jobs of returning service members. and we'll take your calls and you can join the conversation at facebook and twitter . "washington journal" is next. .....

>> president obama did meet with -- on the ground to outline to the public his postwar strategy. the white house sent us this tweet yesterday. i am here on a single mission, and that is to thank you for your extraordinary service. obama to the troops in afghanistan. here is a little bit of what the person had to say yesterday in afghanistan.

>> more importantly, it is a time to remember the heroes who sacrifices made these moments possible. our men and women in uniform, who gave their lives to keep our nation safe and free. to our newest generation of veterans of the wars in iraq and afghanistan, artistry shines with hatreds who answered the call to serve. they put their lives on the line to defend the country they love, and in the end, many gave that last full measure of devotion so that our nation would endure. oury single one of us owes fallen heroes a profound debt of gratitude. votes ore we cast our speak our mind without fear, it

is because they fought for our right to do that. every chance we get to make a better life for ourselves and our families is possible because generations of hatreds fought to keep america a land of opportunity. any racere anyone of and from any background can make it if they try. our country was born out of a desire to be free. beenday sense, it has protected by our men and women in uniform. people who believed so deeply in america they were willing to give their lives for it. this memorial day, we are gathered together as americans to honor the fallen with both public ceremonies and private remembers us. i hope all americans will take a moment this weekend to think of those who have died in service termination. say a prayer to their memories and for their families. lay a flower where they have come to rest. reach out to service members, military families, or to

veterans in your community, or families who have lost love one. let them know that their service and sacrifice will never be forgotten. >> president obama and his weekly address talking about memorial day and honoring those who have served our country. he will do so again today at the memorial day ceremony at the arlington national sarah -- cemetery we will have coverage on c-span at 11:00 a.m. eastern time. he's talking about what it means to mark memorial day and honor those who have fallen. we want to ask the same of you. what is it mean to you. senator mitch mcconnell, republican of kentucky, the leader of the republicans in the senate. on this memorial day it is our chance to honor the extraordinary sacrifices of those who have fought in pairs -- and paris so that we might live in freedom.

host: this from the diplomatic note from the secretary of state, john kerry. he says -- secretary of state john kerry writing. staff,gs flying at half

marking memorial day. here, on twitter, is a tweet. jim in lakeland, florida, a democrat and a veteran. yourmorning, and what are thoughts on this memorial day? what does it mean to you? themr: i'm a veteran of are in core and the u.s. army. i am 85 years old. i did not start using the v.a. facilities until i was 78. i've always had good treatment, va's are good and some are not good.

i have always received good treatment. the most disappointing thing i remember was that i heard it on c-span about eight years ago or nine years ago, maybe. i listen to it every morning. meetingaving a budget for the v.a. budget that year, , on behalf ofaham the president of the united states, wanted to charge the veteran so much to go to v.a. care that about half of them they have to quit the v.a. would be able to save money on their budget. see if you can pull that program up, when lindsey graham went before the budget committee. i promise never to vote

republican again. .hey cut the v.a. budget v.a. to a member of the such an extent that it would drive people away. jim, may i ask you when you served in the military? i think we lost him. that was jim, a democrat and a veteran. edwin christian on twitter says -- .ou can weigh in on twitter of the memorial committee has a message on this morning.

we talked with senator sanders yesterday as part of our newsmakers program. at the end of that discussion he talked about memorial day. here's what he had to say. >> limit conclude by thanking everybody who put their lives on the line, who sacrifice for their country. onto were some a happy memorial day weekend. we will not forget the sacrifices that you have made. host: flags at half staff marking memorial day. what does it mean to you.

also another to review this morning from tim cook who is the ceo of apple on this memorial day we are taking your thoughts as morning on what it means to you. we have a fourth line for veterans, we want to hear from you. of the "washington post" this morning. we open with this picture and caption. a thundering tribute on memorial day. staff sergeant tim chambers, to the right, of oregon, and bring

corporal sean adams of gainesville, florida. 90-year-old veteran of the 1942 little rate came to accept a congressional gold medal on the raiders the half. that in there will "washington post" this morning. honoring the dead and the living shouldn't and when the day does. we americans don't memorialize the way we used to. we should, but i hope we never again have to

this editorial from the "washington post" goes on to say this. today we are no longer so democratic and have not been since the last world conflict.

