robert a day (clapping) charles and ann johnson foundation (clapping) the san francisco public utilities commission (clapping) and deedee wellscy (clapping) i am pleased and honored to welcome one of the co-chairs of our veterans steering committee and the honory chair of fleet week the honorable george p schultz (clapping.) first of all, mike read off a lot of people to get recognized but, you know who the driving force is michael so let's hear

it for mike (clapping.) i'll tell you something in you put a marine general in charge things move this is a great moment and we're talking about something called a memorial but for me i think the important point is to recognize what veterans bring to us that is special let me start with a story right after world war ii i learned that if you went on the facilitate at m y u this guy's gets up named bev us and said i'm honored to be a member of the faculty so what the colleagues think of me by the way, a couple of the old-timers a couple were sitting by itself radio and the announcement came but he was a professor and one says to the other i'm not

surprised from the first grade he was a smart kid that's right by this time bev us (plane flying boy bye) by this time bev us knows everything but he doesn't realize nothing so i make that point to say this wasn't one kind of knowledge it's what i have in our head but what you learn from our experience in our gut if you realize for the most part things that move you and cause you to do something emanate from the gut i ask you to think about your veterans what they bring back to us

they are people who have been put under roof stress they've learned how to handle stress stress they've often been deployed in rather strange places so they learn out to take in the realty and learn something about it they've learned something about accountability and life account biceps and having a sense of accountability is really important they've learned teamwork they've learned to support each other to take care of each other i take care of of you take care of me that's the bond they've learned something about leadership they've seen good leaders maybe they've been a leader undoubtedly in many instances but i've learned some about fellowship and personal responsibility they're in the gut and the veterans come back

and bring that to us in a way that people who never had those experiences just don't have so the message i want to give a dedication of this memorial it's a memorial but let's remember memorialize the importance of our veterans what we bring to the party as a result of experiences they've had they make anginaic contributions to thank you veterans (clapping) the sound of freedom i love that our next speaker is the mayor of the city and county of san francisco

mayor edwin lee (clapping.) general let me add my thanks to the work of senator feinstein and former secretary george schultz and former mayor my good friend willie brown to i'll of you to say a happy occasion we match the dedication with fleet week we don't know how inspiring it is for the city we also made a promise over 82 years ago to get the dedication define i was reminded to remind i that charlotte shurts was not around 80 years ago to make that promise (laughter) but thanks to her and george and

the incredible veterans committee raising all the funds a special thanks to steve and everyone on that list that you see today, this came to fruition over a year ago i mohammed in the eye and naomi he said we've got to make sure all the agencies honor our veterans by getting this memorial done not only did they go to work as a team with the arts and rec and park and the public works and the veteran war memorial committee and trustees they went to work almost as if they were called to go into the beach so thank you to all the city agrees for working so well together to honor our veterans this is another example as

former interstate secretary george schultz said of our x first-degree our thanks to our military we can't thank them enough with this memorial we also recontacted our efforts in the city i say a as the mayor have learned many things from the mayors that that preceded me so i tell you that today, we are on our way to end chronic homelessness for veterans and we'll do that in shorted periods of time (clapping) we just opened as ass you heard some one hundred and thirty additional units our kearny street and by next year a brave announcement i'll hold that back

which it's time i want to be known always the mayor that gets things done i want to say thank you senator feinstein and george and willie for also making sure that we pay attention to the important things and this is that important occasion and so it is that we celebrate fleet week wheeling we'll see and hear the blue angels and node to all the officers that are here for fooeshg we'll have a great time in commissioning the latest ship on our shores and we'll continue to the celebrated our giants with the teamwork they have all in the spirit that we're a great city we do george take care of each other whether we're in uniform or lucky enough to be outside of a uniform this city will take care

of each other thank you very much (clappin (clapping) >> next speaker is a member of our steering committee for this project former mayor willie brown junior. >> (clapping). >> general mike secretary shurts, mayor senator dianne feinstein anticipate the current mayor of our grey great city mayor ed lee and all assembled here in letting me assure you this day has been long in coming

mayors that preceded diane had the responsibility mayors that preceded almost everyone else we can think of over the los last 82 years but mayor ed lee was indeed blessed he had george and charlotte and wishes to speak and an incredible of collection of people that have already been named who really wanted to see this to happen and the fact that the recognition that should have been long sense for san francisco been consistent that the signing the united nations documents so many years ago here on behalf of the veterans (plane

flying over) president is a friend of mine i asked exactly the time i thought he had forgotten when he did it for you veterans are indeed important we have to acknowledge it and in san francisco has been on the threshold of completing accident acknowledgment for a long time ends result is about what you're about to see but before this occasion there's been time and time again, when soil from the places where the veterans have gossiping they're lives and souls and energy to protect our right to exist that soil has been a part of what was here and when the great design by arthur before a of those incredible series of buildings the ultimate one was to be the arrest warrant

memorial with an appropriate acknowledgment of a veteran's contribution our participating in exactly that today and i must say i'm delighted mr. mayor that i was called upon by many of your department heads that i was called upon by the war memorial opera house board called b upon by general mike to be a part of the effort to complete the circle to produce what our about to see we can celebrate and we celebrate with all of the fan fair that goes with being a san franciscan because now a veterans this is a special

place. (clapping.) >> now is my honor and pleasure to introduce united states senator feinstein who certainly has close ties with san francisco and as honorary co-chair for fleet week senator (clapping.) thank you, thank you very much mike and to my friend of mine secretary shuttering and my pal charlotte and mayor ed lee and everyone who is here i just wanted to thank everyone wearing a whitecap here for their service i've been in the senate for 22 years i've seen there is a price for freedom and you see it up close and personal and you see it in the faces of our military people who are

