have to make the right calls. andmake bad judgment calls people lose their lives. scared, i guess is something i never thought about because you're a journal and is rushing and it is channeling you to do things and it takes over. i guesg on the situation is whether you are fearful or scared. i was fearful all the time. fear makes you do the right thing. you heard the term scared to death. i have seen people get scared where they cannot do anything. fear you can control. >> i think you know what we are both saying.

the other concern, rather than fear, i had, that when i was command that i would make the right decisions and get the job done and get fewer marines hurt or injured. it is pretty tough to make a decision, when i tell you four to take out that machine gun and you get mowed down and i turned to the next four, and i say, you get them. we have to take out that machine gun or we are all going to go. those are the fears, scares, concerns. it is semantics. the whole thing is emotions you have to control. you don't say go to this. you say, follow me. [applause] >> i had a brief question for both gentlemen. what does wearing the medal of honor me to you, your family, and to the menu fought fought side-by-side

with? >> to me, humility. there is no greater pride to me than anything in the world. i never would have believed what happened. r the medal of honor, to receive it, it changes your life. what you used to be, you are not anymore. you are a different person. you have to expect your life is going to be completely changed, as mine have. you are a national treasure when you receive the medal of honor or a high decoration. people are watching you. they are looking at you. you are setting an example for the rest of the people. it is an honor to where it. you have to walk a straight line. you have got to walk a straight line.

if you warn inspiration to a younger generation -- i was telling someone, we left for birmingham with a lot of students. a lot of students don't even know what the medal of honor is, what it represents. to have that knowledge, please give them a little push and a little education. if this nation does not honor its heroes, we're doomed. >> is a great honor. the secretary of the navy was putting it around my neck and i was looking at my mom and dad with tears and i made them proud. to me, that was the highest moment because i made them proud. 5'10" through -- i put them through hell. my mother had worn out three pairs of stockings on the

kneeler from praying. i wore this my entire time. those great marines and phenomenal corpsman i saw on the field of battle. i never used it for my own benefit. i never used it to get my orders change or get a job. i would be naive to believe that this did not help me with outside because some general thought i wanted the medal of honor. like general walton wanted me to be his aid. because barney barnum has the medal of honor. it is not just cap than, major barnum. it is barnum with a medal. people are looking for. i had a recruiting training italian. in two crew years, i trained 12,000 -- i had a recruiting training batalian. in two years, i trained 12,000 civilians. they knew i was there because cigars with seller.

they emulated me because they respected me. they wanted to be like me. that is awesome. the troops look up to. as general chapman says, marines do things that they are supposed to do and don't do things that they are not supposed to do. i followed general chapman's edict and i did what i was supposed to be because i was leading by example. [applause] >> this is for both of you. you have addressed this to a certain extent. what effect the upbringing by your parents, your church, hunting, fishing growing up, how much help you become what you became?

>> dictate in the center -- it gave me the standards to live by. even today a little bit more because there has been a change in my life because of the medal of honor. it is the way you live. the hardship that i had in my youth, that also helps you to do things. not joking, i spent a lot of time eating rabbit and squirrel, right? i learned to hunt when i was a small kid because it was necessary. i have the foresight just to do the right thing. most of all, it helped me develop the character i needed to go through life and i still

use the same tools for that. >> i concur. let me segue the answer to this into my closing remark. my parents, my scoutmaster, my priests, my coaches, they helped me build the foundation of life. upon that foundation, i have been building walls. college, marine corps career. a grandpa and putting a roof of the house. but the roof on the house would fall down if i did not have a strong foundation, ok? you all are climbing a ladder of life. because you are into college, you're up on about rung five or six. i encourage you and charge you to set your goals high, way high, and always reach out to get those goals as you continue

to climb that ladder of life. never say it is too hard. never say, i can't. four god's sake, take the word failure out of your vocabulary. if there is anything you want to accomplish and you can't, you put your mind to it. there is no free lunch out there. you have got to work for what you get. in the greatest country of the world, if you work hard, you will get it. if you're going to be a bear, be a grizzly bear. think about those things that we said. we are sharing them with you because we experienced it. we want you to have a great life, living in the greatest country in the world. we have had a great life. have there been challenges? hell, yeah. but look at us. [laughter] [applause]

