host: the american legion is championed by all veterans and is nonpartisan. what we care about is veterans. the american legion has advocated for veterans since 1919. we offer so many services. we have over 2900 accredited representatives to help a veterans navigate through the v.a. system. the american legion doesn't care about your gender or your ace. we care about taking care of our nation's heroes and we do a great job of doing that. host: this is our camera live outside the vietnam emorial. you can see the people lined up to mark veterans day. there are several events happening around washington on the mall. over at the arlington national cemetery, vice president joe

biden will participate in that wreath laying ceremony at 11:00 eastern time. we have got about 15 minutes left with verna jones. we want to get your thoughts on veterans issues this morning. oward is in florida and on the democratic line. caller: i live in seminole, florida. when i was in the service, i was in vietnam. i am finding out, i am turning 65 this year. i notice i am going to be losing some of my benefits over at the v.a.. i am going to get social security. i don't understand. i have been going there and had operations and everything else. i don't have a lot of money. i am going to be 65 and losing my benefits and i just don't

understand why social security could go to that to pay for people who can afford it. guest: thank you so much for your service and for sharing that information. i will ask you to call the american legion. i think we need more information. if your income has changed, it may put you in a different category. without knowing, i would not be able to give you a good answer about what you need or what we can do. i would ask you to call the american legion. someone can help you. we will look at your particular situation and guide you in the right direction to see what you need to do for your benefits. host: tim is on the air with verna jones. caller: verna, thank you for your service and representing the american legion today.

i am a proud american legion member for 27 years. all of these that's that are coming back -- that's -- vets that are coming back, i think they should inquire about embership. they are your voice. they are our voice that will hold the feet to the fire of our congressional leaders and the president when it comes to veterans issues. i want to thank you and think the legion for what they have done over the years of service. guest: thank you, tim. thank you for your embership. we are so proud of what we are able to do for veterans. it is a wonderful thing to be

able to be part of the world's greatest veterans service rganization. the american legion is holding own hall meetings. we do that because we really care about veterans and they deserve what the american legion s advocating for for them. host: alfred, democratic caller. caller: thank you for take my call. my name is alfred nicholson, disabled veteran from north carolina. my claim has been on appeal with the department of veterans' affairs since february 15, 1974. every legal recourse i have used to get my claim resolved, the north carolina division of veterans affairs in raleigh, north carolina, the veterans administration in winston-aslem -- salem, north carolina and the board of appeals has blocked

every attempt. new evidence was withheld for 21 years. now they're trying to change the early effective date of my claim, they told me to get an attorney. currently i'm a member of the american legion. where do i go to get the legal help to get my claim resolved that's been on appeal for 41 years guest: that's an amazing story. i wish we hadn't heard that story before but we have. i'm going to ask you to call, call and ask directly for me. i want to hear more about your appeal so i can direct you to the right person on the staff to help you with that. there's so much going on. i wouldn't be able to give you an answer without knowing everything about your claim, i want to be able to look at that. call 202-861-2700 and ask for verna jones. host: greenwood, mississippi, troy, independent caller. caller: first of all, i want to say good morning, everyone. i'm not a veteran, but i salute

all veterans. i also want to salute mrs. jones. i've done some work with the american legion post 200 here in mississippi, charles moore is the commander of it, i can tell you right now, if you are the executive director, you're there because you earned it. nobody -- they don't give you anything. you've earned it. you owe no one any apologies. i appreciate the fact that you represent yourself and the american soldier so well. i've got a question in regards o there are african-american posts and there are white posts. american legion post 200 is an african-american post but we have another post that's white in our town. why is there a difference there? what's the historical nature of that? and if you can dwell on that a little bit, give me a little history lesson to how that came

about, i would appreciate that thank you so much, c-span. host: thank you. guest: there are different posts in different communities and definitely there are some posts that historically were considered african-american posts, or historically considered, you know, white posts. as things are now, veterans go to whichever post they feel more comfortable. in they go to those posts where they feel they can be of service to the american legion in that community. i think as a legionnaire, you go to the post that's where, in your area, where you live, where you -- the things that you do. it's closest to you, more convenient. historically, the posts were created like that we were established in 1919. things were very different then. but i tell you now if you go to an american legion post you won't be denied membership because of your gender or race. we welcome all veterans into the american legion.

