veterans day program will pick up an half an hour when vice president joe barton -- joe biden will participate in the ceremony at national arlington cemetery. later, remarks from john mccain. he has a new book out recounting the lives of the american soldiers who served in complex ranging from the revolutionary war to the wars in iraq and afghanistan and the book is called "13 soldiers." you can watch that life starting at 6:30 p.m. eastern on c-span two. on this veterans day, we want to know what your message is to our fighting men and women. log onto facebook to leave your comments or tweet us. we will try to read some of your messages throughout the day. c-span veterans day coverage continues tonight at 7:00 eastern with selections from this years white house medal of honor surmise follow that 8:00 by the original wreathlaying ceremony at arlington national cemetery. after 9:00 him in the annual uso gala featuring joint chiefs of staff chairman general martin dempsey also discussions on veteran mental health issues as well as other selections from the white house medal of honor sir moneys. -- ceremonies. >> joint chiefs of staff chair general martin dempsey was the main speaker at this year's uso servicemember awards gala are in washington. remarks followed a rendition of an irish song he and other members of the joint chiefs honored individual soldiers in each branch of the military. united service organization was founded in 1941 and is a private group providing programs in the u.s. and around the world for american troops and their families. actress and comedian aisha tyler was the master of ceremonies and this is about one hour. havenior military leaders a time-honored tradition of partnering with the uso to ensure that our troops receive the support and the services they need. these relationships allow the uso to be part of the attorneys our troops and families take. i'm incredibly honored to introduce our next guest, a man of true courage, honor and integrity, a hero who has served in the united states army for nearly 40 years and currently serves as the 18th chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and apparently knows the lyrics to all of kellie pickler's songs. [laughter] ladies and gentlemen and gentlemen, please welcome general martin dempsey. [laughter] [applause] >> thanks very much. i would like to begin by saying i do not know the words to " red high heels." i don't know where she went but i cannot believe she said that. [laughter] by the way, how hard is it to follow kellie pickler? in terms of someone who demonstrates heart and passion and patriotism and compassion and commitment.-- she is all those things i don't know where you are, kelly, are you back at the table? i don't see her there but how about we give her a round of applause. she might hear him back. [applause] -- hear it in back. deenie and i are honored to be back. i mentioned this the last three years that when we put our calendar together for the year, there's just a handful of things we put on the calendar and we don't let anybody knock them off and this is one and it's because it is important. it's important for the soul of my compliments to the uso in our congratulations to jd and christine for becoming the leaders of this incredible organization and you can count on us to be among your biggest fans not only while we served but long after. thanks for that. aisha said she thought the commandant of the marine corps had the coolest name -- frank grass, you might be at the other end of that. [laughter] grass? i love you, man but -- anyway 1 [laughter] every year i throw somebody under the bus and this year it happens to be you. [laughter] -- one of theweek things that continues to surprise me is the way emotions kind of wash over you as the chairman and i'm sure the service chiefs feel the same way. there is always something that captures your imagination, your heart, your soul. and that last week alone, including this event tonight which i will mention in a moment, they week ago i was up at west point with my classmates celebrating our 40th reunion. it was unbelievable. one of the things we did is we took a cruise down the hudson river and it had been raining during the day but the rain kind -- blew out the bad weather and what we ended up with was an unbelievably crystal-clear fall night on this tower, we saw the freedom in new york city and we all got some memories of that. all of a sudden, they announced come out on deck because we are about to approach the statue of liberty. we walked out on deck as a group. probably do the maths so you know it's my 40th anniversary -- 40th reunion come you can probably tell how old we are but we walked out on deck and i'm not kidding you -- the size and the magnitude and the majesty and the beauty of the ittue of liberty was just -- was awe-inspiring. when you think about what it for a for -- honestly, bunch of us who were just telling lies to he cut -- each other all week about who we were and what we hoped to be, -- you kind of remember who we are. moments soof those that was on saturday night and today, i went to the passage of command for the united states marine corps where the 35th commandant, jim amos, past command to the 36th commandant, joe dunford and i will tell you what, i am proud to be a member of the united states army but i also have the shoot bid -- the privilege of eating chairman of the joint chiefs. if you could see the pride with which those young men and women stood tall and passed in review and were there for this ceremony honoring their outgoing commandant and their new commandant, it just made you want to stand taller and straighter it's hard to stand straighter at least at my age. but the point is, the pride of the young men and women who served is absolutely inspiring. that is why, jd and all of you who served with the uso, that's why you do what you do because you want to match their pride with your commitment. it was just unbelievable. here i am again tonight so this is the trifecta for me. one week, three events where you can feel good not only about the military but about the country. now you can. [applause] let's give the country around of applause. [applause] i already mentioned jd and christine and we want to welcome you -- by the way, there is nothing on this teleprompter. everybody else had something on the teleprompter. [laughter] anyway but jd and christine, welcome aboard as we say, terrific. i also want to mention my teammates, the joint chiefs. some of them are here tonight and i saw ray odierno and john and some of the vices and the commandant of the marine corps, the the guy with the cool name and frank, the not so cool man guy. [laughter] honestly, ibe, could not be prouder to be part of that team, the joint chiefs of staff. we've got a lot going on in case you have not noticed. [laughter] if i had had this conversation with you and with them what, four months ago, we would not be talking about insecurity in europe or this thing called isil and we would not be talking about ebola and here we are. the joint chiefs and the men and women who serve, we will figure it out. we will figure out what the country needs us to do and we will do it. we will do it well and we are going to keep the country safe -- [applause] even while we are sitting here tonight, besides the young men and women employed on missions we already know about, we've got people packing their bags to go to europe to reassure our allies or go to iraq or kuwait to make sure that this threat of isil does not continue to expand and to go to places like senegal and liberia to make sure that this disease is contained and therefore does not become a threat to the homeland. that is what they do. i hope you did not think we would put you out of work. we are not going to put you out of work. you will have some work to do and we are proud to be partners with you in doing it. i also want to make a special mention tonight to a couple that happened to be here with us and to get, i think i'm a far less credit than they deserve or what they have done for their country and that's lloyd and charlene austin who happen to be sitting at our table tonight. [applause] if you value humility as a character trait, there is not many people i know better as humble as lloyd and charlene austin. when you think about the portfolio we have given him and the men and women who served with him, it's quite remarkable. he's got really big shoulders but it's even remarkable that even he can bear the weight of what we have asked him to do. join me in a round of applause for lloyd and charlene. [applause] i already talked about kellie pickler. what an incredible person and kyl her husband. so she is an extraordinarily successful and talented country-western singer and on a whim says maybe i will try that "dancing with the stars" thing and i'm glad she does not want to give a shot to being the chairman. [laughter] i'm not sure i could fight her off. she is little, very little, but she is mean as a snake. [laughter] that i want to mention one other person and i actually -- i try to mention this person every year. some of you have been here for these events in the past. i apologize for being repetitive but marilou austin -- where is she? [applause] knowe tell you -- i don't where she is i may get her to stand up and if somebody can find her with a spotlight -- marilou -- where is she? stand up. [applause] you are standing, i'm sorry. some of you heard the story but when i was a second lieutenant washe way to germany, it january, 1975, i was lost. this is before sponsorship was a big deal. ticketnd of gave you a to go to a place you could not pronounce. and ioff of the aircraft went to where we all go when you're not exactly sure where to go. i went to the uso. mary lou was there. she steered me in the right direction and i told this story three years ago -- she came up to me after and said " it was me." i thought that was cool so every year now, here you are. she is down in atlanta now but here's the rest of the story -- last year mike son was redeploying from afghanistan through atlanta. guess who he met? marilou austin. [applause] last thing i want to say before i bow off the stage and we will get the chiefs appear to recognize the wonderful young men and women who are honored here tonight is i want to mention -- the army on many tonight has a special connection to me. i don't even think he knows it. my son was class of 2000 from west point and had a best friend by the name of tom kennedy. tom kennedy was killed just about two years ago now in afghanistan. incident, there was a suicide bomber with a suicide vest. among the folks who made the situation less catastrophic than it could have been was sergeant andrew mahoney who happens to be the army nominee tonight.. [applause] he actually tackled a couple of the members of the team that were there and prevented them from being killed in that incident. that is who we are, right? i never met him but i will meet him here