still advocate for the american veteran makes me prouder still. our veterans are part of america's greatest treasure. in my mind, they are the bravest, finest, and ensuring that we can and always will be a nation comprised of we the people. thank you for letting me share my thoughts with you today and remember that for dav, every day is veterans day. [applause] >> thank you, mr. hope. please welcome the honorable robert mcdonald, secretary of veterans affairs. [applause] >> vice president biden, recipient ryan,

secretary hagel and members senator family, king, senator leader pelosi, secretary mccue, chairman dempsey, your al grenard, and cohost . ron holt, our -- ron hope, articles for this year's organization. you for mers, thank your advocacy on behalf of veterans. fellow veterans, members of armed forces, va colleagues, good morning, everyone.

for decades, americans have set aside this hour of this day of this month to honor those this country d in uniform. and times of both peace and war. it is fitting that veterans day come so close to thanksgiving because veterans day to give thanks and asked the almighty's serve ng on those who and have served the cause of peace. day of secret remembrance, and it is a day of both prayers and promises. we pray and promise that those and are still serving, will never be forgotten. that returning warriors will bear their wounds alone. that their families will in facing lp uncertain futures, and that grateful nation, will embrace and care for survivors of those who do not return. us at va , all of

arrive at the ceremony after traveling along what we call, the road to veterans day. we started this journey more than 90 days ago and the road was built on the foundation of both the va's mission and the better serve and care for those in battle, and for their families and survivors. we sent three goals for three goals set for ourselves. the first was rebuilding trust with veterans and stakeholders. second, improving service delivery, focusing on better now comes. third, setting va on a course for long-term excellence and reform. we want veterans to know that they do not stress alone. the concerted efforts of the good people of va and the american people are all

required to besser veterans. at the va, we are reorganizing for success on this effort. perhaps the largest restructuring and history of the department. we call that reorganization and our customer service my va. it is called my va because we want veterans to view us as an that wants to them, providing quality care in ways they need and want to be served. my va will entail combining functions, simplifying operations, improving -- a 365 degree effort. all of this is to say that the

must regain and retain a laserlike focus on veterans. from the 90-year-old who fought across the polish -- expanse of omaha beach, to those who face the determined hold in afghanistan. is simple, to provide timely care to all veterans. our special guest today fully shares president obama's commitment to america's veterans. he and his wife, a tremendous supporter of veterans and servicemembers in her own son off to seen a war and felt the special pride of having a child who shares privilege and the responsibility of wartime service to our great nation. ladies and gentlemen, i am both y honored, professionally and personally, to present you a great advocate

for our veterans - the vice president of the united states, joe biden. [applause] >> thank you very much, mr. secretary. thank you. thank you. thank you very in the short time you have been in your position, people are beginning to see significant changes. you believe as i do, that we have one truly sacred obligation. as a nation, we have a lot of to igations to the young, all the poor, but there is no that is truly sacred other than the commitment to our veterans. carry that with you from your days at west point to today. and we appreciate that.

to all the distinguished guests here, let me say particularly to the gold star i appreciate much the opportunity, the privilege, to being able to speak it today. it is one of the great or vice es a president able to t has, to be literally speak on the sacred ground. it is the second occasion i tenure as vice president. it is a beautiful, beautiful autumn day. the sun is shining. the sky is clear. the temperature is perfect. nothing like the scorching and , the bitter cold, intense storms confronted many of you here today and our troops through every conflict in every age. today, sunshine is nothing heat are corching

vegans endured while battling across the sunbaked coral islands in the pacific and, in some cases, going days without water. nothing like the hardships of ed by the generations americans who waded through the rice paddies in the mekong delta. like the 103 degree heat in falluja. nothing compared to what i and g men fought through 25 below zero mountains, pinned down by heavy enemy fire on frozen ground 60 years ago. the nothing compared to snow and cold that have hurt our forces 66 years ago. lines is y favorite from a book by john steinbeck.

son re s the scratch to his adam -- silas describes her son adam, it says a soldier holy of all humans because he is the most tested. a soldier must coldly learn to put himself in a way of life without going mad. you can bring yourself to face not shadows, but real death, described in a bullet or by saber, then you need never be afraid again. you are the veterans of america, the most trusted among us and the most tested of all

americans. collectively, you represent generations of soldiers, and ors, airmen, marines, coast guard men who served and sacrificed for all of us. the heart and nly soul, but you are the very spine of this nation. nation, we pause more than 23 k who ion surviving veterans have so bravely and faithfully protected our freedoms. gave and they gave, and you deserve our thanks. [applause] we stand here today committed our respect, to honor, our to recognize

responsibility to care for for those erans and who continue in harms way as i speak to today. million women 3.5 and men have joined the with a near certainty of knowing that they would be deployed. and they have. over 2.6 million of this generation have been deployed to iraq and afghanistan. some -- some of you have been times to ultiple both places. of you e than half have returned to civilian life, the honored title of veteran. took on a generation responsibility that extended

beyond base or battlefields. they were prepared to follow the gates of en to hell, and they did. [applause] and they continue as committed. america as re has so much over such a sustained all volunteer -- period of an all volunteer force. and like so many generations before them, this generation of 9/11 warriors has paid an incredible price. every day for the past six early i asked my staff in the morning to contact the get a ment of defense to detailed report on the number deployed, the number wounded, and the number killed. number, the al exact number. every day.