host: charles in indiana, an independent. good morning. caller: good morning. host: good morning. caller: i'd like to address some of the things that happened at the -- in the v.a. system, they're inconsistent and i know that congress has tried to address them but they haven't. my brother goes to the v.a. and i have to take him because he can't drive. well, they wanted him to have a colonoscopy, one time. they wanted him, i told him, you'll have to stay overnight at the v.a. the v.a. said you can't stay overnight. you have to come in and have the colonoscopy and then you can stay one night after. i said, well this doesn't -- i told my brother this doesn't make sense, i cannot drive you three hours to chicago to have a colonoscopy after you've had that medicine. and the other issue, i drive him over to maryville where his clinic is one day i'll take him over for a blood test, the next week i take him over for a urine

test, the next week i take him over for another, a hearing test. and then he might have a doctor's appointment the next week or month. and so they are inconsistent and i want to know, you know, congress is working -- i understood they have tried to, that uh someone has to drive over an hour and a half to get to a clinic should be able to go to a local clinic and have their blood tests or urine test taken. host: ok, charles. verna jones? guest: thank you, charles. thank you for calling in the veterans choice will catch on with some of veterans having to drive so far. truly it's an inconvenience and veterans should be able to be accommodated better than that your brother should receive his choice card and as soon as he gets that choice card, have him call, last number with a letter -- with the letter attached, and ask those questions about what

he's entitled to based on the appointments that he has to have and how far you live from the v.a. and then if you have additional questions after you call that 1-800 number listed on the letter, call the american legion at 202-861-2700. we'll be able to help you if you have other questions. thank you for your service. host: we have time for a few more phone calls as we continue to talk with american low le's executive director verna jones on this veterans day, november 11, 2014. you've seen shots, our camera out on the national mall before the vietnam memorial here in washington. you can see the vets and their families and friends gathering around these memorials, world war ii memorial as well in washington and most cities across the country, marking veterans day today on this november 11, 2014. we'll go to ann. fresno, california.

democratic caller. go ahead, ann. caller: hi. good morning. mrs. jones, i'm a widow of a korean veteran, and i'm calling to ask you, who do you contact by writing and email for suggestions and complaints? my husband had filed a claim, the same year he had died in and -- which was back in 2007 and all they kept sending was letters that they were working on it, working on his case. when they die -- when he died, everything stopped and so i went to the veterans affairs and they had to call the oakland office on the head person because there was nothing in the book that says that, once, you know, the person is deceased, that everything just stopped. he wasn't receiving any benefits or anything because he had not

filed since he came out of the korean war he had a claim number from back during that time. but he didn't know what the results was. this pain -- his paperwork got burned in a fire or something they had according to the letters. so the thing that i'm still struggling with and disturbed with is that i don't know if he was ever entitled or not entitled to benefits because they completely stopped and he had authorized, you know, the paperwork where they could go to your, get your doctors, hospital, whatever. they turned around and sent me one to sign, didn't explain why i had to sign it being that he was deceased, it should have been good, what he had signed for. and also he sent in the claim, i guess for the dependent, or i

did, and i don't know if they -- it looked like they never looked at both issues where he was -- whether i was entitled or not but they main thing is not only that but the veterans, my dad was in the navy and i don't know when the policy changed with the veterans hospitals, but you used to could just go in with your dog tags or your dd-2-14 paperwork and get help my dad went in on emergency and they treated him, he was in the hospital there, i was only a teenager at the time. host: there's a lot there, let's have verna jones address it. guest: i apologize that you're having to go through that. you shouldn't have to wonder what's going on with your husband's claim. there are so many things that have -- you brought up a lot of issues. the paperwork, i'm not sure what's happening. i want to be able to help you

with that. i'm going to ask you to call the american legion or leave your phone number so we can contact you. i want to be able to help you. we'll have to look at the paperwork and see what's going on. the claim shouldn't stop because your husband passed away. you may be entitled to your -- to benefits because of your husband's service. call the american heat 202-861-2600. they'll connect you with someone to look over the paperwork and help explain everything to you so that you'll know what you may be entitled to and what needs to happen next and we can help you through that process. >> is the american legion open today on veterans day or should people wait to call until later in the week? >> the building is closed today but the american legion staff and legionnaires are sell -- -- celebrating across the country. host: and peter is next a republican and a veteran.

