in that brief moment, the japanese sniper shot ernie pyle through the head. thank you. >> just a quick note about what they're all said, previously unpublished. president bush sent us the letters. steven am broels sent us the and r from george mcgovern the ernie pyle letter was never published before either. from december 1998 to august served deputy assistant secretary of defense, now director of the nay si staff senior ranking woman in the u.s. military. he first and only woman to achieve the rank of vice admiral. er peshl decorations include the defense distinguished service medal, three legion of erit awards and three meritorious service medals. she'll be reading letters by who served this nation in wartime. great honor. tracy.miral patricia a. >> i'm happy to be here. every ivileged to spend single day whose men and women whose courage and spirit is of ected in these kinds letters and to have a little time to share what it's like to those people is a great privilege. the first one is the gulf war era. sent home by ps-i sandy patrol erving aboard a boat i

and in that brief moment, a japanese sniper shot ernie pyle to the head. thank you. [applause] >> just a quick note about the letters that mr. donaldson read, like all the letters in the book, they are previously unpublished and president bush very kindly sent me his first letter where he kindly sent me the letter that he signed off on and the ernie pyle letter that's never been seen before, either. the next reader is one of our most distinguished members from the armed forces. from december 1998 to august 2001, she served as deputy secretary assistant to defense and the most senior ranking woman in the u.s. military. she is the first and only woman in american history to achieve the rank of vice admiral. her personal declarations include the navy distinguished service medal, three legion of merit awards and three meritorious service medals. she will be reading letters by women who have served this nation in wartime. it is a great, great honor to issue to -- introduce you to patricia a. tracy. [applause] >> thank you. this project is wonderful. i'm privileged to spen