one of those every warriors, there is an entire family, and extended family, back in america that has bladder or is bleeding -- bled or is bleeding. this morning, us troops in afghanistan and iraq 6703. iraq or ounded in afghanistan 5638. troops still deployed in combat in afghanistan 19,650. assistance in iraq, 1400. like some of you, i have seen the incredible sacrifices they and continue to make. the has been my honor over

last two decades to visit our from bosnia e field to kosovo, iraq to afghanistan, falluja to baghdad. i have never, ever once been filled to be impressed by the intelligence, the great, the resolve, the patriotism of these young women and men. and every time -- and i have been accompanied by some of the me -- every time i have been in the field with have found myself only ing, if only, if everyone in america could see what i'm seeing. taste what i'm tasting. understand what these warriors are doing. better than knows

this audience. not just a veterans who have been asked to sacrifice his or her , it is mother or his father, children, especially the husbands and wives. english poet john milton once wrote, they also serve who only stand and wait. they also serve who only stand and wait. was deployed bo a year, my wife, who is a professor, but leave early for school and i would get up and walk into the of the vice president

and come without fail, i would see her standing over the sink coffee in her mouthing a prayer that she was given. you have all done at. you spouses, you moms, you dads, you children. when they were deployed, there was not three hours that went by where did not cross your mind. what it was like, and we owe you. we owe you as much as we all your sons and daughters, your husband and wives. fewer than 1% of america's population serves in uniform, 99% of americans all that 1% -- owe that 1% so much more than we can ever repay. my firm belief that we do owe them. [applause]

we have an obligation to care we and equip those who sent to war, and care for them and their families when they come home. as i said earlier, it is the obligation the government has and we are honorbound to keep it. your absolutely remarkable, you veterans. jill and i have visited and i have visited

wounded veterans around the world -- in germany, walter reed, so many other places. we spent christmas day at walter reed all day. the reason i mention that is that you have had the experience i have had -- walking into the room of a wounded warrior, with his or her family. now i always asked the same question -- talk to general dempsey about this, he has done the same -- as the same question -- what can i do for you, soldier? what can i do for you, soldier, murray, airmen -- marine, airman? and the answer i get almost every time a stunning. the answer i most often get is, mr. vice president, sir,

can you get me back to my unit? i can help. jill and i usually host a warriors at our home as they prepare to united states of america in a competition in called the invictus games. and it struck me that there a more ot have been appropriate description of the determination and commitment in the character shown by all of veterans then these games referred to as the invictus games. the poet william ernest henry wrote a poem. stanza of that poem, it matters not how how charged ate, the punishment, i am the master of my faith. i am the captain of my soul. master of my faith of my soul captain -- i'm the captain of my soul. single generations of

veterans have been the best this country has had to offer. it is as true today as it was 200 years ago. when the americans held full navy of named n, a young lawyer francis scott key looked to a a simple l asking question -- does that star-spangled banner yet wave? that question and its implications and its aspirations have echoed every prayerless fight. did that star-spangled banner war in the hands of civil sergeant william carney, the medal of ican-american

honor recipient, as he took that banner from a fallen comrade and charge the ramparts of fort wagner? did that star-spangled banner wave over observation post that medal of honor recipient ryan fitz held against enemy rocket propelled in the kootenai valley? angle better rt of yet wave over six marines on -- in iwo jima? did that star-spangled banner yet wave over troops in the jungles of vietnam, the the tains of france, streets of falluja? star-spangled every yet wave over forward position, ship, base, deployed in our service for this nation today?

front it wave on the porches of families waiting out those deployments, their ly playing for warrior safe return? wave over walter reed, the center for the intrepid, the va trauma center, and so many other places where workers continue to march towards recovery? in ways and every police firehouse, school, business, where american community the while standing ready in the guard and reserve. it weighs in the heart of every american long after their time in uniform is through. in a silent vigil, about the role of headstones over here and over there.

ladies and charming, francis scott key's questions persist to this day -- does that star-spangled banner yet wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave? thanks to all of you veterans, unbroken line of warriors who have answered the call, the answer -- generation after generation -- continues to be yes. now and forever. adversary in very every age has learned, american warriors never bend, never break, and never ever, ever, ever yield. [applause]. and that is why, as i tell and later i it is never -- i

tell every foreign leader i encounter, it is never ever a bet to bet against the united states of america. god bless you all and may protect our troops. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please rise and join the united states marine band and singing "god bless america". ♪ >> god bless america. land that i love.

" god bless america"] [applause] >> today, virginia senator tim kane and harvard university law professor jack goldsmith discussed the constitutional and the congress executive branch and military intervention to combat isis.

you can see the events live at 10 am eastern on c-span2. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] physician spencer, a being treated for ebola is being released from hospital after being declared ebola free. with the be live center corporation committee at 3 pm eastern on c-span3. c-span cities tour take to the road, traveling to us cities to learn about the history and literary life. week, we partnered with charter communications to visit madison, wisconsin. >> it is a glorious service. it is a service for the

country. the call comes to every citizen. in an unending struggle to make and keep government representative. >> barbara follett is probably important -- bob lafollett is probably one of the most important political figures in history. he was a reforming governor. he defined what progressivism is. a united states senator. recognized by his peers one of the as most five greatest senators in history. advocating is ground for free speech. after the civil war, america

change radically from a nation of small farmers and small producers and small by the late s, and had 's, late 1890's, we concentrations of wealth, we had growing inequality, and we had concern about the influence of money in government. service that the later part of 1890's giving speeches all over wisconsin. if you wanted a speaker for or your group, bob would give a speech. he went to county fairs, he to every kind of event that you could imagine and built a reputation for himself. to run 0, he was ready for governor, advocating on behalf of the people. he had two issues. one, the direct primary. selecting candidates and conventions.

two, stop the interests. >> watch all of our venture saturday at two eastern and sunday afternoon at two on c-span3. >> live today on c-span, "washington journal"'s next. at 2 pm, the u.s. house from the first time -- for the first time since the midterm elections. will debate several bills, including one which would allow former and current us presidents to continue to restrict access to certain records.