caller: good morning. i'd like to salute verna and the american legion. i served in vietnam from 1961 and 1965. i'd also like to salute the v.a., for taking good care of me. when i woke up in the v.a., there was the american he le john with a packet and card and really supportive. thank you so much. host: we hear peter's comments while we look at the vietnam memorial here in washington. you can see the folks gathering around the memorial. looking at the name, leaving flowers and other memorabilia at the memorial this morning. we'll go to chuck in hawaii, an independent and a veteran. hi, chuck. caller: hello, aloha. i'd like to thank mrs. jones for her service. and two comments. the first one is about the veterans crisis centers that the american legion conducts.

they're very successful. i've been witness to them. they allow a veteran and the v.a. a neutral ground to meet. a lot of veterans a disenchanted with the v.a., don't want to go up there, but the american legion has put together this program to allow veterans to come new york it's a good thing for the veteran and it's a great conduit between the v.a. and the vet. host: ok, chuck, thank you. verna jones, your final thoughts. guest: thank you, chuck. we did do a crisis cent threr in hawaii and were able to hope a lot of veterans. i want to say happy veterans kay day to all veterans. the american legion is here to help you with whatever it is that veterans need. we honor veteran's service and feel very grateful and very proud to be who we are and to be able to help veterans that we help. if any veteran has any questions or needs the american legion they can call us or contact us

at www.legion.org. host: that's the website, legion.org and follow them on @americanleon. thank you for spending your veterans day talking to our viewers. >> my pleasure. >> on tomorrow morning's "washington journal" a conversation on the lame duck sofingse congress, congressional leadership elections and what to expect in the next session. then the institute on women and politics, jennifer lawless on the role of women in the 2014 mid terms. erika fry joins us to talk about drugs made from tobacco plants that can be used to treat illness. as we mentioned the house and senate are back in session tomorrow for the lame duck session of the 113th congress. both bodies coming in at 2:00 p.m. eastern.

here's a preview of what to expect. >> the 2014 mid terms are over or just about over in most races anyway and we look ahead to the lame duck session. we're joined by "the hill's" rebecka cra chabat. looking ahead to the 113th lame dung session, the headline is, funding bill will wait until december. you write the timing would give lawmakers a day or two to debate and vote. they've got a deadline in december. what is that and what will be included in this omnibus bill? >> they basically have a day or two based on what i've been told by people at the house appropriations committee to pass an omnibus spending bill that would fund the government through the rest of the fiscal year which would be to the end of next september. the problem is that the spending bill that lawmakers approved in september expires on december 11, which is that week. and people will only just a few

days to debate and vote on the bill, otherwise what could happen is lawmakers might choose to extend the continuing resolution that's currently in place for maybe a short period of time until they pass this omnibus spending bill. >> that short-term extension sounds like they've done that in the past, how much is in this bill? is this basically the levels they agreed to, the budget that was passed yerler -- earlier this year? and what other surprises may we see in that omnibus spending bill? >> that's correct. the level that will be in the omnibus spending bill will be at the level set by the budget deal that pall ryan and patty murray reached last december. $1.014 around the trillion mark. otherwise it's hard to tell exactly what's going to be new in this omnibus spending bill. obviously the white house has asked for two separate new funding requests that are pretty major. one is for the ebola fight and

one is for the war on isis. those are the two funding requests that the administration sent to congress in the last week. lawmakers will obviously have to debate these requests and it's possible they could wind up in the omnibus spending bill. that's what the administration is hoping for. but of course there could be republicans who oppose those requests. >> you tweeted about that administration request, that $5.6 billion, here's your tweet, it says, democrats call for isis war vote in the lame duck. not only is there consideration of how much money but whether the president has the authority to do this, right? >> right. president obama has said he does have the authority to carry out military operations in iraq. and syria. however, he has said in the last week that he will seek an authorization to carry out these operations in the middle east. the problem is that a lot of democrats do want this war authorization vote to happen in the lame duck session since they do have control of the senate.

