jeanine stang, who will sing the national anthem and the u.s. marine color guard is already up here. jeanine, would you up here, please? [applause] >> here to sing our national anthem this is the lady known far and wide as the national anthem girl for she has sang the anthem in all 50 states in the union. as jeanine sings the color guard of the united states marine core will be presenting the colors. [singing the national anthem] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> usa! usa! >> ladies and gentlemen, please join me for the pledge of allegiance. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. [applause] >> with so many veterans in the audience, here is something i would like to share you might call this the definition of a veteran. rather active duty, discharged, retired or reserved, a veteran is someone who at some point in his or her life wrote a blank check payable to the united states of america for an amount up to and including their life. we