so, that from the editorial this morning in the "washington post." as we heard from the first caller talking about the health care system at the veterans affairs department, that was the topic on the sunday talk shows this weekend. senator blumenthal of "faceticut was on cbs's the nation." here's what he had to say. i have urged secretary

ly.nseki privately and public we're talking now about evidence, criminal -- credible and specific evidence of criminal wrongdoing across the country in more than 30 places. inspector general of the veterans administration has only 165 investigators. plainly, more resources are needed. only the department of justice and the fbi have the resources, the expertise and authority to do prompt and effective criminal investigation of the sacred waiting lists, potential destruction of documents, falsification of records, in effect, the cooking of books and covering up that may have occurred. these are allegations, but there's evidence to support them. we're not rushing to judgment, but the department of justice can convene a grand jury if necessary.

the ig can reflect and present an outside independent authority that can offer accountability and the perception of accountability, of restored trust and confidence on the part of veterans. that has to be our focus. accountability is the means to the end of assuring better health care, better delivery of health care, the answer the delays and rigid bureaucracy and calcification of rules that have impeded access and blocked many veterans from receiving timely care. senator richard blumenthal on "face the nation" yesterday. you're looking at a live shot here this morning of the world war ii memorial on the national mall in washington as we mark memorial day here on the "washington journal." we are getting your thoughts on what it means to you. getting back to the health care story at the veterans affairs, here, from the associated press, private hospitals could take some pressure off the v.a.. the obama administration

decision to allow more veterans to get care he was asked about where this all stands with the veterans affairs department. here's what he had to say. look, everything i hear from this administration, from politicians talking about it, i'm acutely aware of the fact them also politician, is talking about in depth studies and see what results are and we need to figure out what is going on here and look at this. meanwhile, what we are waiting for the results of studies, you have veterans who are waiting

for care from the v.a.. general shinseki has been there for six years. he has not been able to get his grip on this. the president's press conference sounded exactly like what he talked about in 2000 seven. it is really time for a shakeup and for some real issues. in terms of what was done this weekend and what was announced in terms of veterans been able to go to private doctors and hospitals, i think it is great. we been calling on this for a long time. i introduced a bill similar to this. i'm also meant to say, what took so long? this is not a new issue terms of the backlog. it is not an issue in terms of the fact that there were secret waiting lists created, which is a whole other level of in competency to the level of criminality. >> is that something you're certain of horses issues about? >> i'm not a lawyer and i'm kind of out of that. if you have a fake waiting list to make your numbers look better

and protector bonuses and job in protecting those that have protected us, frankly, i think that is numeral negligence. we're talking about a year or two backlog. that was incompetent and bureaucracy, something we had to take a strong approach on. when it came to people have created fake waiting lists and veterans have died, i think that goes to the level of criminality. as in priore, senator was saying, the department of justice needs to get involved. the president needs to show some intense outrage. nothing general shinseki needs to go, he is a great american, i don't think he is fit for this. i haven't seen the level of outrage from him that we need to be hearing to know that there are fake lists waiting to pad numbers. >> a republican talking about veterans affairs health care facilities and that situation. day, flightsial are half-staff around the country until noon. it is the proper etiquette.

senator jack reed tweeting this out -- proper flag etiquette also requires flying the flag in pristine condition. the flag should not be tattered and the colors should be vibrant, not faded. , at from senator jack reed former army ranger, one of eight senators who graduated from west point, tweeting that out this morning about flag etiquette on this memorial day. we have our cameras, the world war ii memorial on the national mall today.

we are getting your thoughts on what this means to you. senator orrin hatch tweeted this ve-- we want to get your thought on this. we have fixed experiencing some technical issues. we will get your phone calls and thoughts here in just a minute. on twitter, peg says this.

what are your thoughts? here is the state in south carolina. coming home, remembering our heroes who died. this is the front page of "the state" newspaper with the pictures of the hundred 14. they came from cities as large as columbia and charleston, and small hamlets such as large.

they all shared one thing, they were heroes. also, here at the "times picayune. " also this morning from the newseum here in washington, the ourant. those are some of the headlines across the newspapers this morning. again, we are experiencing a little bit of a technical problem with our phone calls. we'll try to get a fix here and get your thoughts on this memorial day. we want you to be able to weigh in on that. first, joining us on the phone this morning is the field director and attorney for the national trust for historic reservation, here to talk about

the arlington cemetery added to the national register of historic places. me just begin with the national register of historic places in and what is? guest: it is great to be with you this morning, greta. it is our official list of the worthyc laces which are of preservation. that list, which was authorized about 80,000y has robberies on it. those 80,000 properties represent about 1.4 million historic buildings or sites or structures. it is the way that our country acknowledges the historic significance of laces. host: what comes along with that distinction, money? it can.