however, republicans want it to be pushed until next year when they have the majority in the senate. i think that that might be what winds up happening, the republicans might get their way here, because they only have about 15 working days in session during the lame duck session at the end of this year. and i don't think they'll be able to get much done besides a spending bill and maybe a few other things. i think something as large as an authorization vote would have to have more time for them to debate and vote on it. >> let's move over to the senate and the nomination of loretta lynch to replace eric holder as attorney general. the president making the announcement last weekend. interesting that "the hill" and other organizations reporting about a possible delay in her nomination. the headline in "the hill" says democrats unlikely to ram through the obama attorney general pick. why would democratic leaders delay considers of her nomination and wait until a

republican majority takes control of the senate? >> i think democrats are not too concerned about her nomination. i think the white house put her forward as somewhat of a bipartisan choice. she has been confirmed twice before by the senate to be u.s. attorney in new york. so quong they'll have too hard of a -- so i don't think they'll have too hard of a time getting her through. even john mccain said earlier today that he thinks she will get awe through a republican senate phoenix year. i don't think -- senate next year. to i don't think democrats are concerned and they don't have too many days to debate and vote on this sort of thing in the lame duck session. >> and senator mcconnel, the likely incoming majority lead what are ve senate, his thoughts on repeal og ba macare? >> he's said repeatedly he wants to repeal obamacare. i wrote a story a few days ago about a number of conservative

groups pushing for him to repeal obamacare he has suggested he could use the budget tool called reconciliation to push out think -- push it through which would only require 51 votes in the senate. however there are a number of legislative procedural hurdles he may face in terms of getting that appeal through. what would be much more likely, maybe president obama would be willing to sign, maybe a repeal of the medical device tax, maybe something on the employer mandate. something that might get some sort of bipartisan attraction. >> both the house and senate, republican and democrats, will hold their leadership election this is weefpblg what are some of the races we should keep an eye out for? >> thing won't be too controversial. they're obviously holding -- republicanning are holding their leadership elections on thursday as are democrats in the senate. i think what we're really looking for is what's happening in the senate, obviously, the two sides are going to flip,

mcconnel is going to get the majority here. there's some races that are open that are not too controversial. as far as john boehner, i think he's going to get the speakership again. there might be a few tea party republicans that might choose to put their name in the hat but i don't think that he'll have too hard of a time. it seems pretty clear he'll be speaker again. >> and it looks like his hand is strengthened by the results of the election. >> that's exactly right. >> read more from rebecca at thehill.com. >> our veterans day coverage continues, coming up at 6:00:30 eastern on c-span2, u.s. senator and vietnam veteran john mccain, the arizona republican is talking about his new book "13 soldiers: a personal history of

americans at war." the 3 soldiers profiled served in wars from the rev lugenary war to iraq and afghanistan. that's coming up in about 10 minutes on c-span2. and president oba awarded the medal of honor to staff sernlt ryan pitts for his action during the 2008 bat until afghanistan hen al qaeda and taliban fighters attacked. >> he received this administration for the heroism and valor he dedisplayed which made his country proud. he is of the chosen few co-receive -- to receive this honor today as the nation pauses to recognize him. our hearts are fwitched staff sergeant ryan pitts, who humbly insisted that his actions in the

battle of wanat were simply his duty and it is and always will be on his loyalty to his unit. we acknowledge that same devotion came from the legacy of a faithful family, family who cared for, supported, and paid -- prayed for sergeant pitts as symbolized in a faded flag that flew proudly every day of his service in union form. we join our hearts together as we honor his desire to honor the soldiers by his deeds each day. we honor him today and honor the courage and commitment of all who serve in harm's way. we pray in your holy name, amen. >> good afternoon, everybody. welcome to the white house. please be seated.

>> for forces in after gap stan, the battle of wanat was one of the war. t in they were manning their base deep in a valley when they were attacked by 200 insurgents. those insurgents seemed determined to overrun a smaller post outside the base, an elevated patch of boulders and sandbags defended by just nine american soldiers. soon, under the relentless fire, all nine of these men were wounded or killed. insurgents broke through the wire and that little post was on the verge of falling, giving the enemy a perch from which to devastate the base below. against that onslaught, one american held the line. just 22 years old, nearly

surrounded, bloodied but unbowed. the soldier we recognize today with our nation's highest military decoration, the medal of honor, staff sergeant ryan m. pitts. now, i don't want to embarrass ryan but the character he displayed that day was clearly forged early. i'm told that in kindergarten when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up he, drew a picture of a soldier. when he was in a fifth grade, his teacher sent home a note describing him in words that would be familiar to all who know him today. ryan, she wrote is a special human being. in ryan pitts you see the humility and loyalty that define america's men and women in uniform. of this medal he, says, it's not mine alone. it belongs to everybody who was there that day because we did it together. i want to welcome those who were there that day, ryan's brothers

