this is 20 minutes. >> almighty god who are words may cradle but never contained. we are blessed to honor and -- and american soldier, actions were witnessed to the depth of his love and depth of his honor. the medal of honor is bestowed kyl white. we know god, it is dearness that gives everything its value. by honoring sergeant white we honor the men who fought that day.

we may live worthy of honor, devotion and courage that we recognize today. we pray all of this in your holy name, amen. >> good afternoon everybody. welcome to the white house. it has been said that true courage is a perfect sense -- sensibility and measure of danger and willingness to incur it. for more than 12 years, the men and women of armed forces know the dangers comes. but, year after year, tour after tour, they have displayed a selfless willingness to incur it by stepping forward, by

volunteering by serving and sacrificing greatly to keep us all safe. today our troops are coming home. by the end of this year our war in afghanistan will be over. we'll welcome home this generation. the 9/11 generation that proven itself to be one of america's greatest. today we pay tribute to a soldier who encouraged that generation. the man when the twin towers felt and who became an elite paratrooper with 173rd airborne. the sky of soldiers. today we present our nation's highest military decoration, medal of honor to sergeant kyle j. white.

kyl is the second sky soldier to be recognized with the medal of honor for service above and beyond for the call of duty in afghanistan. a lot of vips here, but i would like to acknowledge the most andrtant, kyle's parents his girlfriend. i'm told that back home in washington, when cal wanted to enlist, at first she had set aside that had set his sights on the marines. i'm told there was a difference of opinion. [laughter] i suspect a good family discussion. as commander-in-chief, i cannot take sides in this debate. line is, kyle joined the

army. in doing so he carried on his family's proud tradition of service, which found its expression on a november day over six years ago. across afghanistan base , commanders were glued to radios listening as american forces fought back an ambush in the rugged mountains. one commander remembered all of afghanistan was listening was a soldier on the ground, describe what was happening. they knew him by his call sign. charlie 1 6 romeo. we know it was kyle who at the time was just 20 years old and only 21 months into his military service. earlier that afternoon, kyle and the 13 members of his team along with a squad of afghan soldiers left an afghan village after meeting with elders -- the americans made their way back up to a steep hill, cliff rising to their right.

they knew not to stop but they had to keep moving. they're headed to an area known as ambush alley. that's when a single shot rang out, then another, then an entire canyon erupted with bullets coming from every direction. it was as if kyl said the whole valley lit up. the platoon returned fire. kyl quickly emptied a full magazine but has and went to load a second, an enemy grenade exploded and knocked him unconscious. he came to with his face pressed against a rock. he moved to get up and rocks entered from his head. most of the unit had been forced to slide down the cliff to the valley below. kyle saw teammate trying to

treat his own shattered arm using a tree as cover. kyle sprinted through enemy fire and began flying a tourniquet. then kyle saw another man down, sergeant phillip box, 30 feet behind him too injured to reach cover. kyl remembers thinking it's just a matter of time before i'm dead. if that's going to happen, i might as well help someone while i can. kyl ran to box and began to pull the injured marine to cover. worried that he exposed more to gunfire, kyl retreated. the enemy rounds followed him. he ran out again. once more he retreated to distract the enemy fire. once more he went out thinking to himself i'm not going to make it. kyl could feel the pressure of

the rounds going by him. somehow miraculously, they never hit him, not once. one of his teammates say the as if kyl was moving faster than a speeding bullet. finally kyl succeeded in pulling his comrade to cover. in his final moments, this american marine found some solace in kyl white, the american soldier until the end was there by his side. now that other injured soldier, was still out there. he sustained another injury to his knee. kyl ran out once more, kyle ripped out his own belt for a tourniquet and soon got his hands on a working radio. crouching behind that lone tree, kyl began calling in air strikes

to take out enemy position. kyle was starting to feel the fog on his own concussion set in. he knew he was cain's best chance to get out alive. so kyl took charge. he called in a metal to make sure cain and the other injured were safely only board. as a helicopter pulled away, kyl looked out the window. when you're deployed, he later said, those people become your family. what you really care about is, i want to get this guy left and to the right home. this family was tested that day. not a single one of them escaped without injury and americans gave their lives, their last full measure of devotion. we remember them today, sergeant phillip box, specialist joseph