their federal tax credits for certain kinds of buildings, and there are state tax credits for similar kinds of work. the primary purpose of the national register of historic places is to acknowledge, to recognize what is significant nationally significant amongst all the places in our country that people value. what is the process like to get on this list? and well is a careful documented process of research and documentation. the idea is that the nomination process documents that a historic place like arlington national cemetery meets certain criteria. there is a literature research

process, and then there is also close attention to the current integrity or the condition of the historic lace. of course, arlington national cemetery meets a number of national register criteria. these are threshold criteria and arlington national cemetery is very closely associated with the commemoration of our nations military and the sacrifices made by our military. arlington national cemetery also is the final resting place of people who have made outstanding observations to our countries history -- to our country's history. in regard to the threshold arlington national cemetery reflects the key characteristics of a designed landscape for the millions of people who come there every year , they see these beautiful

rolling landscape with a row after row of the grave markers. of landscapeesult design. that is recognized by the national register. host: of course, the president will be there later this morning for the wreathlaying ceremony at the tomb of the unknown soldier. we will have coverage of that on c-span. the arlington cemetery is marking its 150th anniversary. some might be surprised that wasn't on the list before this year. yeah, it took some time, i will say. i think the current superintendent and administration of the cemetery clearly recognizes the historic significance of the place. it is an active burial ground. so this is a special kind of historic place where people today are -- our veterans today

are still being laid to rest. day. a good april 2014 is when the arlington national cemetery went on to the national register. my organization, the national trust for historic preservation, couldn't be more pleased with that result. host: some have been critical about the oversight and preservation tactics at that arlington cemetery. y? what has been happening? guest: i think from the perspective of some family members who came to find their veteran, perhaps a great uncle or grandfather, there were some administrative difficulties in finding the graves of particular veterans. that causes great upset. there also was in the last five or six years, a controversy related to the appropriate preservation of the tomb of the unknown soldiers.

i will say that the listing on the national register of historic places, while it is a technical process of research and documentation, what it does in the end is create a planning tool. that means that 150 years from , the caretakers of arlington cemetery will be taking care of it as a historic place, not just as a burial ground. for example, one of the principles of historic preservation is that first, we seek to restore an authentic memorial rather than replace it. unfortunately, arlington cemetery was on the way to replace the tomb of the unknown when preservationists intervened and persuaded the

cemetery to do the right thing, which was to repair it. for more information you can go to their website, saving places.com. follow them on twitter at saving places. thank you, we appreciate your time. guest: thank you very much. ist: thomas in maryland first up. good morning host:, kenny k? -- can you hear me ok? caller: caller: .aller:yes we are in a situation now where we are in decline. i look at this russian/chinese deal where they have a deal where the chinese are giving the russians $400 billion for energy

supplies. this is something the united states should be heavily involved in. are still concentrated on the color of somebody's skin, where they were born, that we don't have time to become what we could be. host: all right, we will go onto jed in pennsylvania, a republican collar. caller. caller: i find it hypocritical that politicians talk about veterans on memorial day and they're the ones who send people to war. i think they fight for the right not to vote. -- politicians are

we were go to jim next in florida, a republican collar. caller: thank you for taking my call. i lost my brother in iraq. i don't like these neocon wars for israel. host: why do you think that the wars are for israel? you can read a number of sources. it is clearly a neocon push. host: those are kim's opinions. we will go to michigan on the democrat line. tom? caller: it saddens my heart

because i think of the last three wars we had which were unjustifiable and unwinnable. were theree said we to stop the flow of communist aggression. in vietnam we said we were there to stop the flow of communist aggression. the last one in iraq, iraq had nothing to do with 911 and they didn't have those weapons that they said that they had. education can justify the three wars that we and lost his lovable soldiers. it breaks my heart to think that they went to war for the one percent in this country. john mccain and lindsey graham trying to get us in another war. unjustifiable, unwinnable wars. we have not want a war. we didn't win korean war vietnam war and we are pulling out of iraq and we didn't win that war.