in a moment. we've got a connection that i did not even know we had until i read the bio. here's the deal, people say to me what's it like to be chairman right now? it's hard to describe actually. it's probably hard for all of us to describe what it's like to be serving just now when we are. but i did find this little irish ditty. can i get a drink of water before i try to bang out this irish tune? can somebody hand me a drink of water? somebody back there has got to be listening. by the way, this is the guy that put me in this position. i will never forgive you for this. [laughter] casey, 36r, george chief of staff of the united states army. [applause] i found this little -- it will shock you when i tell you it is an irish ditty but it is a little story about a brick layer. he was a brick layer and he was actually writing to his boss to explain why he was not at work on this particular day. it's called " the sick note." i would describe it as analogous to what it's like to be serving at this level at this particular point in time. here's how it goes -- sir, i write this note to you metell you of plight and at the time of writing, i am not a pretty sight my body is all black and blue me face a deathly gray whyite this note to say patty is not at work today floor,orking on the 14th some bricks i had to clear now to throw them down from such a height was not a good idea the foreman was not very pleased he being an awkward sod. he said i would have to carry them down on the letter with me hod. clearing all the bricks by hand, it was so very slow and hoisted up a barrel secured the rope below job, ie hasted to do the was too blind to see that a barrel full of building bricks was heavier than me rope,n i did untie the the barrel felt like lead and clinging tightly to the rope, i started up instead while i shot up like a rocket to my dismay i found met the bloody i barrel coming down [laughter] shoulder asroke me to the ground it sped and when i reached the top, i banged the pulley with my head but i clung on tight through phnom penh shock from this almighty blow and the barrel still don't have to bricks 14 floors below now when these bricks have fallen from the barrel to the floor barrel andeighed the so started down once more [laughter] still clinging tightly to the rope, i sped back towards the ground and i landed on the broken bricks that were spread and scattered around while i laid there groaning on the floor, i thought i had passed the worst when the barrel at the pulley wheel, and then the bottom burst a shower of bricks rained down on me i had not got a hope as i lay there moaning on the ground i let go the bloody rope [laughter] the barrel then being heavier, it started down once more as ianded right across me lay across the floor well it broke three ribs and my left arm and i can only say that i hope you'll understand whypaddy's not at work today. ♪ [laughter] [applause] [applause] thanks. of the joint chiefs, let me tell you how proud we are to be part of this ceremony tonight and how proud we are of the men and women who serve and serving our country side-by-side with the uso. god bless you all, thank you. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ >> i don't think i have enjoyed anything more than watching the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff singh and irish ditty a cappella. it was incredible. we have to get some kind of celebrity idol going on. kelly come come out and coach you. this is for irish people, no? that's why all the drinking, ok? they will tell you that was true. [laughter] to help recognize this year's uso service members of the year, please welcome back to the states, dr. crouch, general meyer, and general dempsey. [applause] and assisting us with the award presentation this evening is the daughter of a retired u.s. army major and miss district of columbia, teresa davis, a proud military brat. saluting the military and their families. toh year, we come together celebrate, honor, and recognize a servicemember from each branch of the military for their outstanding and heroic actions. our first presenter is a graduate of the united states keytary academy and served operational leadership posts in europe, the middle east and the united states. to present the 2014 u.s. soldier of the year award in the please welcome the army chief of staff --eral raymond brodeur now general raymond oh dear no -- odierno. [applause] >> thank you very much. general dempsey was a 37 chief of staff and i am the 38. like all things, talent skips a generation. [laughter] pick the next chief, we will be conducting singing auditions before we decide who the chief will be. [laughter] general dempsey has volunteered to be one of those who graze the audition. -- who graze the audition. i want to thank everyone at the uso for this incredible evening and for what you do. everyone of us who wear uniform have our own uso story. we can all set up. and tell a great story of how it impacted us or one of our family members or one of our soldiers. i want to thank everyone for that tonight. i also have the honor tonight of presenting the soldier of the year. we often talk -- as i go around, i say that the army, the strength of the army is our soldiers. , sergeantawardee mahoney, is incredibly representative of that. ,e often talk about courage competence, commitment, and character and he represents all of those incredible things. we are very, very proud of him as he represents the army this evening. our honorees are accompanied by family and friends tonight while we recognize these extraordinary service members, we also want to recognize the family members and friends of our honorees. in so many ways, our family and friends served with us. it's obvious to me that sergeant mahoney has a close and loving family supporting him. he is joined tonight by his wife melanie, his parents lori and james, his siblings travis, trevor, and sarah and his sister-in-law christie and brother-in-law ray. i want to thank all of you for supporting andrew. thank you so much. [applause] on the morning of august 8, 2012, sergeant andrew j mahoney help to tackle a suicide bomber near the provincial governor's compound in afghanistan. he saved the lives of 24 people. including the fourth brigade combat team fourth infantry division's commander at the time, colonel now brigadier general james mingus. ever vigilant as the team was proceeding on foot from the forward operating days to its destination when it reached a narrow bridge. sergeant mahoney noticed the individual and identified abnormal bulge under his shirt. as sergeant mahoney and captain grover tackle the bomber, the assailant detonated his best wanting both soldiers. wounds grover suffered to his left leg and sergeant mahoney suffered a severe soft tissue wound to his left forearm and trap the ones to his right shoulder and leg. for his exceptional gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty, sergeant mahoney receives the silver star. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, it's my youinct honor to present to the 2014 u.s. oh soldier of the year, sergeant andrew mahoney. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [applause] have are honored to sensible alumnus and naval aviator here to present the uso marine of the year award. please welcome marine corps deputy commandant of programs and services, lieutenant general waters. [laughter] [applause] >> thank you so much. unfortunately, the marine of the year could not be with us tonight as he is currently attending officers candidate school. you have to do what you have to do. [applause] several members of his family are here on his behalf and i would like to take a moment to recognize them. his wife jody who is expecting their first child in december -- [applause] speaking to her backstage, she says she is due on the fifth. her husband is not ready to deploy until the 12th. schedule dependent. [laughter] the teleprompter notwithstanding, i will make a shameless plug and i did the math and i think and 2032, we will have another recruit. [laughter] i would like to recognize his father-in-law, john and his mother-in-law celeste, [applause] his aunt and his uncle, catherine and don keller. [applause] sergeant matthew melici is an osprey crew chief and defended his aircraft and the crew during an approach of a reconnaissance rated to a heavily defended enemy landing zone. his actions warranted the presentation of the distinguished service for his 2012, hend on june, was serving as an aircraft gunner to death delivery suppressive gunfire while approaching the landing zone. this allowed the raid force chooses some part -- disembark the aircraft and engage the enemy. damage to thes control system and gunfire, he kept the aircraft commander and crew appraisal the situation. the california native maintained his poise while returning to the area to support the withdrawal of the raid force enabling the successful completion of the mission. his superb airman to inspired courage and loyal devotion reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the marine corps and united states naval service bradleys and gentlemen, i'm honored to present the 2014 u.s. oh marine of the year to belleci. matthew e, [applause] accepting on behalf of the sergeant is his wife jody. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> this is an extra barry knight. i feel like cuba gooding junior in "jerry maguire" you all are going to make me cry. a native of butler, pennsylvania, this admiral has served at every level of command in honolulu seven fleet to u.s. fleet forces command and now chief of naval operations. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the 30th chief of naval operations, admiral jonathan greeneert. [applause] ♪ >> thank you very much. thank you, i as my fellow service chiefs are honored to be here tonight. i would like to extend a special welcome to the friends and family of our recipient, officer cromer. this is a family affair as well. his wife laura and his parents gary and marie are here. laura's parents,marita and richard are here., he's got them all here tonight everybody gets along, it's a wonderful thing. i thank you all for coming out to support troy. before we present the award, i would also like to thank the uso for their longtime support as marty has said and ray said, we storyve a story, good about the uso of what they have done for ourselves and our shipmates and those of us who are serving. we are here to recognize brave and committed teammates who epitomized the selfless service that defines our military today. courageous and committed force continues to provide our united states with an advantage, and asymmetric advantage unmatched by any nation. officer first class troy crome r's job is in explosive ordnance disposal -- he is a one-person bomb squad. he distanced himself on numerous occasions. this is pretty amazing -- during a 2013 deployment to afghanistan where he was serving with a navy seal team 10. on a foot patrol, the petty officer's platoon encountered intense emmet -- enemy fire and were forced to withdraw in an armored vehicle. after leaving the patrol, and getting away from the ambush, troy is covered a remote-controlled improvised explosive device that was placed between the vehicles. you all know improvised explosive device is a homemade bomb. against theing fire enemy and getting her buddy out, he discerned the ied and allowed the platoon to save the department area. on a separate mission, petty officer cromer led for special operations vehicle through an area littered with ied's and disabled three of them and insured once again their safe passage. on another occasion, he located and destroyed about 1/4 mile long tunnel underground cave system that had been used to store a bunch of weapons and explosives and got rid of that. two other separate occasions in other instances, his quick actions and bravery helped save the lives of at least five wounded afghan soldiers, those who are serving with him. hasy officer cromer received the army commendation medal and the navy and marine corps achievement medal with a combat v and action ribbon. you might think that's pretty extraordinary, there is more. after a couple sheet all of that, most of us would have gone to duty and be completed and go home. this sailor, while he was off duty, rescued a mother and her 18-month-old daughter from a burning apartment. --his free time [laughter] he dedicates a lot of time, countless hours to the make-a-wish foundation. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome a really handsome looking guy, by the way, but he's taken -- the 2014 sailor of the year, petty officer first class troy cromer. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ presenter is a native of washington, d.c. and also the first air force officer to serve as assistant chief of staff on the white house military office. to present the 2014 uso airman of the year award, please look him vice chief of staff of the united states air force, general larry o. spencer. [applause] >> good evening, everyone. you may have noticed a little ruckus in the back because i demanded equal time with the chairman. you can tell obviously i am not from irish ancestry. [laughter] but i actually wrote a rap song. [laughter] [applause] however, because he said it's getting late, i have to wait until next year. sorry, chairman. >> after party. >> ok, after party. i am honored to represent general mark welch this evening. his family and friends are here this evening. airman john c hamilton in the audience tonight are his wife andrea, his mother , father stepfather paul mark, and stepmother teresa. [applause] lieutenant colonel mason doolan and his wife are here to support airmen hamilton. [applause] was anant colonel dollan special tactical squadron commander and had the foresight to nominate john for this award to thank you. you represent the values of honor and integrity we hold so dear. hamilton, an john c parrot rescue men, distinctions up when he displayed remarkable courage and critical life-saving medical skills during an august 14, 2013 firefight in afghanistan. senior airman hamilton acted as a rescue and battlefield trauma specialist for an elite army special forces team during 13 high risk combat missions in afghanistan. while assaulting a known hakani network sanctuary, they were pinned down by heavy fire and his bravery and medical expertise help save the life of a wounded comrade during the four-hour firefight and that proved decisive in preventing his small unit from being overrun. senior airmen hamilton who enlisted in the air force in 2009, had been assigned to the 23rd special tactics squadron since 2012 and hold combat diver, freefall, and static line qualifications and is nationally certified paramedic. his dedicated service earned him and air force chief and metal and is a compass must reflect great credit upon himself and the united states air force. ladies and gentlemen, i am pleased to present the 2014 u.s. so air men of the year, senior airman john c hamilton. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ leads thet presenter largest component of the department of homeland security. to present the award for the 2014 uso coast guardsmen of the year, please welcome the 25th commandant of the coast guard, admiral paul s. zuchoonst. >> all right, you have heard it from a-z. , i'm not sure which is more difficult your name or my. i have the not cool name. andast name means future the future of the coast guard is very bright. [applause] months, the u.s. coast guard, the shallow water service, will cover all seven continents on the globe. today, we are in afghanistan, iran, africa, liberia, in south america, china, we are everywhere and i could not be more proud to serve the service but i cannot be more proud to seat that chairman dempsey has afforded me to be a guest on the chairman of the joint chiefs as we deal with many challenges that face us and the world ahead. ask -- why doople you give to come to work every day? what causes you to get up to work every day is the people we are proud to serve. first of all, we are an all volunteer service and how appropriate we are here with the uso, an all volunteer service as well. i'm just delighted to say that my wife fran is one of those 29,000 volunteers. [applause] she kept her maiden name because ft soe can pronounce zukun people would come through reagan national air force -- airport at the uso office and asked what her husband does. all of a sudden, they laid down alms but fran is anything but that. she is very proud to be part of this great organization that we call the uso that serves our members and not just our members but our families as well. there's a family i will call out tonight and that is the family of petty officer brett bates, joined tonight by his wife leanne and joined by his mother and father lisa and mark and his grandfather doyle. [applause] why are we calling out -- tonight? many of you may have seen the movie "the guardian." ates is one of the guardians of the coast guard. he jumps out of perfectly good helicopters and he did so. 2013, back in april of launching over 100 miles south of galveston, texas and there is a fishing vessel foundering in 15 foot seas. normally you lower your rescue down by a hoist and it was too rough to lower him down so he jumps out of a perfectly good aircraft. he swims up to a life raft. then he not only comes up to the life raft but he says," it's ok, i'm here to give you a lift." that's exactly what he did but if we could do the same with ebola that he did with this mariner in distress, and then he hooked up, and then we lifted this mariner out and all thanks to brett bates for doing that. if that was not enough, he also is an emt. on a tennis court, somebody playing tennis suffers cardiac arrest and he happened to have an id kit and administered cpr and saves another life. he has done that again and again. and so he is truly a lifesaver. the biggest challenge for me as ourselves the silent service because we never talk about what we do. brett bates is one of the many in our service that time and again, they save lives and that's what i'm trained to do. what you heard before his many heroes who have come before them and i will call another one out but that's what he is trained to do, to serve our nation as a volunteer. please comes, forward to be recognized, thank you for your service. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> i would like to think admiral zukunft for correcting me so beautifully. it was very classy. to putle cannot help but flair on everything we do. if your name was smith, i would call you smithay. i'll never forget it again. i will remember it when i am crying alone in my hotel room. it's all good. the national guard provides a vital role in the nation's defense -- hold it together -- [laughter] both at home and overseas. in his civilian life to merit presented pursued a career with the u.s. army corps of engineers to present our national guardsmen of the year, please welcome the 27th chief, national guard bureau general frank j graff. [applause] good evening, everyone and i think if i checked the schedule, i am the last military presenter. i've got the simplest last name. i got to tell you when i went to basic training i went to ocs, that name did not give me any benefit whatsoever. [laughter] i was thinking as i was standing there listening to general dempsey throw me under a bus a few times and i'm the last military presenter, we've got a great chairman, no doubt. you should here this guy sing frank sinatra. it's a reali pleasure to be here and so many places we have been, what a great organization that takes care of the men and women. you don't ask for anything. you walk in over and over, i have seen it, and i have to tell you that no matter where i have been on the map, there's always a friendly smile and sometimes you really need that especially if you're going to dover or going somewhere to meet family and you need that smile to build your endurance up and do what you have to do when you have to notify someone. whenever you go in there and the family has been taken care of by the uso, it makes our jobs much easier. for everyone involved with the uso, thank you so much. before i introduce our award winner tonight, i want to muloduce sergeant andrew tredder's family, his daughter cora, his parents are here, his brother al, sister-in-law emily, sister amy, and brother-in-law charlie. thank you so much for supporting this great warrior. [applause] andrew, as any guardsmen who has done his training is an active duty training on the weekend. at the end of his training, he was heading home and back to lexington, his training was and shelby, kentucky. 2014, onth of january, his way home, he came upon an overturned suv on fire. with no regard for his personal safety, he went to the vehicle. who washe driver unconscious and still strapped in. of his kentucky army national guard and army veteran that stopped to help, sergeant mehltretter took charge of the situation and went into action to extract the driver from the vehicle even while it was burning. he wanted to make sure there were no more injuries caused. so he began to organize the effort at the crash site. the driver who was a canadian citizen, as he came out of the vehicle, this combat medic, sergeant andrew mehltretter, uses combat skills and destabilize the patient and he stayed with that patient until the ambulance arrived. came back toer consciousness, he looked up and andrew said you are ok emma we are here with you. many folks especially the first responders say that andrew save that gentleman's life. anders commander said his dedication to duty and selfless service warrants recognition. his extraordinary here was him -- heroism establishes him as a professional, as a leader, as a mentor of soldiers. 2012s and gentlemen, the -- the 2014 uso national guardsmen of the year, sergeant andrew mehltretter. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ and now ladies and gentlemen, we present to you the 2014 uso service members of the year. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, please er and theck asiha tyl vice president of monster, steve coker. [applause] say if i have to not made it clear what an honor it's been to share this night with you. all night, people have thanked me for being here. i keep telling them how much of an honor it is for me and how grateful i am. that's not have lump. that's not casual conversation. i said yes immediately when i was asked. is allt part of my job the close and the carpets and about --ll you read the best part of this job is to give back and it's incredibly high honor to serve that there is no higher honor than to be of service to those who serve. i am so, so grateful to be here with you. as an incredible night for may. thank you. [applause] thank you and great job. kunft thingor the zum - that was that. >> is that the only thing? >> that was the only thing. >> on behalf of monster military.com i want to thank you all for attending this evening.