willing to stand at all to be trained, to take orders and become the most powerful fighting force on architecture san francisco has always been a navy town and i think the fleet week which i was part of bringing back in 1981 have shown that i think to our men and women who are assembled here today who serve in the united states navy and the united states marine corp what i'll find is a welcoming city i hope you enjoy the weekends it's k30i8d important you do if you end up in the who's gallows don't call eyeing otherwise if there's dismissing anything we can do to help we're there i said this morning one of the great surprises and pleasant one was to see the great talent we

have in our command force back in washington people like the head of the marine corp general amos no finer brighter poerp person than he those are tough times we're changing it's no longer what i do kci kci vs. kgb but actors who kill at will and do some of the most terrible things anyone can think of and will if they can i believe attack us so to all of you who stay strong to protect this nation it's not yet a day when we, say we can relax i want to know we appreciate that if i can

briefing say a fungus of the history of the project as willie said it took a real show of force to complete this memorial the process started 782 years ago it was finished in 4982 but the meantime was never built there was a lot of talk over the years 3 separate committees were formed and disband but in 2010 a group made up of secretary sxhuflz and wilks stepped up they formed the veterans memorial committee that is had a raised more 2 and a half million dollars in private donations and the result is the wonderful monument we celebrate today

designed by susan entitled passage of random brans the grounds on which this moment stands up have a history over the years veterans groups held ceremonies to commiserate america wars they turned the soil if key battle zones into the battle war conflict right here in 1936 soil from world war i was addressed and soil green from world war ii in 1935 and vietnamese soil was added in 19988 before the memorial was built the soil was removed and kept safe as charlotte shurts says it's r sacred soil today, it's

final resting place within the walls of passage of remember braps we've paid e wait many days so i want to thank the committee i want to thank the steve beck he will fund and family and all who have attributed to make that moment possible but more anything the men and women of this great country that wear the uniform with pride, with a sense of services a willingness to give their life for the values we treasure as americans thank you (clapping). >> nov greven is going to

recite a poem by ash balanced it was entitled young dead soldiers this particular poem last been inscribed in a special place as part of the san francisco veterans memorial archbold ma cliche wrote this poem in the middle of the last century when he was a librarian with the library of congress as a young man he served in world war i and witnessed suffering and death on the battlefields of europe after world war ii when the library of congress held the memorial service for those members of the staff who had died during the war ma cliche 2r0ibd 81 hi poem that

commiserate his is dad and made that clear that those who survive we're a special responsibility to make the deaths of those soldiers meaningful so as noah resites the poem think of ways to make the deaths of american soldiers and sailors and airman and marines that have lost their lives in war meaningful no noah. >> young dead soldiers do not speak nevertheless they are he heard in the still houses who is not heard them

they have a silence that speaks for them at night when the clock counts they say we were young we have died remember us they say we have done what we could but until it is finished it is not done they say we have given our lives but until it is finished no one can know what our lives gave they say our dedicates are not ours they are yourselves they will mean what you make them and a they say whether our lives and our deaths were for peace

and a new hope or for nothing we can't say it is you who must say this we leave you our deaths give them their meaning we were i did not know they say we have died remember us. (clapping.) thank you noah i'd like to introduce a i don't know veteran of the girlfriend war and leader of veterans at san francisco state university roanoke illinois (clapping)

i want to thank and welcome general mississippi i do not and secretary shurlt and senate feinstein and our honored guests from the armed services my colleagues from the veteran organizations such the american lesion and the veterans of foreign wars and swords to flou employ shares your new it generation of the san francisco state university when i work for and work with everyday dedication of this monument was intended to honor and went who, who gave the ultimate surface we went our brave men and women who figure out on behalf of the nation abrade it will contain scared soils from the hills and

valleys of upper europe from central america to the conflicts happening in the deserts scared soil and many monument will give voice to those who are lost the irony although i've served e served in the army and prepared for battle my desert is colorado springs my junldz were the sweltering summers of south carolina but nevertheless, i stand here today to give voice to those who are now silent those who that gave in their life in battle out of duty and honor i've found with the stories i've heard from my veteran students and other veterans who have seen embattle

each one fall even gave in their life for the man standing next to them by honoring the fall we must also honor who those who they for the truth of the matter u fought for and with those who made it back home this monument speaks for those who were made silent by death we as the community need to give voice to those who silently live on from our elected koflz of officials to our businesses and are corporations to every veteran service organization and amongst the veteran community itself we need to live our lives remembering the great skasz made for us to work together to serve those who have served with the dedication of that monument and the eir turning of the excavated soil we knew our vow to stop

homeless in the veteran community to provide the services and benefits our veterans have earned and deserve and educate newest generation of the veterans and give true opportunity in the workforce to our highly skilled and highly disciplined he veteran job seekers we'll remember the skies and remember to give a voice to our honored fallen and those who died for, thank you. (clapping.) >> to dedicate our san francisco veterans memorial scared soil will be restored in the passage of remembrance the chest of the soils was made especially by the staff of the memorial board the seal of each

of the services is on the chest and the inscription that translates that we never forget placing the chest with the soils will be nelson alumni the veteran legion a vietnam veteran and our i did not know veteran lee 0 la now.

>> (clapping) in a minute i'll ask you to arise as the first marine band plays i ask you to past through the memorial stopping to reflect on the poem and have a glassed of champagne but first thank you for the color glory that stood through all the service and for the first definition band please rise for the color of the retirees color graduate retire the

colors. >> ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ that concludes our ceremony thank you, very much >> welcome to the meeting of the san francisco board of appeals, the preceding officer