>> i want to make one more comment. an example about leadership. after i received the medal of honor, my radio operator from cambodia found me after 45 years. my interpreter. he was getting everyone together. they admired me and they still do today. i carry pictures in my wallet. the troops give you the respect you never thought you had. after 45 years, i am on the telephone with my 400 troops. that is part of leadership. i cared for them. that is what it is all about. [applause]

>> joint chiefs of staff's chair general martin dempsey speaks at the annual servicemember gala. meeting onlic government information gathering and privacy rights. next "washington journal ," terry jeffrey discusses how republican leaders in congress should handle major policy issues including immigration and the affordable care act. of the progressive change committee outlines the upcoming progressive agenda in the upcoming congress. managermarine corps talks about president obama's deployment of marine corps. you can join the conversation on

facebook and twitter. 7:00ngton journal, live at a.m. on c-span. during a speech in brisbane, australia president obama gave a speech about sharing ties. he also spoke about china and the recent bilateral agreement on climate change and advancing human rights. here is a portion. states willd continue to pursue a constructive relationship with china. by virtue of its size and remarkable growth, china will inevitably play a critical role in the future of this region and the question is what kind of role will it play. i just came from beijing. as i said there, the united states welcomes the continuing rise of a china that is

peaceful, prosperous and plays a responsible role in world affairs. it is a remarkable achievement that millions of people have been lifted out of poverty in china because of the extraordinary growth rate they have experience. welcome that development. , in fact, china is pulling actorle of a responsible that is peaceful in this region it is good for the world and the united states. so we will pursue cooperation with china where our interests overlap. investment, more communication between militaries to prevent misunderstandings. travel and exchanges between our people and more cooperation on global challenges from ebola to

climate change. engagement we are toouraging china to adhere the same rules as other nations whether in trade or on the seas. in this engagement we will continue to be frank about where there are differences. america will continue to stand up for our principles and unwavering support for the rights of all people. benefit from a relationship with china or any other country where we put our values aside. for the young people here, practicality is a good thing. there are times where compromise is necessary. that is part of wisdom.

onis also important to hang to what you believe, to know what you believe and be willing to stand up for it. see the entire speech by the president in brisbane australia tomorrow night on c-span. joint chiefs of staff chair general martin dempsey was the main speaker at this year's uso servicemember awards gala are in washington. remarks followed a rendition of an irish song he and other members of the joint chiefs honored individual soldiers in each branch of the military. united service organization was founded in 1941 and is a private group providing programs in the u.s. and around the world for american troops and their families. actress and comedian aisha tyler was the master of ceremonies and this is about one hour. >> senior military leaders have a time-honored tradition of

partnering with the uso to ensure that our troops receive the support and the services they need. these relationships allow the uso to be part of the attorneys our troops and families take. i'm incredibly honored to introduce our next guest, a man of true courage, honor and integrity, a hero who has served in the united states army for nearly 40 years and currently serves as the 18th chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and apparently knows the lyrics to all of kellie pickler's songs. [laughter] ladies and gentlemen and gentlemen, please welcome general martin dempsey. [laughter] [applause] >> thanks very much. i would like to begin by saying i do not know the words to "red high heels."

i don't know where she went but i cannot believe she said that. [laughter] by the way, how hard is it to follow kellie pickler? in terms of someone who demonstrates heart and passion and patriotism and compassion and commitment. -- she is all those things i don't know where you are, kelly, are you back at the table? i don't see her there but how about we give her a round of applause. she might hear him back. [applause] -- hear it in back. deenie and i are honored to be back. i mentioned this the last three years that when we put our calendar together for the year, there's just a handful of things we put on the calendar and we don't let anybody knock them off and this is one and it's because it is important. it's important for the soul of the force my compliments to the

uso in our congratulations to jd and christine for becoming the leaders of this incredible organization and you can count on us to be among your biggest fans not only while we served but long after. thanks for that. aisha said she thought the commandant of the marine corps had the coolest name -- frank grass, you might be at the other end of that. [laughter] grass? i love you, man but -- anyway -- [laughter] every year i throw somebody under the bus and this year it happens to be you. [laughter] over the last week -- one of the things that continues to surprise me is the way emotions kind of wash over you as the

chairman and i'm sure the service chiefs feel the same yeah, it was unbelievable. one of the things we did is we took a cruise down the hudson river and it had been raining during the day but the rain kind