does not continue to expand and to go to places like senegal and liberia to make sure that this disease is contained and therefore does not become a threat to the homeland. that is what they do. the uso, i hope you did not think we would put you out of work. we are not going to put you out of work. you will have some work to do and we are proud to be partners with you in doing it. i also want to make a special mention tonight to a couple that happened to be here with us and to get, i think i'm a far less credit than they deserve or what they have done for their country and that's lloyd and charlene austin who happen to be sitting at our table tonight. [applause] if you value humility as a character trait, there is not many people i know better as humble as lloyd and charlene austin. when you think about the portfolio we have given him and the men and women who served with him, it's quite remarkable. he's got really big shoulders but it's even remarkable that even he can bear the weight of what we have asked him to do. join me in a round of applause for lloyd and charlene. [applause] i already talked about kellie pickler. what an incredible person and kyl her husband. so she is an extraordinarily successful and talented country-western singer and on a whim says maybe i will try that "dancing with the stars" thing and i'm glad she does not want to give a shot to being the chairman. [laughter] i'm not sure i could fight her off. she is little, very little, but she is mean as a snake. [laughter] that i want to mention one other person and i actually -- i try to mention this person every year. some of you have been here for these events in the past. i apologize for being repetitive but marilou austin -- where is she? [applause] let me tell you -- i don't know where she is i may get her to stand up and if somebody can find her with a spotlight -- marilou -- where is she? stand up. [applause] you are standing, i'm sorry. some of you heard the story but when i was a second lieutenant on the way to germany, it was january, 1975, i was lost. this is before sponsorship was a big deal. they kind of gave you a ticket to go to a place you could not pronounce. i got off of the aircraft and i went to where we all go when you're not exactly sure where to go. i went to the uso. mary lou was there. she steered me in the right direction and i told this story three years ago -- she came up to me after and said " it was me." i thought that was cool so every year now, here you are. she is down in atlanta now but here's the rest of the story -- last year mike son was redeploying from afghanistan through atlanta. guess who he met? marilou austin. [applause] last thing i want to say before i bow off the stage and we will get the chiefs appear to recognize the wonderful young men and women who are honored here tonight is i want to mention -- the army on many tonight has a special connection to me. i don't even think he knows it. my son was class of 2000 from west point and had a best friend by the name of tom kennedy. tom kennedy was killed just about two years ago now in afghanistan. in that incident, there was a suicide bomber with a suicide vest. among the folks who made the situation less catastrophic than it could have been was sergeant andrew mahoney who happens to be the army nominee tonight.. [applause] he actually tackled a couple of the members of the team that were there and prevented them from being killed in that incident. that is who we are, right? i never met him but i will meet him here in a moment. we've got a connection that i did not even know we had until i read the bio. here's the deal, people say to me what's it like to be chairman right now? it's hard to describe actually. it's probably hard for all of us to describe what it's like to be serving just now when we are. but i did find this little irish ditty. can i get a drink of water before i try to bang out this irish tune? can somebody hand me a drink of water? somebody back there has got to be listening. by the way, this is the guy that put me in this position. i will never forgive you for this. [laughter] thanks, sir, george casey, 36 chief of staff of the united states army. [applause] i found this little -- it will shock you when i tell you it is an irish ditty but it is a little story about a brick layer. he was a brick layer and he was actually writing to his boss to explain why he was not at work on this particular day. it's called " the sick note." i would describe it as analogous to what it's like to be serving at this level at this particular point in time. here's how it goes -- sir, i write this note to you to tell you of me plight and at the time of writing, i am not a pretty sight my body is all black and blue me face a deathly gray i write this note to say why patty is not at work today while working on the 14th floor, some bricks i had to clear now to throw them down from such a height was not a good idea the foreman was not very pleased he being an awkward sod. he said i would have to carry them down on the letter with me hod. clearing all the bricks by hand, it was so very slow so i hoisted up a barrel and secured the rope below but inme hasted to do the job, i was too blind to see that a barrel full of building bricks was heavier than me so when i did untie the rope, the barrel felt like lead and clinging tightly to the rope, i started up instead while i shot up like a rocket to my dismay i found that halfway up i met the bloody barrel coming down [laughter] the barrel broke me shoulder as to the ground it sped and when i reached the top, i banged the pulley with my head but i clung on tight through and shock from this almighty blow and the barrel still don't have to bricks 14 floors below now when these bricks have fallen from the barrel to the floor i then outweighed the barrel and so started down once more [laughter] still clinging tightly to the rope, i sped back towards the ground and i landed on the broken bricks that were spread and scattered around while i laid there groaning on the floor, i thought i had passed the worst when the barrel at the pulley wheel, and then the bottom burst a shower of bricks rained down on me i had not got a hope as i lay there moaning on the ground i let go the bloody rope [laughter] the barrel then being heavier, it started down once more and landed right across me as i lay across the floor well it broke three ribs and my left arm and i can only say that i hope you'll understand p whyaddy's not at work today. ♪ [laughter] [applause] [applause] thanks. on behalf of the joint chiefs, let me tell you how proud we are to be part of this ceremony tonight and how proud we are of the men and women who serve and serving our country side-by-side with the uso. god bless you all, thank you. [applause] ♪ >> i don't think i have enjoyed anything more than watching the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff singh and irish ditty a cappella. it was incredible. we have to get some kind of celebrity idol going on. kelly come come out and coach you. by the way, this is for irish people, no? that's why all the drinking, ok? they will tell you that was true. [laughter] to help recognize this year's uso service members of the year, please welcome back to the states, dr. crouch, general meyer, and general dempsey. [applause] and assisting us with the award presentation this evening is the daughter of a retired u.s. army major and miss district of columbia, teresa davis, a proud military brat. she dedicated saluting the military and their families. each year, we come together to celebrate, honor, and recognize a servicemember from each branch of the military for their outstanding and heroic actions. our first presenter is a graduate of the united states military academy and served key operational leadership posts in europe, the middle east and the united states. to present the 2014 u.s. soldier of the year award in the please welcome the army chief of odierno.neral ray [applause] >> thank you very much. general dempsey was a 37 chief of staff and i am the 38. like all things, talent skips a generation. [laughter] so as we pick the next chief, we will be conducting singing auditions before we decide who the chief will be. [laughter] general dempsey has volunteered to be one of those who graze the audition. -- who graze the audition. i want to thank everyone at the uso for this incredible evening and for what you do. everyone of us who wear uniform have our own uso story. we can all set up. and tell a great story of how it impacted us or one of our family members or one of our soldiers. i want to thank everyone for that tonight. i also have the honor tonight of presenting the soldier of the year. we often talk -- as i go around, i say that the army, the strength of the army is our soldiers. tonight's awardee, sergeant mahoney, is incredibly representative of that. we often talk about courage, competence, commitment, and character and he represents all of those incredible things. we are very, very proud of him as he represents the army this evening. our honorees are accompanied by family and friends tonight while we recognize these extraordinary service members, we also want to recognize the family members and friends of our honorees. in so many ways, our family and friends served with us. it's obvious to me that sergeant mahoney has a close and loving family supporting him. he is joined tonight by his wife melanie, his parents lori and james, his siblings travis, trevor, and sarah and his sister-in-law christie and brother-in-law ray. i want to thank all of you for supporting andrew. thank you so much. [applause] on the morning of august 8, 2012, sergeant andrew j mahoney help to tackle a suicide bomber near the provincial governor's compound in afghanistan. he saved the lives of 24 people. including the fourth brigade combat team fourth infantry division's commander at the time, colonel now brigadier general james mingus.