dead?e all these people host: that is tom in michigan. laura on twitter says -- marking memorial day with annual wreathlaying ceremony. we will have our cameras there at 11:00 a.m. eastern time here on c-span. in president touched down washington around 6:40 5 a.m. eastern time this morning after an unannounced trip to afghanistan where he visited with troops there. using the country for less than four hours, his fourth trip to afghanistan since becoming president. his second in the last two years. we will go to robert in illinois. robert, when did you serve? can you hear me? early 1972 until

late 81. i was meant to make it a career but i ended up getting -- my career ended because of a physical disability that happened to me while i was serving. i was on my way to vietnam when my orders were changed. that was when nixon said he was pulling troops out. i stayed here in the states, but has from a family that served in the military. i am sorry i am nervous her to come from a family that is military. my father is buried at arlington. i want to say to my fellow veterans, that we can blame president obama and general shinseki who do deserve blame, but the real blame belongs to the congress and the senate. right now, as a republican the gamesdon't like that republican are playing using this as a political football. say that asto

somebody who did not actually serve in combat, those of us who served during wartime, we still caught the same health the guys that went over there and served. . there's no recognition by anybody for those of us who served and were willing to die in uniform and do a good during veterans day. it is all about those who went to war and not that they shouldn't be recognized and have special recognition, but it is almost like if you didn't serve in war you didn't serve. did you go through all the same hell and everything. thatcher -- my fellow veterans to think about what i just said when it comes to our congressmen and senators. they're the ones that are really responsible. we can change president obama, would make any difference if there was a democrat or republican in office right now. are ind be those that the congress and senate. thank you. of theront page

"washington times."

in other news, this morning, here from the "washington times." winter vowing to put an end to war. joke poroshenko one ukraine's election in the first round sunday, a ballot the tip rise amid weeks of fighting in eastern regions were pro-russia separatists seized government buildings and battled government troops. ands vowing to end the war the chaos. there was fresh violence in that country. then, the front page of "the new " has his picture of pope francis making an .nscheduled stop

that is the picture on the front page of the "new york times." the meeting that the two sides agreed to attend, this prayer session, will take place on june 6. that in "the new york times" this morning.

i've telephone, the shooting that all of you have heard about, this from "the new york times" this morning. that is the latest on that situation. act to your thoughts on this memorial day, may 20 6, 2014. our cameras at the world war ii memorial here in washington.

tony from texas, a democrat and veteran. what are your thoughts? memorial day is a time of reflection on friends other lost in war and family members that i lost in war. i certainly vietnam and in desert shield is a low ranking enlisted man in the vietnam era and a high ranking nco in desert shield, when we went to kuwait with the first bush. the thing that sickens me about all the politicians and the president and everybody how much on saying veterans mean to them and all that area and when the congress cut the budget for the military through sequester when they could've done something to keep that budget harried it takes money to win wars, to fight wars. when you let sequester go through and cut military budget, you are making dead soldiers.

hear people me to come on tv and talk about how much they care about the veterans. they don't. i see hundreds of homeless veterans every day. i make silence is in things like that and take close out to them when they are on the streets. do something about all veterans. i'm sorry. i'm getting emotional now. thank you very much. scott, a republican in colorado. what are your thoughts? caller: my father was a helicopter pilot in vietnam. he did two tours over there with shot up prettyot good the first tour. today he is 78 years old. he has a pacemaker and sebi later. later. i was in

the navy seabees for 15 years. i did two years with the air force. and retired. day forgod every veterans. always of the callers who called , i am talking career politicians on both sides. scandal, there are no all i can say to my brother and sister veterans and americans out there, this is our country, we shaped it, sacrifice it and died for. we need to make it that shining country once again. we are all immigrants and we have all evolved in this country.

i have to say that we need a congress and we need a president that will stand up and let us be the greatest nation again. i just want to say to all the other vets out there, thank you for your satisfy just for your sacrifice and your service, god bless you. i did 13 years in the service. i went to desert storm. there are a lot of veterans missing from that. to 200,000 who have memory problems and other problems. there, if you need preventive care, the v.a. is great. but if you don't need to vent of care and you need to get something resolved and your family healthy, they kind of look at you and say, hey, we wait until something happens. they really wait until you have a problem as far as stuff like that. i would like to thank all the

veterans who have served. i have three brothers who have served. this is the day that we really have to thank the people that did go over there and sacrifice. each life in this world is so precious. these politicians just discard .s it is like politics. it is so annoying to the people who put their life on the line and gone over there and given up their families and their lives to do these things. i really just want to thank everybody that has been in their. if these politicians weren't so interested in stealing money and worrying about my and start thinking about our country and people again, the situation would be a lot better. christine into california, an independent collar. to hear awould like benghazi 10 hearing for the uss liberty survivors. honor,eran i really

truly, is only one, and that is was in the service during world war ii, but he was smart enough not to go in and fight the communists. that is all i have to say. and also, one more thing. john mccain is a traitor. we're listening, christine. why do you say that? john mccain is a traitor because he called my friend a jerk for bringing that up at a memorial. to --host we're going to look at the significance of this day and the historical perspective. we'll are going to be talking with doug brinkley, author and presidential historian.