in arms and those who are going to be welcoming him into their ranks. the members of the medal of honor society. we are very proud of them and we are honored by the presence of the families of our fallen heroes as well. we welcome ryan's family, many from new hampshire, including his wonderful wife amy. i have to take a pause because they are actually celebrating, ryan and amy, their second anniversary today. as ryan put it, it's going to be tough topping this one. as anniversaries go. but let me just give you a piece of advice as someone who has been married for over 20 years -- you should try. i'm just say, don't rest on your laurels after just two years. we welcome their gorgeous son, 1-year-old lucas, who ryan is beginning to teach a love for all things new england, of course the red sox and the

bruins and the celtics and the pats. i want you to try to imagine the extraordinary circumstances in which ryan and his team served. this was the summer of 2008 and this is a time when our forces in afghanistan were stretched thin and our troops were deployed to isolated outposts. they had just arrived in wanat. just days before. and they were still building their very small base. a handful of armored vehicles in fighting positions and fox holes and sandbags. wanat, one report later concluded, had significant vulnerabilities. parts of the village sat on higher ground. on every side, mountains soared 10,000 feet into the sky. heavy equipment to help build their defenses was delayed in the 100-degree heat -- was delayed. in the 100-degree heat, they

were low on water and the aerial surveillance they counted on was moved to other missions. early that morning, they spotted men on the mountains but before they could take action, the entire valley erupted. machine gunfire, mortars, rocket propelled grenades came raining down. they were firing from ridges and from the village and from trees. a vehicle exploded scattering its missiles back at our soldiers. said one soldier, hell on earth. ryan and his tiny team were being pounded. almost instantly every one of them were wounded. he was hit by shrapnel in the arm and both legs and was bleeding badly. already three american soldiers that valley had fallen, and then a fourth. he picked up a grenade, pulled a pin and held it for a moment,

and then another, and then another, finally hurling society they couldn't throw it back. he did it again and again. unable to stand he, pulled himself up on his knees and manned a machine gun. soldiers from the base below made a daring run, dodging bullets and explosions and joined the defense but now the enemy was inside the post system of close they were throwing rocks at the americans. so close they came right up to the sandbags. eight american soldiers had now fallen and ryan pitts was the only living soldier at that post. the enemy was so close he could hear their voices. he whispered into the radio, he was the only one left and was running out of ammo. i was going to die, he remembers, and made my peace with it. then he prepared to make a last stand. bleeding and barely conscious he, threw his last grenades. he grabbed a grenade launcher and fired nearly straight up so the grenade came back down on the enemy just yards away. one insurgent was now right on

top of the post shooting down until another team of americans showed up and drove him back. as one of his teammates said, had it not been for ryan pitts that post almost certainly would have been overrun. even with reinforcements, the battle was not other. another wave of -- not over. another wave of rocket propelled grenades slammed into the post, nine americans were now gone and still the fighting raged. ryan worked the radio, targeting the air strikes hitting dangerously close. with those, the tide turned. the insurgents eventually fell back. ryan and his fellow soldiers had held their ground this medal, ryan says is an opportunity to tell our story. there was valor everywhere, according to ryan. and so today we also pay tribute to all who served with such valor that day. shielding their wounded buddies with their own bodies, picking

up unexemployeded missiles with their hand and carrying them away. running through the gunfire to reinforce the post. fighting thru their injuries and never giving up. helicopter pilots and medevac crews who came in under heavy fire. said one soldier, never in my career have i seen such bravely and sacrifice. so i would ask all those who served at wanat on the ground and in the air to please stand, those of you who are here today. [applause]

>> most of all, ryan says he considers this medal a memorial for those who didn't come home. e honor nine american soldiers who can't make it home. the expectant father whose dream would come true arbling baby girl, specialist sergio abat, the boy who dominated the soccer fields, fell in love with motorcycles and there, in a remote outpost took a direct hit in the helmet and kept on fight, corporal jonathan ayers. the photographer whose beautiful pictures cap tchird spirit of the afghan people and who wrote to his family, afghanistan is exactly where i wanted to be, corporal jason boggar. the father who loved surfing with his son, the platoon lead whore led a dash to that post to reinforce his men, first lieutenant jonathan bostrom. an immigrant from mexico who

became a proud american soldier on his third tour whose final thoughts were of his family and beloved wife leslie. sergeant fwar see ya. a young man of deep faith who served god and country who could always get a laugh with his impersonation of his commander, corporal jason homader. the husband who couldn't wait to become an uncle, who in every photo has a big smile on his face, corporal matthew phillips. the big guy with an even bigger heart, a prankster whose best play was cleaning up at the poker tables with his buddies and his dad, corporal pruitt rainey. and the youngest 20 years old, the little brother of the platoon, and who, says his dad, did everything life with passion, corporal gunner zwilling. they live to serve us all. they died to -- died to protect

each of us. their hearts -- their memories live on in the hearts of those who love them still, parents, brothers, sisters, wives, sons, daughters. to you families, no words can match the depth of your loss but please know that this nation will honor your soldiers now and forever. i ask those gold star families to please stand, including allie who is 11 and jay who just turned 12. please stand. [applause]