ever vigilant as the team was proceeding on foot from the forward operating days to its destination when it reached a narrow bridge. sergeant mahoney noticed the individual and identified abnormal bulge under his shirt. as sergeant mahoney and captain grover tackle the bomber, the assailant detonated his best wanting both soldiers. captain grover suffered wounds to his left leg and sergeant mahoney suffered a severe soft tissue wound to his left forearm and trap the ones to his right shoulder and leg. for his exceptional gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty, sergeant mahoney receives the silver star. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, it's my distinct honor to present to you the 2014 u.s. oh soldier of the year, sergeant andrew mahoney. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [applause] >> we are honored to have a sensible alumnus and naval aviator here to present the uso marine of the year award. please welcome marine corps deputy commandant of programs and services, lieutenant general waters. [applause] >> thank you so much. unfortunately, the marine of the year could not be with us tonight as he is currently attending officers candidate school. however, you have to do what you have to do. [applause] several members of his family are here on his behalf and i would like to take a moment to recognize them. his wife jody who is expecting their first child in december -- [applause] speaking to her backstage, she says she is due on the fifth. her husband is not ready to deploy until the 12th. schedule dependent. [laughter] the teleprompter notwithstanding, i will make a shameless plug and i did the math and i think and 2032, we will have another recruit. [laughter] i would like to recognize his father-in-law, john and his mother-in-law celeste, [applause] his aunt and his uncle, catherine and don keller. [applause] sergeant matthew melici is an osprey crew chief and defended his aircraft and the crew during an approach of a reconnaissance rated to a heavily defended enemy landing zone. his actions warranted the presentation of the distinguished service for his heroism and on june, 2012, he was serving as an aircraft gunner to death delivery suppressive gunfire while approaching the landing zone. this allowed the raid force chooses some part -- disembark the aircraft and engage the enemy. despite serious damage to the control system and gunfire, he kept the aircraft commander and crew appraisal the situation. the california native maintained his poise while returning to the area to support the withdrawal of the raid force enabling the successful completion of the mission. his superb airman to inspired courage and loyal devotion reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the marine corps and united states naval service bradleys and gentlemen, i'm honored to present the 2014 u.s. oh marine of the year to sergeant matthew e, belleci. [applause] >> accepting on behalf of the sergeant is his wife jody. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> this is an extra barry night.aordinary i feel like cuba gooding junior in "jerry maguire" you all are going to make me cry. a native of butler, pennsylvania, this admiral has served at every level of command in honolulu seven fleet to u.s. fleet forces command and now chief of naval operations. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the 30th chief of naval operations, admiral jonathan greeneert. [applause] ♪ >> thank you very much. thank you, i as my fellow service chiefs are honored to be here tonight. i would like to extend a special welcome to the friends and family of our recipient, officer cromer. this is a family affair as well. his wife laura and his parents gary and marie are here. laura's parents,marita and richard are here. , he's got them all here tonight everybody gets along, it's a wonderful thing. i thank you all for coming out to support troy. before we present the award, i would also like to thank the uso for their longtime support as marty has said and ray said, we all have a story, good story about the uso of what they have done for ourselves and our shipmates and those of us who are serving. we are here to recognize brave and committed teammates who epitomized the selfless service that defines our military today. courageous and committed force continues to provide our united states with an advantage, and asymmetric advantage unmatched by any nation. officer first class troy cromer's job is in explosive ordnance disposal -- he is a one-person bomb squad. he distanced himself on numerous occasions. this is pretty amazing -- during a 2013 deployment to afghanistan where he was serving with a navy seal team 10. on a foot patrol, the petty officer's platoon encountered intense emmet -- enemy fire and were forced to withdraw in an armored vehicle. after leaving the patrol, and getting away from the ambush, troy is covered a remote-controlled improvised explosive device that was placed between the vehicles. you all know improvised explosive device is a homemade bomb. while directing fire against the enemy and getting her buddy out, he discerned the ied and allowed the platoon to save the department area. -- to safely depart the area. on a separate mission, petty officer cromer led for special operations vehicle through an area littered with ied's and disabled three of them and insured once again their safe passage. on another occasion, he located and destroyed about 1/4 mile long tunnel underground cave system that had been used to store a bunch of weapons and explosives and got rid of that. two other separate occasions in other instances, his quick actions and bravery helped save the lives of at least five wounded afghan soldiers, those who are serving with him. petty officercromer has received the army commendation medal and the navy and marine corps achievement medal with a combat v and action ribbon. you might think that's pretty extraordinary, there is more. after a couple sheet all of that, most of us would have gone to duty and be completed and go home. this sailor, while he was off duty, rescued a mother and her 18-month-old daughter from a burning apartment. in his free time -- [laughter] he dedicates a lot of time, countless hours to the make-a-wish foundation. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome a really handsome looking guy, by the way, but he's taken -- the 2014 sailor of the year, petty officer first class troy cromer. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> our next presenter is a native of washington, d.c. and also the first air force officer to serve as assistant chief of staff on the white house military office. to present the 2014 uso airman of the year award, please look him vice chief of staff of the united states air force, general larry o. spencer. [applause] >> good evening, everyone. you may have noticed a little ruckus in the back because i demanded equal time with the chairman. you can tell obviously i am not from irish ancestry. [laughter] but i actually wrote a rap song. [laughter] [applause] however, because he said it's getting late, i have to wait until next year. sorry, chairman. >> after party. >> ok, after party. i am honored to represent general mark welch this evening. his family and friends are here this evening. joining senior airman john c hamilton in the audience tonight are his wife andrea, his mother sabrina, stepfather paul, father mark, and stepmother teresa. [applause] lieutenant colonel mason doolan and his wife are here to support airmen hamilton. [applause] lieutenant colonel dollan was a special tactical squadron commander and had the foresight to nominate john for this award to thank you. both of you represent the values of honor and integrity we hold so dear. senior airman john c hamilton, a parrot rescue men, distinctions up when he displayed remarkable courage and critical life-saving medical skills during an august 14, 2013 firefight in afghanistan. senior airman hamilton acted as a rescue and battlefield trauma specialist for an elite army special forces team during 13 high risk combat missions in afghanistan. while assaulting a knownhakani network sanctuary, they were pinned down by heavy fire and his bravery and medical expertise help save the life of a wounded comrade during the four-hour firefight and that proved decisive in preventing his small unit from being overrun. senior airmen hamilton who enlisted in the air force in 2009, had been assigned to the 23rd special tactics squadron since 2012 and hold combat diver, freefall, and static line qualifications and is nationally certified paramedic. his dedicated service earned him and air force chief and metal and is a compass must reflect great credit upon himself and the united states air force. ladies and gentlemen, i am pleased to present the 2014 u.s. so air men of the year, senior airman john c hamilton. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> our next presenter leads the largest component of the department of homeland security. to present the award for the 2014 uso coast guardsmen of the year, please welcome the 25th commandant of the coast guard, admiral paul s. zuchoonst. >> all right, you have heard it from a-z. aisha, i'm not sure which is more difficult your name or my. i have the not cool name. my last name means future and the future of the coast guard is very bright. [applause] in two months, the u.s. coast guard, the shallow water service, will cover all seven continents on the globe. today, we are in afghanistan, iran, africa, liberia, in south america, china, we are everywhere and i could not be more proud to serve the service but i cannot be more proud to have a seat that chairman dempsey has afforded me to be a guest on the chairman of the joint chiefs as we deal with many challenges that face us and the world ahead. really what people ask -- why do you give to come to work every day? what causes you to get up to work every day is the people we are proud to serve. first of all, we are an all volunteer service and how appropriate we are here with the uso, an all volunteer service as well. i'm just delighted to say that my wife fran is one of those 29,000 volunteers. [applause] she kept her maiden name because no one can pronounce zukunft so people would come through reagan national air force -- airport at the uso office and asked what her husband does. all of a sudden, they laid down alms but fran is anything but that. she is very proud to be part of this great organization that we call the uso that serves our members and not just our members but our families as well. there's a family i will call out tonight and that is the family of petty officer brett bates, joined tonight by his wife leanne and joined by his mother and father lisa and mark and his grandfather doyle. [applause] why are we calling out -- brett tonight? many of you may have seen the movie "the guardian." brett bates is one of the guardians of the coast guard. he jumps out of perfectly good helicopters and he did so. it was back in april of 2013, launching over 100 miles south of galveston, texas and there is a fishing vessel foundering in 15 foot seas. normally you lower your rescue down by a hoist and it was too rough to lower him down so he jumps out of a perfectly good aircraft. he swims up to a life raft. then he not only comes up to the life raft but he says," it's ok, i'm here to give you a lift." that's exactly what he did but if we could do the same with ebola that he did with this mariner in distress, and then he hooked up, and then we lifted this mariner out and all thanks to brett bates for doing that. if that was not enough, he also is an emt. on a tennis court, somebody playing tennis suffers cardiac arrest and he happened to have an id kit and administered cpr and saves another life. he has done that again and again. and so he is truly a lifesaver. the biggest challenge for me as i call ourselves the silent service because we never talk about what we do. brett bates is one of the many in our service that time and again, they save lives and that's what i'm trained to do. what you heard before his many heroes who have come before them and i will call another one out but that's what he is trained to do, to serve our nation as a volunteer. sobrett bates, please come forward to be recognized, thank you for your service. