this is the first time in history such an vent has o kored at the pentagon. within the military, e kwents such as this must occupy a dlift and qualified. service above self. from all that we learned in 2010 about the struggles and sacrifice to remain in the military, i believe gay me and women in uniform readily agree with this. what should we honor today? for those service member who is are gay and lesbian, we lifted a real and personal burden from their shoulders. they no longer have to live a lie in the military. they will no longer have to somehow teach a child to lie to protect her father's career. as one army chief reported, her commander told her, this policy kept me from knowing you. for all of us, we should honor the professional and near flaw le less manner in which they adapted to this change. thank you very much. [ applause ] >> good afternoon. it's my great pleasure to serve as the moderator this afternoon. mr. johnson, thank you for your remarks. thank you for provide that behind the scenes perspective of don't ask, don't tell. before we begin o