a donation to the chronically foundation now how often does our landlord donate money to you? (clapping) >> would you, please welcome the leader what hospital insured the best corporation i can imagine about our landlord the presidio trust and we striving poor tenants nancy hellman beck at all (clapping) (laughter) wow. that's quite an introduction anyway it is my pleasure on behalf of the presidio trust to welcome you all here and really to thank convincing phenomenon for the nice words that's a pleasure to work with him as quinton said all of us who serve on the presidio trust it

is a finite term i'd like have the pleasure of being on this board for 7 plus years and chairman for the last 4 years i had the privilege of being here when the korean war memorial was first proposed and accepted by the trust i'm still on the braid until the new members will be scorn in looks like that is wednesday so i'm taking this time to enjoy the last time is chairman and totally appropriate i'm here today, i worked with quinton and the war million fund to get this thing done since 1776 tests been home if the spaniards to the mexicans when we celebrity the golden gate bridge i actually called my

friend general mike myet and said do you think that the navy and the marines would like to get involved in this celebration he said, of course, so many people that shipped out from here they are last site of the american is the presidio and the golden gate bridge so thanks to mike he called his friends in the navy and marines we sent out the architecture carrier the minutes came in under the golden gate bridge with 5 thousand sailors running the ship that was a beautiful site thank you mike (clapping.) so the trust has sought to continue the presidio's role as a plays of service and recognizes it's military history thousand of men and women train here in the presidio and bart

for all wars and certainly the korean war this million supports that by commemorating the soldiers who fought and often gave their lives in that war and more and more has been mentioned more than 23 hundred veterans are buried in the national ceremony up there including general william d the highest prisoner of war in the korean war he served as deputy commanding general of the 16 u.s. army at the presidio there is no more fitting place to have this million than right here as you look at the golden gate bridge looking at the national ceremony and cross the whole bay alcatraz i want to congratulate everyone for this success of the fundraising and

the success of groundbreaking you're all my heros thank you (clapping) thank you very much. >> thank you chairwoman beck at all very well said were while we're on the presidio trust on my level a little bit lower than chairman beck at all our closet allies has been a man named michael bowing land achieve the park development for the presidio trust and an ardent ally since it's inception this was michael that first brought john stevens and don reed treasurer to view this site as a possible site for the million nevertheless to say it is beautiful and price also and chairwoman beck tail mentioned i'll ask you to join me in

welcoming this michael bowing land michael (clapping) thank you, thank you good morning, everyone thank you for coming and welcome to the presidio i cannot how pleased i am after several years we've worked on this project and breaking ground on this million thank you to all the veterans here your service to our community and nation is incredible and today is really about honoring your service (clapping) as nancy beck topple mentioned presidio as a legacy of service generations of soldier served here and kept our nation safe generation of the soldiers served here and support our local community shelter to

thousands of revenues and patrolling the city and keeping it safe as well there's a dual outlet in the mission protecting our nation and also serve our local community as this dual legacy of support our community is something we in the presidio trust take seriously today several volunteers come and work in the park and serve our innovation in a civilian way but the honor of military serve every year tens of thousand of young people develop as future leaders and future generations by connecting to the rich history they honor the men and women that served here every year leading from across the country train at the presidio institute in fort scott and leave spider by the presidio

armed workplace an ambition to serve the community so in this way we the presidio and the community that now loves this place and uses this place everyday continue this legacy of service and try to live up to the standard that was set by the men and women that served our country here so for me this million represents many things that represents not only on a opportunity for us to honor the men and women who severed in this war the men and women who made the ultimate surface for our safe as nancy said shipped out the last united states with the golden gate but it serves as a beacon for the generations of people to come that will joust this park and it will be spider by the legacy of services in their own ways in their community and think it to build on the example set by the men

and women that served here i'm delighted this mill will be here we strongly believe 2 too can be a piece of beacon that the presidio represents inform so many people and inspire young men and women who come here for generations to come i'll be remiss if i didn't thank the gentleman that stopped by my office to honor the men and women that served in korean in a way they deserve to be honored i can't tell how honored i am to be here where we share ♪ milestone towards chief of police that goal thank you, gentlemen for your service and based for this place >> thank you, michael (clapping.)