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> i would like to think admiral zukunft for correcting me so beautifully. it was very classy. my people cannot help but to put flair on everything we do. if your name was smith, i would call you smithay. i'll never forget it again. i will remember it when i am crying alone in my hotel room. it's all good. the national guard provides a vital role in the nation's defense -- hold it together -- [laughter] both at home and overseas. in his civilian life to merit presented pursued a career with the u.s. army corps of engineers to present our national guardsmen of the year, please welcome the 27th chief, national guard bureau general frank j graff. [applause] >> good evening, everyone and i think if i checked the schedule, i am the last military presenter. i've got the simplest last name. i got to tell you when i went to basic training i went to ocs, that name did not give me any benefit whatsoever. [laughter] i was thinking as i was standing there listening to general dempsey throw me under a bus a few times and i'm the last military presenter, we've got a great chairman, no doubt. you should here this guy sing frank sinatra. for pat and i it's a real pleasure to be here and so many places we have been, what a great organization that takes care of the men and women. you don't ask for anything. you walk in over and over, i have seen it, and i have to tell you that no matter where i have been on the map, there's always a friendly smile and sometimes you really need that especially if you're going to dover or going somewhere to meet family and you need that smile to build your endurance up and do what you have to do when you have to notify someone. whenever you go in there and the family has been taken care of by the uso, it makes our jobs much easier. for everyone involved with the uso, thank you so much. before i introduce our award winner tonight, i want to introduce sergeant andrew multredder's family, his daughter cora, his parents are here, his brother al, sister-in-law emily, sister amy, and brother-in-law charlie. thank you so much for supporting this great warrior. [applause] andrew, as any guardsmen who has done his training is an active duty training on the weekend. at the end of his training, he was heading home and back to lexington, his training was and shelby, kentucky. on the 12th of january, 2014, on his way home, he came upon an overturned suv on fire. with no regard for his personal safety, he went to the vehicle. he saw the driver who was unconscious and still strapped in. assisted by two of his kentucky army national guard and army veteran that stopped to help, sergeant mehltretter took charge of the situation and went into action to extract the driver from the vehicle even while it was burning. he wanted to make sure there were no more injuries caused. so he began to organize the effort at the crash site. the driver who was a canadian citizen, as he came out of the vehicle, this combat medic, sergeant andrew mehltretter, uses combat skills and destabilize the patient and he stayed with that patient until the ambulance arrived. when the driver came back to consciousness, he looked up and andrew said you are ok emma we are here with you. many folks especially the first responders say that andrew. save that gentleman's life anders commander said his dedication to duty and selfless service warrants recognition. his extraordinary here was him -- heroism establishes him as a professional, as a leader, as a mentor of soldiers. ladies and gentlemen, the 2012 -- the 2014 uso national guardsmen of the year, sergeant andrew mehltretter. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ >> and now ladies and gentlemen, we present to you the 2014 uso service members of the year. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome back asiha tyler and the vice president of monster, steve coker. [applause] >> i just want to say if i have not made it clear what an honor it's been to share this night with you. all night, people have thanked me for being here. i keep telling them how much of an honor it is for me and how grateful i am. that's not casual conversation. i said yes immediately when i was asked. the best part of my job is all the close and the carpets and bull you read about -- the best part of this job is to give back and it's incredibly high honor to serve that there is no higher honor than to be of service to those who serve. i am so, so grateful to be here with you. as an incredible night for may. thank you. [applause] >> thank you and great job. >> except for the zumkunft thing - that was that. >> is that the only thing? >> that was the only thing. >> on behalf of monster military.com i want to thank you all for attending this evening. it is truly an honor to support the uso and their mission to lift the spirit of american troops and families and to jd and the uso staff, what an inspiring program you put together tonight. thank you for creating such an extraordinary event. to those who are honored this evening, i am in in all. -- in awe. i spake for everyone in this room when i say we are humbled by your stories. your courage and dedication in the service makes me proud to be american. you are what makes our country great. you have my sincere thanks and appreciation. [applause] >> we have come to the end of a remarkable evening. as i've said, it's been -- yes, there is always something afterwards a hold on. [laughter] it's in a real pleasure to serve as your mistress of ceremonies tonight and hear the stories of these incredible service man women and their families. you are incredible and we are so grateful for everything you do. i think -- there is one other thing -- >> there is one other thing. >> it feels like we did not plan it. [laughter] >> the after party is getting started upstairs in the general spencer is still here? i hear we might have a wrap. [applause] it may just motivate everyone to go. he's given us the thumbs up so we will see you upstairs, thank you. >> thank you for joining us, good night and god bless the united states of america. >> coming up, a discussion on mental health resources available for veterans. then white house medal of honor ceremonies for veterans of world war ii, the korean war, and the war in vietnam. later, president obama speaks at the anniversary of the d-day invasion. >> wednesday, virginia senator tim kaine and jack goldsmith discuss the constitutional role of congress in the executive branch in military intervention to combat isis. you can see the event from the wilson center live starting at 10 a.m. eastern on c-span2. >> the house and senate return wednesday 2 p.m. eastern. the houses scheduled to debate 10 bills including updating the presidential records act among which would allow current and former u.s. presidents to totinue to restrict access certain records created during their presidencies. in the senate, procedural votes are expected on judicial nominations. watch the house live here on c-span, and the senate on c-span2. >> the 2014 midterms are over or just about over in most races, and we look ahead to the lame-duck session. were joined by rebecca, who covers congress for the hill. looking ahead to the lame-duck session, the headline on your until december. you're right that the timing would give lawmakers just a day or two to debate and vote. there is a deadline in december. what is that, and what will be included in the omnibus bill? >> that's right, they basically have just a day or two. pass an omnibus spending bill that would fund the government through the rest of the fiscal year, which would be to the end of next september. the problem is that the spending bill that lawmakers approved in september expires on december 11, which is that week. just a few only have days to debate and vote on the bill. otherwise what could happen is lawmakers might choose to extend the continuing resolution that is currently in place for maybe a short time until they pass the omnibus spending bill. >> that short-term extension sounds like they have done that in the past. how much is in this bill? this is basically the levels they agreed to in the budget that was passed earlier this year, and what other surprises may we see in that omnibus spending bill? x that is correct. it would be the level set by the budget deal that paul ryan and patty murray reached last december. so it will be around the $1.014 trillion mark every otherwise it's hard to tell exactly what's going to be new in this omnibus spending bill. obviously the white house has asked for two separate new funding requests that are pretty major. one is for the ebola fight and one is for the war on isis. those are the two funding request that the administration sent to congress last week. lawmakers will obviously have to debate these requests, and it's possible they could wind up in the omnibus bill. that is what the administration is hoping for, but it is there could be republican who opposed those requests. but she tweeted about that request, the $5.6 billion. here's your tweet that says democrats call for isis war vote in the lame-duck. not only is their consideration of how much money, but whether the president has the ability to do this, correct? >> right. president obama has that he does have the authority to carry out these military operations in iraq and syria. however, he has said in the last week that he will seek an authorization to carry out these operations in the middle east. the problem is that a lot of democrats do want this authorization to happen in the lame-duck session, as if they do have control of