of blue off -- blew out the bad weather and what we ended up with was an unbelievably crystal-clear fall night on this cruise, we saw the freedom tower in new york city and we all got some memories of that. all of a sudden, they announced come out on deck because we are about to approach the statue of liberty. we walked out on deck as a group. you can probably do the math so you know it's my 40th anniversary -- 40th reunion come you can probably tell how old we are but we walked out on deck and i'm not kidding you -- the size and the magnitude and the majesty and the beauty of the statue of liberty was just -- it was awe-inspiring. when you think about what it stands for -- honestly, for a bunch of us who were just telling lies to he cut -- each other all week about who we were and what we hoped to be, -- you kind of remember who we are. when you think about what it stands for -- honestly, for a it was one of those moments so that was on saturday night and today, i went to the passage of command for the united states marine corps where the 35th commandant, jim amos, past

command to the 36th commandant, joe dunford and i will tell you what, i am proud to be a member of the united states army but i also have the shoot bid -- the privilege of eating chairman of the joint chiefs. the chairman of the joint chiefs. if you could see the pride with which those young men and women stood tall and passed in review and were there for this ceremony honoring their outgoing commandant and their new commandant, it just made you want to stand taller and straighter. it's hard to stand straighter at least at my age. but the point is, the pride of the young men and women who served is absolutely inspiring. that is why, jd and all of you who served with the uso, that's why you do what you do because you want to match their pride with your commitment.

it was just unbelievable. it was just unbelievable. here i am again tonight so this is the trifecta for me. one week, three events where you can feel good not only about the military but about the country. now you can. let's give the country around of pplause. [applause] i already mentioned jd and christine and we want to welcome you -- by the way, there is nothing on this teleprompter. everybody else had something on he teleprompter. anyway but jd and christine, welcome aboard as we say, terrific. i also want to mention my teammates, the joint chiefs. some of them are here tonight and i saw ray odierno and john and some of the vices and the commandant of the marine corps,

the the guy with the cool name and frank, the not so cool man guy. i could not be, honestly, i could not be prouder to be part of that team, the joint chiefs of staff. we've got a lot going on in case ou have not noticed. [laughter] if i had had this conversation with you and with them what, four months ago, we would not be talking about insecurity in europe or this thing called isil and we would not be talking about ebola and here we are. by the way, the joint chiefs and the men and women who serve, we will figure it out. we will figure out what the country needs us to do and we will do it. we will do it well and we are going to keep the country safe -- [applause]

even while we are sitting here tonight, besides the young men and women employed on missions we already know about, we've got people packing their bags to go to europe to reassure our allies or go to iraq or kuwait to make sure that this threat of isil oes not continue to expand and to go to places like senegal and liberia to make sure that this disease is contained and therefore does not become a threat to the homeland. that is what they do. the uso, i hope you did not think we would put you out of work. we are not going to put you out of work. you will have some work to do and we are proud to be partners with you in doing it. i also want to make a special mention tonight to a couple that happened to be here with us and to get, i think i'm a far less credit than they deserve or what they have done for their country and that's lloyd and charlene austin who happen to be sitting

t our table tonight. if you value humility as a character trait, there is not many people i know better as humble as lloyd and charlene austin. when you think about the portfolio we have given him and the men and women who served with him, it's quite remarkable. he's got really big shoulders but it's even remarkable that even he can bear the weight of what we have asked him to do. join me in a round of applause or lloyd and charlene. [applause] i already talked about kellie pickler. what an incredible person and kyl her husband.

so she is an extraordinarily successful and talented country-western singer and on a whim says maybe i will try that "dancing with the stars" thing and i'm glad she does not want to give a shot to being the chairman. i'm not sure i could fight her off. she is little, very little, but she is mean as a snake. [laughter] that i want to mention one other person and i actually -- i try to mention this person every year. some of you have been here for these events in the past. i apologize for being repetitive but marilou austin -- where is she? let me tell you -- i don't know where she is i may get her to stand up and if somebody can find her with a spotlight -- marilou -- where is she? tand up.