>> this is the story ryan wants taos remember. soldiers who loved each other like brothers and fought for each other and families who made a sacrifice that our nation must never forget. ryan says, i think we owe it to them to live lives worthy of their sacrifice. and he's absolutely right. as commander in chief, i believe one of the ways we can do that is by heeding the lessons of wanat. when this nation sends our troop into harm's way they deserve a sound strategy and a well-defined mission and they deserve the forces and support to get the job done and that's what we owe soldiers like ryan and all the some rads that were lost. that's how we can truly honor those who gave their lives that day. that's how as a nation we can remain worthy of their sacrifice. i know that's a view that's shared by our secretary of

defense and by our joint chiefs of staff and all the leadership here. they're hard lessons but they are ones that are deeply ingrained in our hearts. it is remarkable that we have young men and women serving in our military who day in, day out, are able to perform with so much integrity. so much humility. and so much courage. ryan represents the very best of that tradition. and we are very, very proud of him as we are of all of you. so god bless you ryan, god bless all who serve in our name. may god continue to bless the united states of america. with that, i would like our military aide to please complete he ceremony.

>> the president of the united states of america, authorized by act of congress, march 3rks1863, has awarded in the name of congress the medal of honor to sergeant ryan m. pitts, united ates army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. sergeant ryan m. pitts distinguished himself with acts of heroism above and beyond the call of duty while serving as orward platoon, second battalion airborne, 173rd airborne brigade during combat operations against an armed emy at vehicle patrol base caylor, in wanat village, in

july, 2008. early that morning while he was providing perimeter security, a well-organized anti-afghan force, consisting of over 200 members, initiated a close proximity, sustained, complex assault using accurate and intense rocket propelled grenade, machine gun and small arms fire on wanat pa control trol base. an immediate brigade of rounds engulfed the post, wounding sernlt pitts and causing casualties. sergeant pitts was knocked to the ground and was bleeding from wounds to his arms and leg bus he subsequently took control of the observation post and returned fire on the enemy. as the enemy drew near he, threw grenades, holding them after the pin was pull and the safety lever was released to allow a nearly immediate detonation on the hostile forces. unable to stand on his own and near death because of the

severity of his wounds and blood loss, sergeant pitts continue to fire until a reinforcement team arrived he assisted them by giving up his main weapon while lobbing gregre montreal canadiens until they were expended. at this point, he crawled to the northern position radio and described the situation to the command post as the enemy continues to try to isolate the observation post from the main po troll base. with the enemy close enough for him to hear their voices and with total disregard for his own life he, whispered in radio situation reports. sergeant pitts' courage, steadfast commitment to the defense of his unit and ability to fight while seriously wounded prevented the enemy from overrunning the observation post and capturing fallen american soldiers and ultimately prevented the enemy from gaining

fortified positions on higher ground from which to attack wanat patrol base. sergeant ryan m. pitts' extraordinary heroism are in keeping with the highest ideals of military service and reflect great credit on himself and the 503rd infantry regiment and the united states army. [applause]

>> let us pray. god, renew our hearts and faith in you with a firm conviction to live are humility and confidence of shared aspirations. grant to us your favor that our nation may remain strong and safe, a free land, made so by brave soldiers who defend her on our shores and faraway outposts even today. guide us in our lifes so that we

might remain worthy of your trust and respect even as they remain faithful in their service . all this we pray in your blessed and holy name, amen. >> that concludes the official part of the ceremony but we still have a big anniversary party. the white house, i understand, has prepared some pretty good edibles and some beverages and so i hope everybody enjoys the reception. i want to once again thank all who serves and the families of those who served. you make us proud every single day and to ryan and amy and luke, we wish you all the very best because what an extraordinary family you have. the pleasures of family were hard-earned by this young man. thank you very much, everybody. god bless you. [applause]