the city. however, republicans wanted to be pushed into next year when they have the majority in the senate. i think that might be what winds up happening, the republicans might get their way here. they only have about 15 working , during thesession lame-duck session, at the end of this year. i don't think they will be able to get much besides is bending bill and maybe a few other things. something as large as an authorization would have to have more time for them to debate and vote on it every >> let's move over to the senate and the nomination of loretto lynch to replace eric holder as attorney general the president making the announcement last week and. othersting the hill and organizations reporting about a possible delay in her nomination. the headline says democrats are unlikely to ram through the obama attorney general pick. why would democratic leaders wait her nomination and until a majority takes control of the senate? >> i think they are not too concerned about her nomination. the white house put her forward as somewhat of a bipartisan choice. she has been confirmed twice before by the senate to be u.s. attorney in new york. i don't think they will have to part of a time getting her through. even john mccain said earlier today that he thinks that she will get through a republican senate next year. i don't think democrats are too concerned, and again, they don't have to me days to debate and vote on this sort of thing in the lame-duck session. >> senator mcconnell, the likely incoming majority leader of the senate, what are his potential efforts in terms of repealing obamacare? >> he has said repeatedly that he does want to repeal obama care. i wrote a story a few days ago about a number of conservative roots trying to push him to repeal obama care. he has kind of suggested that he a budget tool called reconciliation to push it through. it would only require 51 votes in the senate, which he would have. there are a number of legislative and procedural hurdles that he might face as far as getting that full repeal through. what would be much more likely, at maybe president obama would be willing to sign, is maybe a repeal of the medical device tax, maybe something on the employer mandate, something that might get some sort of bipartisan attraction. >> both the house and senate republican democrats will hold their leadership elections this week. what should we keep an i out for? >> republicans are holding their leadership elections on thursday as our democrats in the senate. what we're really looking for is what is happening in the senate. obviously the two sides are going to flip. mcconnell is going to get the majority here. there are some races that are open that are not too controversial. as far as john boehner, i think he's going to get the speakership again. or might be a few tea party republicans that might choose to put their name in the hat, but i don't think they will have too hard of a time. it seems pretty clear that he will be speaker again. exit looks like his hand was strengthened by the results of the election. read more at the hill.com and also on twitter. thanks for the update. here are just a few of the comments we've recently received from our viewers. >> just calling to tell you how much i enjoy q and a. at 5:00 on sunday, everything stops in my house. i turn off my phone, get my cup of coffee and it's the most enjoyable hour on television. informative. i enjoyed listening to the comments today. he was very accurate and on point. he was not using his own personal innuendos. i greatly enjoyed it and i hope you have more guests like that. he was right on target this morning. >> am calling to say that like -- i'm a very partisan kind of person. i think you all do a tremendous job of showing just about every side of everything and the way people look at things in d.c. and elsewhere. my hat off to you. >> continue to let us know what you think about the programs are watching. at comments at c-span.org, or send us a tweet. join the c-span conversation, like us on facebook, follow us on twitter. now we turn our attention to challenges for veterans as they transition back into civilian life, and the services available to them and their families. representatives with the american red cross and the veterans affairs department spoke about resources available to veterans dealing with unemployment, homelessness, mental health him and suicide prevention. the national alliance on mental health hosted this event. it's about an hour and 15 minutes. >> i might jones, first vice who isf the council bringing you this presentation and all help you returning folks to -- for all the active duty at are having very long wars they have had to endure. we know that for some veterans, it's a real task and real struggle to transition back into the civilian community. many veterans do it, many active-duty do it with not even skipping a beat, but many struggle with these issues. we know they struggle because we in all the legal problems many of our veterans are having. we also know that there is a great deal of homelessness in our veteran population. i guess the unemployability issues him a everybody knows thet, and ultimately saddest of the statistics is all of the suicides where hearing about. us anywheres tell from 20 to up to 30 that are in today commit suicide. we know at least one active-duty military member commits suicide. these are tragedies that we really have to muster up and fight. the good news, even with all the difficulty many of our veterans are facing, is that in each community odd there are great to connect up with. they are called veteran service organizations. there are a great many veteran service organizations, so we are not going to go through a whole list today. exit, this afternoon, the veterans council has made a list of those you need to be familiar with. not only a list of them, but contact information so your affiliate can hook up with the vso's to serve and help our veterans. we have a privileged today to hear from more veteran service organizations that have been out there. historically, one of them has been with the military from the beginning, and many of the other ones, for example amvets, have come along many years ago as well. i am a service officer for the dav. you notice my hat up here, disabled american veterans. there are many service organizations out there that you can be familiar with and hook up with. last night at one of our veterans organizations, are executive officer said that when affiliates across the land hook so, we become a formidable force to help veterans and their family members. so with no further ado, i'm not going to make any other announcements. i'm going to let you know who here.o's are to my left ear is christina kauffman. we will go that way, christina is now, i've been around the military. i am retired marine corps, and i am looking forward to hearing about this, because i am not as codeiar about the foundation, and even us old timers are going to hear about this today. and next to her, let me see if i berylet --beryl love, and amvetsmes to us from our , fellow veterans, community, and next to beryl -- oh, yeah, ok. manwill, who comes to us from the american red cross, so we can hear a lot about many of these beautiful programs, and then next to her caitlin thompson, with the v.a., and we know that is a difficult topic and something we really need to hear about, what to help withoing the untold numbers of suicides. here is how we are going to do this. we are going to get each 12 minutes, and then after be here all of our presenters, we will open it up for questions and comments and dialogue, and please, hold your questions until we hear from all effort you are of our speakers, ok? four of our speakers, ok? we will hear from the red cross service organization, ok. the v.a., right. please. >> ok, i want to make sure i see everybody. so, hi. again, i am caitlin thompson. i and the deputy director of the suicide prevention program for v.a., so i currently overseeing all of the suicide prevention efforts. i am hoping everybody got this, this folder? it's not -- ok. so it is in the back. -- thank you so much. i am going to be referencing all so, yes. i work for v.a., and i am really thrilled to talk with you all today. at v.a., we really value our collaboration with nami. we have had a strong collaboration over the years, just in mental health services we went to make sure that we are all aware of what is available both nationally from the v.a. as well as locally and how can you can connect with the v.a. in terms , as well as how we can collaborate with you on what , and as has been said, we need to continue to work together on this issue. one of the biggest things that we have available is we have suicide prevention coordinators at every v.a. throughout the country, and so wherever you are located, there is a v.a. suicide prevention coordinator, who is , and we reallyrt encourage you to get in contact with them. and one of the biggest things that our suicide prevention coordinators do is provide local outreach. the v.a. suicide prevention coordinators are required to provide five outreach events per month to their local community so that the information arerding suicide prevention then disseminated throughout the country. how do you find out who your suicide prevention coordinator is? this is one of the things that i want to talk about. so just in general, on the of your folder in the back is the mental health resources for veterans and their beilies, so i am going to going through this list, because i think these are some of the most important resources at we have available, those that you can tap into and those that we can collaborate together on. so when it talks about the veterans crisis line, which i will get you in as second, within that, there is a website that says veterans crisis line dot net. there is a resource locator, were you can find out who your local suicide prevention what nader is through v.a., so if you are concerned --ut a veteran or their and your local suicide prevention coordinator is through the v.a., so if you are concerned about a v.a., we went to work with all veterans. intopecially want to tap those who do not seek care at the v.a.. you can find through this resource locator, you can throw in your zip code and find out exactly who your suicide prevention coordinator is. when i talk about it, i do just want to mention, when i talk about the fact that we went to see as many veterans as we can in v.a., specifically because of suicide prevention efforts, the reason is that we are finding that those veterans who seek care at v.a. have lower rates of suicide than veterans do not to care at the yeah, so what is that saying? our is saying that since suicide prevention program was established in 2007, it is saying that we are doing something right. we have the whole enhanced care delivery system for those veterans who are deemed to be at high risk for suicide. work on developing safety plans with any veteran who is at high risk for suicide, and we have very specific rules as far as how many times a and we should be called went to make sure there are no veterans you are falling through the cracks. and will be when it goes and theyural areas have very high suicide rates. they may become very isolated. thing that we know about is that veterans use firearms more than nonveterans -- if know that firearms you are taking pills, there is a much longer. keeper of time where you take and you can get them to take the pills out of the system. if you use a gun, there is a 90% chance you will die, and we know that our veterans are comfortable with guns, in what i have started to talk more about, and i think we can talk about together, is ensuring that gun safety is prominent. and we are looking to keep them safe. there is a collection of videos and these are, all on youtube, on the admin page and also on the crisis website. we have also developed a very video, andn safety he talks about the safety of family members in the home and safety of others if guns are not kept safe. --the veterans crisis line has anyone not heard of the veterans crisis line? ok, so it is a pretty well known resource. and they are all mental health professionals. them are family members
