[applause] we're seeing major progress in cities like salt lake city and louisville. so this has become a national movement. and we stand by our pledge: we are going to keep at it until every veteran who has fought for america has a place to call home in america. [applause] and finally, we're going to keep fighting to give our troops and veterans every chance to enjoy the american dream you helped defend. now, there's already a law to protect our troops and military families against unscrupulous predatory lenders. but i have to tell you some of the worst abusers, like payday lenders, are exploiting loopholes to trap our troops in a vicious cycle of crushing debt. so today, we're taking a new step. the defense department is closing these loopholes so we can protect our men and women in uniform from predatory lenders. it is the right thing to do. [applause]

and since today also marks five years since i signed historic wall street reform into law, let me say i will not accept any efforts to roll back this law or its strong protections for our economy and the american people, including our military families. and we're going to keep helping our newest veterans transition to civilian life. all 50 states have now taken steps to recognize the skills of our veterans when issuing civilian credentials and licenses. so we've got to make sure these laws are working so our veterans actually get those credentials. we'll keep helping our veterans and their families choose the school that's right for them under the post-9/11 g.i. and that now includes the surviving spouses of our fallen heroes. [applause] in 43 states, veterans now pay in-state tuition. we're working to make sure that happens in all 50 states. i don't know what the other

seven states think they're doing -- we got to go ahead and make that happen. [applause] we'll keep partnering with communities that step up and welcome our veterans home with jobs and opportunities that are worthy of their skills. and as long as i'm president, i'm going to keep telling every business in america -- if you want somebody to get the job done, hire a vet. [applause] hire a veteran, because they know what sacrifice means, and duty means, and responsibility means. let's do more nation-building here at home. that's part of our strength part of our american leadership. vfw, as i look around this auditorium, i see that the love of country and the devotion to duty spans the generations. that spirit endures in those who wear the uniform today.

we saw that, once again, last week in chattanooga. back in massachusetts, tom sullivan cheered for his boston teams. in battle, said a comrade, sully "was just everything that a marine should be." in two tours in iraq, he earned a combat action ribbon; for his wounds, two purple hearts. when he was warned that a gunman was there in chattanooga, he ran in -- so that others could live. today we echo the words of his community: gunnery sergeant thomas j. sullivan "was our hero and he will never be forgotten." "thank you for protecting us."

[applause] growing up in georgia, skip wells was a true servant leader -- devoted to god and to his friends, quick to lend a hand or put you on his prayer list. during his hometown's fourth of july parade, he was so proud to be a marine that he went in his dress uniform. just 21 years old, a year out of boot camp, easy going, always smiling, even during the hardest drills. a friend said, "skip is the kind of kid you want on your team." as americans, we are forever grateful that lance corporal squire k. wells was on our team. as an eagle scout in arkansas, david wyatt would race up a mountain to be the first on top. he was determined to do his part for our country, found his calling in the marines. he led with courage, in afghanistan and iraq, and with compassion -- as a mentor to comrades with post-traumatic stress. it's said he was a "gentleman and a gentle man." and no one knew that better than his wife, lorri, and their two young children.

today, we see, as they did, why a friend would say that staff sergeant david a. wyatt was "the kind of man this country needs more of." back home, carson holmquist was an embodiment of the spirit of grantsburg, wisconsin -- population, 1,300. loved country music, loved to fish, to hunt, to play football. and he loved the marines -- showing up at his old high school in his dress blues. he, too, served in afghanistan; was devoted to his family -- his wife, jasmine, and their two-year-old son. said his old coach, carson "always did the best he could." today, our nation is stronger because america saw the best of sergeant carson a. holmquist. and in his hometown in ohio, randall smith is remembered as the high school baseball star with the fierce pitch. he was a fun and outgoing guy --

the guy, they said, you just wanted to be around. his buddies in the navy knew it -- he had just reenlisted -- and his family knew it, too. his wife, angie, who he liked to call "the most beautiful woman in the world," and their young daughters, who he called his "little princesses." today, we join the people of vfw, our nation endures because citizens like you put on the uniform and serve to keep us free. we endure because your families serve and stay strong on the home front. we endure because the freedoms and values you protected are now defended by a new generation -- americans just like our five patriots who gave their lives in

chattanooga. as a grateful nation, we must stand up for them and honor them, now and forever. god bless these american heroes. god was all of these troops and better and heroes. god bless the united states of america. we are proud of what you do top [applause] ♪ [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015]

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