>> last week, president obama atwheard -- awarded the medal of honor to alonzo cushing who died at the wattle of gettysburg. several cousins of lieutenant cushing joined president obama for the ceremony in the white ouse roosevelt room. >> please, everyone, have a seat. >> on behalf of michel and

myself, welcome to the white house. 150 years ago, as our country truggled for survival, named the in con fields of gettysburg to honor those who died there. today we pause to pay tribute to someone who died there, to bestow a medal of honor on first lieutenant alonzo h. cushing. typically this medal must be awarded within a few years of the action. but sometimes even the most extraordinary stories can get lost in the passage of time. so i want to thank the more than two dozen family members of lieutenant cushing who are here, including his cousin twice removed helen loringsen sin -- ensign from palm desert, california who will accept this medal. for this american family this story isn't some piece of

obscure history, it's an integral part of who they are. today our nation shares their pride and celebrates what this story says about who we are. this award would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of supporters who worked for decades to make this day a reality. i want to especially acknowledge margaret zerwick, a historian from wisconsin where lieutenant cushing was born. there's margaret back there. good to see you, margaret. margaret is also the granddaughter of a union veteran and lives on a property that was once owned by cushing's father. when she discovered this store, this story -- scored this story she spent over 25 years writing letters and raising her voice to make sure this soldier received the recognition he deserved. what's more she managed to bring republicans and democrats together. to make this happen.

margaret, we may call on you gain sometime. this medal is about more than just one soldier or one family. it reflects our obligations as a country to the men and women in our armed services. obligations that continue long after they return home, after they removed their uniforms and even, perhaps especially, after they have laid down their lives. so this medal is reminder that no matter how long it takes, it is never too late to do the right thing. alonzo or lon cushing was raised by his widowed mother in fredonia, new york, with his siblings, including three brothers who also served the union. as a teach whore recommended him do est point wrote, he will

honor to the position. lon fought bravely and developed a reputation for his cool, his confidence and his courage under fire. but it was at gettysburg, what one newspaper later called emphatically a soldier's battle, where lon would be immortalized. it was july 3, 1863, the final day of a grueling three-day fight lon commanded his battery along the wall, fending off punishing fire from general lee's confederate troops in vabs of what we now know as pickett's charge. lon and his men could barely see ahead of them for the smoke. one witness described that strange terror of spreading sounds. lon was hit and badly wounded.

his first sergeant, a man by the name of frederick fruger, urged him to go to the rear but lon renews -- refused saying he would fight it out or die in the acement. bleeding and weak he, moved his remaining guns closer to the front. over 10,000 confederate infantrymen advanced, el beto elbow new york rows over a mile wide. peering through field glasses, lon ordered his men to continue firing at the advancing columns , used his own thumb to stop his gun, burning his finger to the bone. and his gun spoke out for him once more before he fell to the ground. alonzo cushing was just 22 careers old. in a letter to lon's sister, fruger wrote that the bravery of their men that day was entirely due to your brother's training and example set on numerous

battlefields. etched on his tombstone at west point is the simple epitaph, faithful unto death. his memory will be honored late they have month when one of our navy's cruisers dedicates its officers' dining hall as the cushing boardroom. here today we know that lon and the others zsh we know that we know what lon and others could not that gettysburg was a turning point in the civil war. it was also proof, if any was needed, that it was thousands of unknown soldiers committing acts of heroism who saved our union and freed a people and reaffirmed our nation as one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. mindful that i might not be standing here today as president had it not been for the ultimate sacrifices of those courageous americans. today we honor just one of those

men, lieutenant alonzo cushing, who, as lincoln said, gave their last full measure of devotion. his story is part of our larger american story, one that continues today. the spirit, the courage, the determination that he demonstrated lives on in our brave men and women in uniform who, this very day, are serving and making sure that they are defending the freedoms that alonzo helped preserve. and it's incumbent on all of us as americans to uphold the values that they fight for and to continue to honor their service long after they leave the battlefield. for decades, even centuries, to come. so with that, i would like to ask helen to join me for the reading of the citation. >> the president of the united states of america, authorized by

act of congress, march 3, 1863, that is a-- has awarded in the name of congress the medal of honor to first lieutenant alonzo h. cushing, united states army. first lieutenant alonzo h. cushing distinguished himself by acts of bravery above and beyond the call of duty while serving as an artillery commander, in battery a, fourth u.s. artillery, at gettysburg, pennsylvania, during the american civil war. that morning, confederate forces d by general ront e. lee can cannonading lieutenant cushing's position. he refused to leave the battlefield after being struck in the shoulder by a shell fragment. as he continued to direct fire, he was struck again. this time suffering grievous damage to his abdomen. still refusing to abandon his command he, boldly stood tall in the face of pickett's charge and continued to direct fire into