warren is a retired colonel in the marina corp. and president of the military historic tourist company virginia organizers of the revisit korea towers many of us in the audience participated if you haven't contact warren they're quite quite popper popular forgive me warren is virus vice president of the korean war veterans association and here today in that capacity on behalf of the korean war veterans association please welcome cornell warren warren (clapping.) ladies and gentlemen it is an honor for me to be back here my wife and i got here on tuesday it rained the whole week but

today it is beautiful thank you to the developers and families and friends and as virus vice president of the korean war veterans association it is an honor to represent our members and wanting larry and it is don't to be back in san francisco 65 years ago this month as a pfc i sailed under the golden gate bridge for korea and want to tell you that is an ad lib as soon as we got on the odds we got seasick (laughter) but the rest of the story ladies and gentlemen, is history and i'm looking at the history and theirs history here financing kim

sail happened after three weeks we joined the first division and fought at the battle of next e neck to know and land and we served in the chosen reservoir all in 3 months in 1954 this is why i say i'm loyal to san francisco i returned to the marin marin barked in treasure island in 1944 i served for 4 years we processed the veterans returning not just the veterans when were buried here but the wounded they were housed in letterman housing here and in the outline naturally hospital on the other side of the bay it is important to all of you that working hard for this memorial to be constructed at the

presidio this long over die since this great city as always known for taking care of the veterans that was the gateway to korea that was a return all through the golden gate bridge and a flew we when have that many airplanes i want to graduating congratulate all and thank you for having me here may god bless our country and the president and families and friends as well as the great people of san francisco i thank you very much and (clapping.) thank you warren. >> thank you warren. >> 94-year-old john stevens lieutenant cornell is a remarkable american with a

remarkable history (clapping.) he was a 20-year-old sergeant at pearl harbor when the japanese attacked and served in the pacific in the epic battle of okinawa and one of the first marines to enter the korean war in the perimeter and participated that the first marin landing the liberation of soul and the reservoir caption he is the skeet of this foundation and the man that brought me on board he's the moral compass of that endeavor without his selfishly dlofgs please welcome lieutenant cornell john recognizing stevens

(clapping.) what can i say after that thank you jerry mayor ed lee supervisor kim consul general and other distinguished guests it is a pleasure to be here the idea for the million was in the fall of 2009 not until 2010 we got this thing organized and idea by a small group of korean veterans today is a start of making that idea a reality and making the idea a reality required the help of many and i want to mention a few of the many first are the donors that have been so general reduce in supporting the idea today for

a about $2.3 million in addition the republic of korea has pledged one million dollars we thank the presidio trust (clapping.) and in particular michael who gave us the choice of 40 great sites including many outstanding location and thanks to his staff for the great creative support they've given us kim and a has been hosting an annual dinner for local korean veterans for a number of years and in addition to his city council cash doomsz to the foundation he gave for the first two years of our existence provided on office clerical support and legal assistance to

get us organized jay is one of the most generous people i know thank you man jay (clapping) last but not least we never could have achieved ore our fundraiser goal without the help of consul general and his staff have been resistantless in generating the large participation of the korean community in addition the consul general has been an ongoing supportive resource i've worked with consul general hahn for the past two years he's one of the finest gentleman i've ever met thank you consul general hahn and our staff

(clapping.) having said that and now ladies and gentlemen it gives me great pleasure to welcome the from the republic of korea (clapping.) (clapping.) >> thank you, john for our kind introduction thank you all for your applause but i think it is not me but john that deserves the much applause to your leadership it is my great honor and privilege to be here with all of you today thank you former secretary golden gate commissioner walton's and mayor ed lee and the honorable kim

almost 3 years ago john and dawn came to any office and asked us to participate in the fundraiser million since then the members of the korean community even the small joined the campaign so this today, we thank you. the donors including the county leaders my thanks to john and kim (calling names) many veterans korean is very good to join this efforts today my privilege to deliver the check on behalf of the korean government judge cop

this is from my pocket it is one million dollars. >> wow. (clapping.) >> thank you very much thank you very much. (clapping.) >> no problem. >> (clapping.) this is your check and don't worry about that thank you okay thank you. thank you, thank you. >> as the previous speaker mentioned 65 years ago you

veterans crossed this privilege to a country you never knew and a people you never met this presidio park was the plasma of the soldiers departed and went to the korean war that is why this is a miserable for this million in this presidio park to this korea would not be enjoying peace democracy and economic prosperity sacrifice and our hero religious freedom of the korean war veterans that's why 9 coroner for our sacrifice to me by the korean war veterans since the korean war korea has changed dramatically over the last decades korea has become

the best economy in the world one thing that really means forever unchanged no sense of gratitude that the korean thank you for serving in the korean war the korean war is no longer a lost war but a victory all the veterans deserves the title of a horror and you sacrifice really record it forever in history and in this since i believe that the younger generation educated on the korean war and how important our future is this is the million a practices for the education of our younger generation i hope that all of you will continue to support and promote

our strong alliance and partnering with korea and this great country the united states thank you very much. (clapping.) >> thank you very much thank you consul general hahn i'm a bit revved when quinton received the check he if ask for an id but just accepted the check (laughter) pursue you'll all be relieved to know the speaking part is over we ask you to stay in our seats for the groundbreaking the speakers will preserved down to the stage and you'll see gold shofldz the symbolic beginning to be followed by major construction and not long after that, the completion and official formal opening of this grand million thank you all very

much yeah. >> one more time. >> one more time? >> yeah.