and made deliberate one-man assault on the enemy with his rifle and grenades, destroying a machine gun and killing the crew. toporal espinoza continued cross the terrain to an exposed vantage point where he attacked a mortar position and two bunkers with grenades and rifle fire, knocking out the enemy mortar position and destroying old bunkers and killing their occupants. upon reaching the crest and running out of rifle ammunition, he called for more grenades. himmrade who was behind threw some chinese grenades to him. immediately upon catching them, he pulled the pins and rolled them into the occupied trenches, killing and wounding more of the enemy with their weapons. continuing on, he made a daring charge inflicting at least seven more casualties upon the enemy

who were fast retreating into the tunnel. corporal espinoza was in pursuit that hostile fire from the opening prevented him from overtaking the retreating enemy. as a result, corporal espinoza destroy the tunnel with tnt, called for more grenades, and hold them at the enemy troops until they were out of reach. corporal espinoza's incredible this way of valor secure the point and took a heavy toll on the enemy, resulting in at least 14 dead and 11 wounded. corporal espinoza's extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest tradition of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and united states army. [applause]

>> accepting on behalf of his uncle, sergeant eduardo c. gomez. oc gomezed ward distinguish himself above and beyond the call of duty while i, eighthth company cavalry regiment, first cavalry division during combat against onarmed enemy in korea september 3, 1950. while conducting combat controls, sergeant gomez's company was ruthlessly attacked by a hostile force which moved within 75 yards of the command post before was immobilized. tank and multiple enemy machine guns continue to rake become funny perimeter -- rank

the company perimeter. voluntarilyez crawled 30 yards across an open field, folder bull to enemy fire, boarded the tank, pride open one of the hatches on the turk and drop in activity grenade into the hole, killing the crew. wounded in the left side while returning, sergeant gomez refused evacuation. of aving at the tripod machine gun was rendered inoperable amah he cradled the weapon in his arm, return to the defensive positions, and swept the assaulting force. although his weapon overheated hands, sergeant gomez maintained his stand and upon orders to withdraw in the face of overwhelming enemy superiority, remain too provides protective fire it up he exacted -- protective fire.

he would not consent to leave his post for medical attention until the company establish new defensive position. selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are keeping with the highest duty of the united -- of the armed services. [applause] >> accepting on behalf of her uncle, private first class leonard m. kravitz. private first class lemon -- leonard m. kravitz the stingers

himself by acts above and beyond the cal of duty well serving as an assistant machine gun with company m, 24th infantry division, during combat 6erations in korea on march and seventh, 1951. after friendly elements had repulsed probing attacks, the enemy launched a fanatical on-site charge with supporting fire and despite staggering losses wrest the assault with ruthless determination. when the machine gunner was wounded in the initial phase of the action, private first class kravitz sees the weapon and poured devastating fire into the race of the oncoming assails. they exploited a breach on the left flank, leaving the position untenable. upon orders to withdraw, he voluntarily remained to provide protective fire for the elements are treated. private first class kravitz

swept the hostile soldiers with fire, killing the entire group. his district of retaliation caused the enemy to concentrate fire on his position and enabled friendly elements to withdraw. later, after friendly troops had returned, arrived first-class kravitz was found dead behind the gun he had so heroically manned, surrounded by numerous enemy dead. andextraordinary heroism selflessness at the cost of his own life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the united states army. [applause]

>> excepting on behalf of her father, sergeant juan e. negron. sergeant juan e. negron distribution self i ask of gallantry and intrepidity above in beyond the call of duty the 65th infantry regiment, third infantry division during operations against an armed enemy in korea on april 28, 1951. sergeant negron took up the most vulnerable position on an exposed right flank after an enemy had overrun the line. when notified that elements of his company were withdrawing, the sergeant refused to leave his position, instead delivering fire at possible truths --

hostile troops. when they approach, he accurately hurled hand grenades and short grenades -- at short range . he held through the night. from the forces relieved him and found the bodies of 15 enemy soldiers surrounding his position. his extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the united states army. [applause]

