captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2019] pleasees and gentlemen, clear the plaza for our diplomatic corps. ladies and gentlemen, those countries that served alongside the united states during operation overlord will now come forth to be recognized. let's hear it for them. [applause] [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. the master of ceremonies for today's commemoration is mr. alex kershaw, an honorary division. the 29th alex kershaw is a widely acclaimed and award-winning author of several new york times best selling books about world war ii, including the bedford the, the longest winner, few escaped from the deep, the liberator. a graduate of the university college of oxford, he worked as a journalist for the guardian and other newspapers before moving to the united states in 1994. his latest book, the first wave, was just released last month to mark the 70 for the anniversary of d-day. liberator, is the being made into a drama series to be aired by netflix in 2020. it is our great honor to have with us today mr. alex kershaw. [applause] >> good morning. on behalf of the friends of the national world war ii memorial, welcome to the national