across nation to hear from local historians, author's, and civic leaders. every weekend on c-span2's book tv and c-span3's american history tv. with congress in recess over the summer, we have been showing you the cities tour on c-span every weekday. congress is back in session after labor day. the house of reps and its -- house of representatives live on c-span. you can continue to see the c-span cities tour on c-span2 and c-span3 at any time at www.c-span.org. >> the american legion held its annual convention in baltimore this week. former defense secretary chuck hagel spoke to the veterans group for about 15 minutes. >> thank you for your leadership

to the american legion and all of you who are devoted so many years of their lives to this country and to the american legion. i am particularly honored to receive this award. has a some of you know, my friends from nebraska know. you get two drinks tonight. [laughter] maybe three, i don't know how that works. i cover the legion family. my father was a three-time commander of the american legion post in the 1950's. asmother served three terms president of the legion auxiliary. think, my 47th year of being a life member of the american legion. [laughter]

i am particularly proud of this honor. recognize there are so many of you, people across this country -- veterans, people who have given so much that deserve it for more than i do. at one time i was a shameless politician, so i will accept the reward of course. [laughter] [applause] but again, thank you very much. let me offer a couple of thoughts. acknowledge what this institution of the american legion needs to this economy. the shaping and molding that the american legion has done with our young people -- i see some here -- i know they are in the

audience. over generations. it has been very significant. you continue to do that. you continue to expand on that. i think that is as critical a contribution as any that you make. we all know, especially as parents, that is the future. continually imbue in our young people responsibility, patriotism, i think is an easy word to roll off people's lives. -- peoples lips. but sacrifice is different. patriotism is about sacrifice. it's so important that we teach our young people about that. all the different programs that legion has done have been part of and continues to initiate -- it does that in a special way. so thank you. second, we are living at an

incredible time in the world. this is a time when a world order established right after world war ii that has lasted about 70 years. when you look back over that 70 years, it has been pretty successful. in perfect -- imperfect, problems, conflict -- and we still have that today. in some areas, even more exaggerated then we have seen before. but when you look at the long pull of-- the long history. the world is better today. by any measurement. measurements of the kind of world we've had,

and if we have generally been successful in the world. no will or three, -- no world war iii, new nuclear exchange. those two issues are important. we except that today as, so what? but as the previous speaker, recipient noted in his remarks , you know minutes ago that this was not a given. leaders of the world war ii generation that helped shape the new world order -- eisenhower, marshall, truman, shuman, went to their graves concerned about a nuclear exchange and about world war iii. element,reserved that

70 years of relative global peace. now we have challenges that arguments. -- that are immense. they are different kinds of challenges. we live in a world that is completely interconnected. we have 7 billion global citizen. all part of a global community. underpinned by a global economy. we see the fusion of economic power around the world at a rate unprecedented in history. we are seeing technology shift and change everything. we are seeing relationships develop and unfold. , buried innflict centuries of religious conflict, tribal conflict, historic conflict. everya time when responsible leader of every

responsible institution of the world, starting with leaders of countries, are faced with an immense array of challenges coming at them all at one time. more uncontrollable then we have had to do with all that once. more unpredictables. as great a country as america is, with all its power -- and no one equals us by any measurement -- doesn't mean we are better people. but we have something very special. we have been able to preserve it for a long time. the world looks to us in a special way. we can't solve every problem. we certainly can't do it alone. but what we can do is what these wise leaders after world war ii did when he told coalitions -- when a built coalitions of interest. nato, the world bank, united nations -- dozens of these institutions that brought people together based upon a common interest. differences of opinion.

have.s. will continue to bridges with our strongest allies. that's okay. -- continue to have differences with our strongest allies. the world is going to get more comforted. a world of 700 -- 7 billion people now. how we use our military is always important, has always been important. but today, it's particularly important because the military caps off all the problems. -- can't solved all of the problem. they are underpinned by a much bigger political, social problems. my good friend jim clifton, who is from nebraska, his family owns gallup. he's said over the last couple what's goingch of

on in the world is driven by nop hope, despair, and joblessness. you have these 18, 19, 2 0-year-old man with no prospects, no education, no job, no hope. what we think is going to happen? it won't be good. all these things come together at a point where the strength of her military, just as always, must never become demised. -- must never be compromised. have the most will lead, motivated, well-trained military effort. [applause] that alone won't fix the problem. that is a huge anchor to have, and we must have it. economic issues and other issues factor in too.

we must use our military carefully, wisely, judiciously. what mike said it is very generous introduction to me, and i can say this when i was in the senate -- i did say this when i was in the senate --what is her exit strategy? i was the first one to talk about that. we need to have a series of questions asked before we commit military to different adventures. then what happens? it's the same set of questions that each of us, in our own lives, as each other. than what happens? what effect is it's going to have? this is a time in particular for that kind of reflection and thinking. i am hopeful about our world. country, as much as people

occasionally step back and wonder what is going on, has the world gone mad? everything is upside down. we go through those periods in history. when you think about america. first of all, we are rooted in a constitution that works. a balance of power, checks of power on the governing tuitions. -- governing institutions. everything about the fabric of our society is good. it is strong. strength our greatest appears to be a weakness, but it's not. it's the questioning of each other. questioning leaders. that is healthy. it is an outlet. but at some point, we have got to let our leaders govern. we have to let our leaders lead. but not without question. that is a responsibility we, too, have as citizens.

i did my remarks as i began about the american legion. the american legion has always done that, and been as responsible and institution and influential as there has ever been in our last 100 years. i say that because of the way to have done it, what you represent. you have earned, through your contributions, not only the right to do that, but the responsibility to do that. at a time when every poll in the u.s. over the last few years shows clearly that the trust incompetent in every institution in the u.s. is at record lows except the military. the military is the one to show that is -- is the one institution that is higher than any other. there is a lot of conflict,

question, complication, uncertainty. but we need the strength of institutions as well. that is another strength we have. i have been in and out of --ghanistan strengthen the institutions. of the institutions outlive all of us. strengthen those institutions of government and help them build their own institutions so they can govern. we can't be there all over the world forever. in do't protect everybody the things that we can do better than everyone else. we do have the capacity to do that nor the willd. we shouldn't do it. -- nor the will.

we can help them in tremendous waste. -- in tremendous ways. we look to the future. we pray and hope with great confidence. and we cannot lose that. we cannot lose our competent. -- our confidence. what i have shared our thoughts that you all know. i thought i would share that with you because after almost 50 years of doing many things in my first real service to the country is when it went into the army 1967/ my brother tom and i served in vietnam in 1968. from that time on, i have done many things. private, public. i had the great village to do so many things. -- the great privilege to do so many things. after almost 50 years of that,

you hope you are a little smarter. it doesn't always work that way. you also have more time to reflect on the world, where we have been, in a particularly where we are going. where we are going really includes more than ever the american legion and institutions that help guide our country. not necessarily help govern it, which you do, but help guide it. it's a morality, and influence of leadership that is reflected in everything. politics doesn't lead anything. politics reflects society. anyone in politics reflects who they represent. there are various views. you all know that, and i do too. how to govern and how not to govern.

but it is society that is the core and fabric. the strength of that society determines the future of a country. for you to help continue to build that society and nick that's together at a time -- and knit that together. that will be as critical as any component of our future. again, thank you, you have been very generous. it is a great honor to be here, in a great honor to accept this award. i'll continue to help the american legion and a veteran in our country in every way that i can. again, thank you for everything that you do. have a wonderful convention. thank you. [applause] ♪

>> from the commonwealth club in san francisco, this is one hour. >> as we all know, american inf rastruture -- infrastructure is crumbling. this includes congested ir