oncoming forces. as the forces closed in, he was struck in the mouth by an enemy bullet and fell dead beside his gun hisms gallant stand and fearless leadership inflicted severe casualties on confederate forces and opened wide gaps in heir lines, directly affecting their ability -- the union's ability to withstavepbd pickett's charge. his bravery above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the u.s. military. it reflects well on him, his unit and the united states army. [applause] >> let me ask the members of congress who helped to make this happen to join us far photograph and get our secretary, our two

secretaries right here. ome on up. >> swing around here. so everybody can get a good picture. [applause]

>> on this veterans day, the chame of the house armed services -- the chairman of the house armed services committee issued a statement. >> c-span veterans day coverage continues -- continues tonight at 7:00 eastern with selections from this year's white house medal of honor ceremonies, followed at 8:00 by the traditional wreath laying ceremony at warling national

cemetery. en the u.s.o. gala featuring general martin dempsey. as well as discussions on veteran's mental health issues as well as other selections from the medal of honor ceremonies. on ast week, a conference marines. >> we thank the united states navy for that film. and now i give to you general p.x. kelley. >> put that old cane away.

it's tough getting old, let me tell you. but what happened was, a few years back, i had a really bad case of sciatica, so i went to the naval hospital and saw the doctor and he took an m.r.i. and he said that's the worst back i've ever seen in my life, what the health have you been doing -- what the hell have you been doing with yourself? i said, i jumped out of an airplane a couple hundred times, and there were a few other things i did. i said i'm not asking you for that i said what can you do for to the to fix it? he said, i'm not sure we can. he said -- i said, can we try. i said i'll dut a deal with you. he said, what's that? i said i don't want to be down on the second deck with all the admirals recuperating, i want to

be up on the fifth deck with the young kids coming back from overseas in the orthopedic ward. probably one of the best decisions i ever made. they work me like a tiger, never having a four-star general do work before they pushed me down the hall, they push me up the streets, they did everything to make me better. but the one thing they did which was they ppreciated made me a cane. now this is a special cane. there's only one like it in the world. and that's the one that the kids in the orthopedic ward at bethesda made for p.x. kelley and i treasure it system of anyhow, let's get down to business. i understand we have some of the dwight d. eisenhower people here today is that correct? are they here?

they were supposed to be. likee get my -- old people me have to have notes so we know what the hell we're talking about. so let me get my notes out first and then i can sort of make some common sense. see if i can get them organized, not sure i can. so speak a little bit from the uff. the day that i became commandant , ronald wilson reagan efficiented at the marine barracks, washington, d.c. it was one of the most memorable days of my entire life. and as time went on, i became, believe it or not, very close to the president. very close in a number of ways.

but that particular night, i because as so well we hadaired the baritone -- prepared the baritone we had, the baritone would sing "god bless america," i was sitting ext to the president, he said, wow, after that, i don't think i can make it. i said, well, thank you, mr. president, i am the first speaker. so then as the night progressed, he gave me my first order. and i still have the memory of that order. and let me share it with you. i kind of brought out a lot of melded gs which later into the, what i think very close reputation, not reputation but friendship that i had with ronald wilson reagan. probably number one because he

and i had a common love, and that was a common love of horse system of believe it or not, at his suggestion, the park police who you know have a mounted rps, park police are here in washington, and i went through their 400-hour equestrian course. now, one broken leg, one broken rib later, i fully graduated but it was a little tough system of -- to brag for a moment that in the international horse show in washington, ronald reagan had me ride his favorite horse, jimcrack. , d jimcrack was a big, tall thor rogue bread, black as the ace of spades, wonderful horse. so i was dolled up in my dress

blues, must say that i took a little license with the uniform, i had a big -- i had big tall, black boots and spurs and all those good thins. i have a picture to prove this, by the way. but then i got -- i had a blue ribbon. i have a picture at home with a blue ribbon. this kind of shows you the kind of relationship i had with our president. but that first night he, said, it was during that night, it's kind of hard with the light oming back in your face. he gave me my first order he said, general, i want a message sent to every member of your corps. wanted them to read -- message sent to the memory