[applause] you are standing, i'm sorry. some of you heard the story but when i was a second lieutenant on the way to germany, it was january, 1975, i was lost. this is before sponsorship was a big deal. they kind of gave you a ticket to go to a place you could not pronounce. i got off of the aircraft and i went to where we all go when you're not exactly sure where to go. i went to the uso. ary lou was there. she steered me in the right direction and i told this story three years ago -- she came up to me after and said " it was me." i thought that was cool so every year now, here you are. she is down in atlanta now but here's the rest of the story -- last year mike son was redeploying from afghanistan through atlanta.

guess who he met? arilou austin. last thing i want to say before i bow off the stage and we will get the chiefs appear to recognize the wonderful young men and women who are honored here tonight is i want to mention -- the army on many tonight has a special connection to me. i don't even think he knows it. my son was class of 2000 from west point and had a best friend by the name of tom kennedy. om kennedy was killed just about two years ago now in afghanistan. n that incident, there was a suicide bomber with a suicide vest. among the folks who made the situation less catastrophic than it could have been was sergeant

andrew mahoney who happens to be the army nominee tonight.. he actually tackled a couple of the members of the team that were there and prevented them from being killed in that ncident. that is who we are, right? i never met him but i will meet him here in a moment. we've got a connection that i did not even know we had until i read the bio. here's the deal, people say to me what's it like to be chairman right now? t's hard to describe actually. it's probably hard for all of us to describe what it's like to be serving just now when we are. but i did find this little irish ditty. can i get a drink of water

before i try to bang out this irish tune? can somebody hand me a drink of water? somebody back there has got to e listening. by the way, this is the guy that put me in this position. i will never forgive you for this. thanks, sir, george casey, 36 chief of staff of the united states army. i found this little -- it will shock you when i tell you it is an irish ditty but it is a little story about a brick layer. he was a brick layer and he was actually writing to his boss to explain why he was not at work on this particular day. it's called " the sick note." i would describe it as analogous to what it's like to be serving at this level at this particular point in time. here's how it goes -- sir, i write this note to you to tell you of me

plight and at the time of writing, i am not a pretty sight my body is all black and blue me face a deathly gray i write this note to say why patty is not at work today while working on the 14th floor, some bricks i had to clear now to throw them down from such a height was not a good idea the foreman was not very pleased he being an awkward sod. he said i would have to carry them down on the letter with me hod. clearing all the bricks by hand, it was so very slow so i hoisted up a barrel and secured the rope below but inme hasted to do the job, i was too blind to see that a barrel full of building bricks was heavier than me

o when i did untie the rope, the barrel felt like lead and clinging tightly to the rope, i started up instead while i shot up like a rocket to my dismay i found that halfway up i met the bloody barrel coming down the barrel broke me shoulder as to the ground it sped and when i reached the top, i banged the pulley with my head but i clung on tight through phnom penh shock from this almighty blow and the barrel still don't have to bricks 14 floors below now when these bricks have fallen from the barrel to the floor i then outweighed the barrel and so started down once more

still clinging tightly to the rope, i sped back towards the ground and i landed on the broken bricks that were spread and scattered around while i laid there groaning on the floor, i thought i had passed the worst when the barrel at the pulley wheel, and then the bottom burst a shower of bricks rained down on me i had not got a hope as i lay there moaning on the ground i let go the bloody rope the barrel then being heavier, it started down once more and landed right across me as i lay across the floor well it broke three ribs and my left arm and i can only say that i hope you'll understand p whyaddy's not at work today.

[applause] thanks. on behalf of the joint chiefs, let me tell you how proud we are to be part of this ceremony tonight and how proud we are of the men and women who serve and serving our country side-by-side with the uso. god bless you all, thank you. [applause]

>> i don't think i have enjoyed anything more than watching the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff singh and irish ditty a cappella. it was incredible. we have to get some kind of celebrity idol going on. kelly come come out and coach you. by the way, this is for irish eople, no? that's why all the drinking, k? they will tell you that was rue.