m. -- sergeant jeffrey s., corporal lester g., and kyle's best friend, corporal sean k.a. some of their families are here today. i ask them to please stand so we can recognize their extraordinary sacrifice. >> [applause] >> the legacy of their fallen heroes, 14 men for every brother

in arms. we're proud to welcome those who fought that day. specialist cain shilling the soldier kyl saved and members of the second battalion of the airborne brigade. would you please stand. [applause] we honor kyl white for his extraordinary actions on that november day. his journey from day to this speaks to the story of his generation. kyl completed the rest of a 15 month deployment in afghanistan. he came back home and trained other paratroopers.

he went to college, graduated and today works for a bank in charlotte, north carolina. people see a man in a suit headed to work. a proud veteran walking into his community, contributing his talents and skills to the progress of our nation. but kyl will tell you that the transition to civilian life and dealing with the post-traumatic stress hasn't been easy. more than six years later, he can still see the image and hear the sounds of that battle. everyday he wakes up thinking about his battle buddies. if you look closely at that man in a suit, you'll note the piece of war he carries with him tucked under his shirt sleeve.

their sacrifice motivates me, he says to be best i can be. everything i do in my life is to -- is done to make them proud. kyle, members of chosen company, you did your duty and now it's time for america to do ours. after more than decade of war to welcome you home to the support and benefits and opportunities you've earned. you make us proud and you motivate all of us to be the best we can be as americans and as a nation. to uphold our sacred obligations. may god bless you and may your courage inspire and sustain us always. may god continue to bless the united states of america.

with that, i'd like to have the citation read. >> the president of the united states of america authorized by act of congress march 3, has awarded the medal of honor to specialist kyl j. white united states army. kyl j. white distinguished himself at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a radio telephone operator with company seed, second battalion airborne infantry, 173rd airborne. specialist white and his

comrades were returning with -- from a meeting with village elders as the soldiers traversed a narrow path surrounded by rocky terrain. pinned against a steep mountain face, specialist white and his fellow soldiers were completely exposed to enemy fire. shaking off his wounds, specialist white noticed one of his comrades lying wounded nearby. without hesitation, specialist white exposed himself to enemy fire in order to reach the soldier and provide medical aid. after applying a tourniquet, specialist white moved to the marine providing aid and

and comfort. specialist white returned to the soldier and discovered he had been wounded again. applying his own belt, specialist white was able to stem the blow of blood and save the soldier's life. noticing that his and other soldier's radios were inoperative. he then provided information and updates to friendly forces allowing precision air strikes , to stifle the enemy's attack and ultimately permitting medical evacuation aircraft to rescue him, marines and afghan army soldiers. specialist kyl j. white's extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond

the call of duty on keeping with the highest regimen. [applause]

>> let us pray. god's gracious mercy and protection we commit ourselves inspired by the actions of sergeant kyl white, we go our way in peace. it will be a good courage, we hold fast to that which is good. under to no evil, no one evil for evil, rather than to be strengthened and support the weak. we help the wounded and honor all persons. god be with us to this day. we pray in his holy name, amen. >> that concludes the ceremony. but not the celebration. i hear the food here is pretty good. [laughter]

and the drinks are free. who give a big shout out there? i heard something. i hope all of you enjoy the hospitality of the white house. i hope we all remember once again those who are fallen. we are grateful to the families who are here and to kyl and all of who serve in america's armed forces. we want you to know that we will always be grateful for your extraordinary service to our country. thank you very much. have a great afternoon. [applause]

>> next, as had a hearing on protecting intellectual property. after that, q&a with consumer advocate ralph nader. live at 7:00 a.m., your calls and comments on "washington journal. >> analysts include student survivors of assault. campus safety and sexual assault of advocacy leaders organizations. live coverage begins at 2:00 2.stern on c-span on wednesday, several manufacturers called on congress to protect intellectual property and address trade secrets theft.

the problem is out of control and companies are being attacked every day. congress is examining how companies are affected, and whether there are sufficient laws to punish violators. this is about an hour and a half.