lerance, and justice this is the relevance of history and the power of our nation's sacred memorials. they remind us of the great deeds that that greatest generation and inspire all of us to move forward, that these dead .hall not have died in vain the national parks service is very proud to be the steward of the world war ii memorial, and i promise you that the park rangers, the u.s. park police officers, and our wonderful volunteers, many of them veterans themselves, will be here every day of every year watching over this place to keep it and protect it, to pass along the stories of the heroism and on to future generations of americans, for it is not simply a memorial that we preserve here. it is our birthright as a nation, purchased at an and one thatcost we care for with all of the reverence it demands. thank you very much. [applause] >> it's now my honor and privilege to introduce the chairman of the board for friends of the national world war ii memorial, lieutenant general mick kicklighter. [applause] >> good morning, and on behalf of the friends of the national world war ii me