to help recognize this year's uso service members of the year, please welcome back to the states, dr. crouch, general meyer, and general dempsey. and assisting us with the award presentation this evening is the daughter of a retired u.s. army major and miss district of columbia, teresa davis, a proud military brat. she dedicated saluting the military and their families. each year, we come together to celebrate, honor, and recognize a servicemember from each branch of the military for their outstanding and heroic actions. our first presenter is a graduate of the united states military academy and served key operational leadership posts in europe, the middle east and the united states. to present the 2014 u.s. soldier f the year award in the please welcome the army chief of staff general raymond brodeur now -- general raymond oh dear no -- odierno. >> thank you very much. general dempsey was a 37 chief of staff and i am the 38. like all things, talent skips a generation. so as we pick the next chief, we will be conducting singing

auditions before we decide who the chief will be. general dempsey has volunteered to be one of those who graze the audition. -- who graze the audition. i want to thank everyone at the uso for this incredible evening and for what you do. everyone of us who wear uniform have our own uso story. we can all set up. and tell a great story of how it impacted us or one of our family members or one of our soldiers. i want to thank everyone for that tonight. i also have the honor tonight of presenting the soldier of the year. we often talk -- as i go around, i say that the army, the strength of the army is our oldiers. onight's awardee, sergeant mahoney, is incredibly representative of that. we often talk about courage, competence, commitment, and

character and he represents all of those incredible things. we are very, very proud of him as he represents the army this evening. our honorees are accompanied by family and friends tonight while we recognize these extraordinary service members, we also want to recognize the family members and friends of our honorees. n so many ways, our family and riends served with us. it's obvious to me that sergeant mahoney has a close and loving family supporting him. he is joined tonight by his wife melanie, his parents lori and james, his siblings travis, trevor, and sarah and his sister-in-law christie and brother-in-law ray. i want to thank all of you for supporting andrew. thank you so much. [applause]

on the morning of august 8, 2012, sergeant andrew j mahoney help to tackle a suicide bomber near the provincial governor's compound in afghanistan. he saved the lives of 24 eople. including the fourth brigade combat team fourth infantry division's commander at the time, colonel now brigadier general james mingus. ever vigilant as the team was proceeding on foot from the forward operating days to its destination when it reached a narrow bridge. sergeant mahoney noticed the individual and identified abnormal bulge under his shirt.

as sergeant mahoney and captain grover tackle the bomber, the assailant detonated his best wanting both soldiers. captain grover suffered wounds to his left leg and sergeant mahoney suffered a severe soft tissue wound to his left forearm and trap the ones to his right shoulder and leg. for his exceptional gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty, sergeant mahoney receives the silver tar. ladies and gentlemen, it's my distinct honor to present to you the 2014 u.s. oh soldier of the year, sergeant andrew mahoney.

>> we are honored to have a sensible alumnus and naval aviator here to present the uso marine of the year award. please welcome marine corps deputy commandant of programs and services, lieutenant general aters. >> thank you so much. unfortunately, the marine of the year could not be with us tonight as he is currently attending officers candidate school. however, you have to do what you ave to do.

several members of his family are here on his behalf and i would like to take a moment to recognize them. his wife jody who is expecting their first child in december -- speaking to her backstage, she says she is due on the fifth. her husband is not ready to deploy until the 12th. schedule dependent. the teleprompter notwithstanding, i will make a shameless plug and i did the math and i think and 2032, we will have another recruit. i would like to recognize his father-in-law, john and his mother-in-law celeste, his aunt and his uncle, atherine and don keller. ergeant matthew melici is an

osprey crew chief and defended his aircraft and the crew during an approach of a reconnaissance rated to a heavily defended enemy landing zone. his actions warranted the presentation of the distinguished service for his heroism and on june, 2012, he was serving as an aircraft gunner to death delivery suppressive gunfire while approaching the landing zone. this allowed the raid force chooses some part -- disembark the aircraft and engage the enemy. despite serious damage to the control system and gunfire, he kept the aircraft commander and crew appraisal the situation. the california native maintained his poise while returning to the area to support the withdrawal of the raid force enabling the successful completion of the mission.

his superb airman to inspired courage and loyal devotion reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the marine corps and united states naval service bradleys and gentlemen, i'm honored to present the 2014 u.s. oh marine of the year to sergeant matthew e, belleci. >> accepting on behalf of the sergeant is his wife jody.

