some that i made up and some that exist this is for jessica lynch, war memories. i have forgotten myself. who i was, i cannot now know who i have become is a stranger i have forgotten myself there are other things to lose in battle eyes and guts, other sacrifices before life. vilost myself. i am not who i was before this war, i am not she who no longer dares to be my mother is so happy with this worn body returned home. we pretend that i am as whole as i look. but at night when i stair through the dark at the hidden image in the mirror i cannot lie to the stranger i see. i have forgotten everything. except my affection for children, my service to country and my insatiable fear. [applause] >> sizing up the cost of war. >> what is left but the shoes. shoes scuffed and torn, no longer having feet to carry them, shoes empty now. work boots bearing mud from the last field he had plowed with his father. empty now. red sneakers with white stripes brought back fwr america by her oldest son given to her youngest, both of them immediately rung outside kicking the soccer bal

we try to make jessica lynch or pat tillman and make traditional heroes out of them. khomeini of god to people who survive primarily for saving someone's life to jump on a hand grenade to save others. we don't know how to handle the war but everyone who steps out of the gate is being heroic the. >> in the past conflicts this of william leadership had military experience. today it is shrinking to the microscopic level to those who have served how does that impact the decisions made for the military force? >> that is interesting. congress has of far lower percentage it has declined significantly. this is not to a good thing but the inclination and the people of congress to say i will vote for it to. my thinking in aid to have some more lance corporals. somebody in the military might not want to ask tough questions. last several it elections a war hero and george bush ii national guard he beat al gore and mccain was defeated by a obama. i don't think that this not put people over the top been a more. with less than 1% we have to recognize there is a smaller percentage an

everybody is familiar with jessica lynch.de of them we have bo birddahl who is currently a p.o.w. captured in 2009. >> it's what are wrenching and makes me feel sad there's not more i can do and not more we can could as people to get them back -- do as people to get them back. >> we're recognizing the fact we still have men and women held in foreign lands and countries from different conflicts and we're hear to bring attention to the fact that we need those people home. we don't want to see this happen again to our kids and our grandkids. >> he tries to bring this home to you so that you have to kind of deal with it and he's done it for over 25 years. >> really shows you how bad it was for them. this was happening less than 100 years ago, so a lot of people, they don't know about it, but it's important. >> i don't have anything against anyone having their barbecues this weekend and having a good time, but i think if they came to something like this, i think they'd see what memorial day really is and how it does affect veteran

you know, we tried to make jessica lynch who endured tremendous pain and discomfort as a prisoner, or pat tillman, remarkably courageous young american, and we try to make traditional heroes out of them, and it doesn't work the if you look at the medals of honor in the current wars, i think only a couple of them have gone to people who survive. most of wanted people for, not for assaulting an enemy force, but primarily for saving someone's life, for jumping on a hand grenade to save others. just remarkably heroic and courageous actions. it's just overwhelming. but we don't know how to handle these wars. we don't know how to define heroes of these wars. but everyone who steps out of a gate is a hero over there as far as i'm concerned. >> last question. in past conflicts, the civilian leadership has had military leadership. today, the civilian leadership is shrinking to almost a microscopic level of those who have served. how does that impact on the civilian decisions made for the military forces? >> is an interesting question. the congress today, for example, as a far lower percentage

. >> i harken back to jessica lynch. she was part of a mechanics brigade. about expanding roles that end up either adjacent to close to or within a stone's throw to the frontline but just not frontline, you know, identified work? >> exactly. what is the frontline? it's one thing in iraq or afghanistan. who knows what the front line is going to be in the year 2020 or 2025. as the military gets more and more technological. in other words, your brain being -- required a lot more than just your braun, you know, you may see more of these specialties start to open up to women where physical strength isn't necessarily, you know, the biggest asset that you can bring to the job. >> when we're talking about physical strength, something like special ops division is still, you know, one part -- well i'm not going to suggest how many parts fsh some parts physical braun and many parts savvy. we're not talking about women in special operations, are we? >> no, no. we. >>er not even close to that. we're not even talking about women in recon patrols and things like that, muc