>> michael david ayn you, accepting on behalf of his father, master sergeant mike c pena. penar sergeant mike c. distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty of serving as a member of company division inalry korea on september 4, 1950. under cover of darkness am a an enemy battalion moved to within a few yards of master sergeant pena's platoon. he and his men opened fire, but the enemy's sudden emergence and accurate fire forced the troops to withdraw. pena reorganized his men and lead them in a counterattack which succeeded in

regaining the position they had just lost. he and his men quickly established a defensive perimeter and lay down fire. hurl troops continue to themselves at the defenses in overwhelming numbers. realizing there scarce supply of ammunition would soon make your positions untenable, he ordered his men to fall back and man a machine gun to cover their withdrawal. he single-handedly held back the enemy until the early hours of the following morning when his position was overrun and he was killed. master sergeant pena's extraordinary hair was a man selflessness at the cost of his own life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the united states army. [applause]

,> sergeant ashley randall accepting on behalf of her grandfather, private demand seo rivera.- dimensio whiletinguished himself serving as an automatic rifleman in the seventh infantry management -- infantry regiment income fund -- in combat 1950 one. on may 23,

a large hostile force a merge from a dense font and attacked private rivera and his comrades. responded bya firing until his weapon jam. he threw his rifle down and began to engage the enemy with pistol and grenades. at one point, the private fearlessly called -- crawled through in a placement to engage a soldier in hand to hand combat. with only the sound of footsteps to guide his aim, private rivera held his position against the odds, inflicting casualties on the enemy until he found himself without ammunition of any kind except for one grenade. displaying a peerless fighting spirit, private rivera pulled the pin from his last grenade and calmly waited for the enemy to reach his position. lead inside troops the bunker, private rivera activated the grenade with the full knowledge that it meant his almost certain death. when the debris from the explosion had cleared, friendly

forces recovered a severely wounded private rivera and discover the bodies of four dead or dying soldiers surrounding him. andextraordinary heroism selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest tradition of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the united states army. [applause] >> joe rodriguez, accepting on behalf of his uncle, private

miguel a. vera. private miguel a. vera distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty all serving as an automatic rifleman with company f, 30th infantry regiment, second infantry division, inquiry on september 21, 1952. despite suffering from wounds inflicted in a previous battle, the private voluntary left the aid station to join his comrades in attack against a well fortified enemy positions on a hill of great importance. when the assaulting elements had moved within 20 yards of the enemy position, they were suddenly trapped by a heavy volume of mortar, artillery, and small arms fire. the company prepared to make a limited withdrawal but private vera volunteered to remain behind provide covering fire. as his company moved to safety, the private remained steadfast in his position, directing

accurate fire against the hostile positions to spite the volume of fire which the enemy was concentrating upon him. they'd her in the morning when the friendly force research, they discovered private bear in the same position. his self-sacrifice saved many lives. his extraordinary heroism and selflessness at the cost of his own life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest tradition in the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the united states army. [applause]

accepting onstein, behalf of her husband, sergeant jack weinstein. weinsteinack distinguish himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while reading first platoon, company g, 23rd infantry regiment, in korea on october 19, 1951. 30 enemy troops counterattack

sergeant weinstein's platoon. most of the platoon members had been wounded and withdrew under the heavy fire. remained innstein his position and continued to fight off the onrushing enemy, killing at least six with his rifle before running out of ammunition. under heavy fire, sergeant weinstein refused to withdraw and continued fighting by throwing enemy hand grenades found lying near his position. he halted the enemy process and inflicted casualties. alone and unaided, he held the ground which is platoon had fought to take and held out against overwhelming odds until another platoon was able to relieve him and drive back the enemy. sergeant weinstein's lake had been broken by an enemy grenade and old wounds and reopen. he refused to withdraw and successfully bought time for his comrades to reach friendly lines. sergeant weinstein's extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping

with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect rate credit upon himself, his unit, and the united states army. [applause] >> excepting on behalf of her .ather, private pedro cano distinguishedcano himself above and beyond the call of duty while serving with company c, eighth infantry regiment, for infantry division during combat at