>> this is an extra barry knight. i feel like cuba gooding junior in "jerry maguire" you all are going to make me cry. a native of butler, pennsylvania, this admiral has served at every level of command in honolulu seven fleet to u.s. fleet forces command and now chief of naval operations. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the 30th chief of naval operations, admiral jonathan greeneert. >> thank you very much. thank you, i as my fellow service chiefs are honored to be here tonight.

i would like to extend a special welcome to the friends and family of our recipient, officer cromer. this is a family affair as well. his wife laura and his parents gary and marie are here. laura's parents,marita and richard are here. , he's got them all here tonight everybody gets along, it's a wonderful thing. i thank you all for coming out to support troy. before we present the award, i would also like to thank the uso for their longtime support as marty has said and ray said, we all have a story, good story about the uso of what they have done for ourselves and our shipmates and those of us who are serving. we are here to recognize brave and committed teammates who epitomized the selfless service that defines our military today. courageous and committed force continues to provide our united states with an advantage, and asymmetric advantage unmatched by any nation. officer first class troy

cromer's job is in explosive ordnance disposal -- he is a one-person bomb squad. he distanced himself on numerous occasions. this is pretty amazing -- during a 2013 deployment to afghanistan where he was serving with a navy seal team 10. on a foot patrol, the petty officer's platoon encountered intense emmet -- enemy fire and were forced to withdraw in an armored vehicle. after leaving the patrol, and getting away from the ambush, troy is covered a remote-controlled improvised explosive device that was placed between the vehicles. you all know improvised explosive device is a homemade omb. while directing fire against the enemy and getting her buddy out, he discerned the ied and allowed the platoon to save the department area. on a separate mission, petty officer cromer led for special operations vehicle through an

area littered with ied's and disabled three of them and insured once again their safe passage. on another occasion, he located and destroyed about 1/4 mile long tunnel underground cave system that had been used to store a bunch of weapons and explosives and got rid of that. two other separate occasions in other instances, his quick actions and bravery helped save the lives of at least five wounded afghan soldiers, those who are serving with him. petty officercromer has received the army commendation medal and the navy and marine corps achievement medal with a combat v and action ribbon. you might think that's pretty extraordinary, there is more. after a couple sheet all of that, most of us would have gone to duty and be completed and go home. this sailor, while he was off

duty, rescued a mother and her 18-month-old daughter from a burning apartment. in his free time -- he dedicates a lot of time, countless hours to the make-a-wish foundation. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome a really handsome looking guy, by the way, but he's taken -- the 2014 sailor of the year, petty officer first class troy cromer.

>> our next presenter is a native of washington, d.c. and also the first air force officer to serve as assistant chief of staff on the white house military office. to present the 2014 uso airman of the year award, please look him vice chief of staff of the united states air force, general arry o. spencer. >> good evening, everyone. you may have noticed a little ruckus in the back because i demanded equal time with the chairman. you can tell obviously i am not from irish ancestry. but i actually wrote a rap song. however, because he said it's

getting late, i have to wait until next year. sorry, chairman. >> after party. >> ok, after party. i am honored to represent general mark welch this evening. his family and friends are here this evening. joining senior airman john c hamilton in the audience tonight are his wife andrea, his mother sabrina, stepfather paul, father mark, and stepmother teresa. [applause] lieutenant colonel mason doolan and his wife are here to support airmen hamilton. [applause] lieutenant colonel dollan was a special tactical squadron commander and had the foresight

to nominate john for this award to thank you. both of you represent the values of honor and integrity we hold so dear. senior airman john c hamilton, a parrot rescue men, distinctions up when he displayed remarkable courage and critical life-saving medical skills during an august 14, 2013 firefight in afghanistan. senior airman hamilton acted as a rescue and battlefield trauma specialist for an elite army special forces team during 13 high risk combat missions in afghanistan. while assaulting a knownhakani network sanctuary, they were pinned down by heavy fire and his bravery and medical expertise help save the life of a wounded comrade during the four-hour firefight and that proved decisive in preventing his small unit from being overrun. senior airmen hamilton who enlisted in the air force in 2009, had been assigned to the

23rd special tactics squadron since 2012 and hold combat diver, freefall, and static line qualifications and is nationally certified paramedic. his dedicated service earned him and air force chief and metal and is a compass must reflect great credit upon himself and the united states air force. ladies and gentlemen, i am pleased to present the 2014 u.s. so air men of the year, senior airman john c hamilton. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

>> our next presenter leads the largest component of the department of homeland security. to present the award for the 2014 uso coast guardsmen of the year, please welcome the 25th commandant of the coast guard, admiral paul s. zuchoonst. >> all right, you have heard it from a-z. aisha, i'm not sure which is more difficult your name or my. i have the not cool name. my last name means future and the future of the coast guard is very bright. [applause]