while the president is overseas in china. that is here on c-span. we are talking with verna jones, executive director of the american legion. here is a tweet -- guest: the legion believes that the a health-care facility and system is the best for veterans. they have choice cards for veterans that can go out in certain circumstances and they can receive medical care if they cannot get it timely or cannot receive that particular service at the va. the system is set up for veterans so we do not believe there should be privatization of health care. host: canton, ohio, a veteran and republican -- caller: good morning, c-span and good morning america. i'm a legion aire. i see a major issue since i've been using the v.a. for about a decade now. it is cultural. line toad to stand in get travel pay because i have to go up to cleveland. it costs a lot of money when gas prices were higher. i have had to stand in line and wait for an employee to finish their personal phone call. that burned me up. to be serious, i want everybody to remember what makes a veteran. result ofis the failed diplomacy. we are all responsible in this republic because we are represented to remember that when we go to war, it's all of decided thatn that is the proper action. nation is howof a they treat their veterans. we have to remember that and that's all i have to say. guest: thank you for your service and thank you for your membership. go are right, when veterans into the v.a. health-care facility, the employee should not be on the phone and veteran should be the first priority. anything the veteran needs should be the priority of that employee. i myself have gone through the american legion to do visits to the v.a. and witnessed those things going on. we brought that to the attention of the v.a. central office and to secretary mike donald letton we had our meeting -- to secretary macdonald when we had our meeting. thank you would you set about veterans. those are our nations he arose. -- heroes. your: what is responsibility of executive director and what is the role of american legion veterans issues in this country? what is the membership like? i oversee all functions of the washington, d.c. national records office. it's through the white house and congress and v.a. and the american legion is the nation's wartime veteran service organization, about 2.3 million members and we are founded on a strong national defense, taking care of our veterans, and promoting honor and patriotism. the american legion is veterans serving veterans. host: what about the 9/11 veterans coming back? how are you bringing them into the american legion and what is the attraction for them? isst: the american legion the largest veteran service organization and we take care of veterans and have been around since 1919. we have a long-standing history of strong advocacy for veterans. veterans comeer in, the attraction is that the american legion has always been there and we have a proven history and record of taking care of veterans. and of the younger veterans organizations that cater to young veterans, often times, they need we've been doing that for a long time. the attraction is we have been here and will always be here and we will it write most of the time. >> how much are the dues? >> it varies from post to post. there are yearly fees for dues. i would guess the average is around $30 ear. year. we have 2900 accredited officers navigateeterans through the theater system. -- v.a. system. the dues with the region air pays helpgionnaire advocate for veterans and help them with their claims and help them with whatever they need. , a veteran and an independent. jones.very proud of miss she is a very great spokesperson. i just want to make a quick bullet point and see if you follow up on it. in fort lauderdale, the mayor on cnn is arresting people that go out and feed the homeless veterans. you can watch that later on today. we have people who are is rude as you can possibly be. you have to wait until they are talking about their boyfriend or what they did last thursday before they can actually do anything for you. personal,is is my own no one that is a veteran should be working for the v.a.. whoe are a lot of people are not qualified to handle people that have just come back for more. -- war. appalled that the leader to brucespitals, i go it cannot getami, better. they are absolutely outstanding. why not a town meeting? the general administrator of the out and could come asked the veterans what are the problems you face? he is too high up in the crystal tower to get to. i would like to thank the american legion. i am a game man during the 1970's. this was when the psychological department or group said that gays were undesirable and we were child molesters and drug addicts. i received an undesirable discharge for no reason other than suspicion that i was gay and the american legion helped lead aashington discharge review. i am very proud of the american legion. greatk miss jones makes a representation. how does the legion feel about don't ask don't tell policy? been decided and it is off our radar. thatrk with any better and meets the criteria. host: james is in pennsylvania. a democratic color. go ahead. caller: i am james clark. i am in west virginia. the place saved me. i came through this process, i had a lot of personal problems. i was using drugs and they helped me. i have to say one thing. there has been a big change in the last six years. people have passed away. the director there seems not to care. there was just an article in the paper last week where a gentleman had cancer, a rare cancer. familyed to talk to his because he was doing surgery and he did not know if he was going to make it a not. for sevenicted him days because he had a can of soda in his room and was told he could not see his family. exactly, that was offensive a. it would be an uproar. i am scared to go there. i transferred all of my services. i am retired military police. i checked into the hospital one time. i went there because it was a favor. to make a long story short, the people did not like the reason that i came up there. they drugged me. i went up there twice. i went up there weighed 180 pounds and i lost 20 pounds in two days. i have a problem with that. think about, i facing them one more time. host: that was james and tennessee. gary is in memphis, tennessee. you're on the air. caller: i would like to make three points for comments. number one, the wait times for appointments, the goal that was days and isas 14 , the the department of defense goal is seven days. two, during the past 10 months, according to 7500essional testimony, veterans of died due to the long waits for health care and lack of adequate care for mental wounds. four, falsifying wait time data to obtain bonuses has veterans' resulted in deaths. nobody has been tried or sent to jail. this is been known for years. there was a memo that finally thatto light just recently was written back in 2008. just covering that, i wonder why all of a sudden it seems like this is a disaster in phoenix of theok to get some concerns of veterans. host: that was gary. guest: thank you for your service. a delay andsome had it was terrible. the american legion new that. that is why we called for the secretaries resignation. the minute there had been a secret waitlist, we knew that veterans were in crisis. that is why we developed a veterans crisis center. we knew we needed to put boots on the ground and get to where the veterans were to make sure they were receiving the service they deserve. we had other community service broughtners and veterans and to those facilities to make sure that they got what they needed. the result was within 120 days, we visited 12 facilities and saw 3000 veterans and were able to get $1 million in retroactive pay. phoenix should not have had that happen. it was unacceptable. that is what the american legion is going to continue to have these centers. keep ourontinue to finger on the pulse of what is going on with veterans and those with delayed wait times. host: david is in pennsylvania and a veteran. caller: thanks for having me talk today. i just want to ask a quick question. i got out about two years ago. i have been to three different the eight facilities. -- the eight facilities. each time i have seen a nurse practitioner. maybe you could touch on the subject. why are there not actual doctors seen veterans? a lot of people don't realize are doctors not seen the veterans. i have not once seen a physician. i read that these nurse practitioners are being asked to take on the part of a physician and they don't have a physician overseeing what they are doing and the calls they are making. guest: thank you for that and your service. different facilities have different medical professionals. , i don't knowity what the make up is. we would like to talk to more about that so we can have someone with policy look into that. foretary mcdonnell asked 20,000 more professionals. we need to support the call for the increase. in a veteran goes into the facility, they are seen paul if i'd medical professionals. needs tohat the v.a. and see whatiously can happen to make sure that they give the v.a. what they need to make sure that veterans are being seen by the professionals they need to be seen by. story fromer recent "the washington times." let's go to mares in arkansas. caller: good morning. i would just like to make a comment on the american legion. the american legion for years, i was a member for years. the only help that you could really get from the american legion was through your republican a politicians and we always had problems because we could not be members. i got out of the american legion back when george bush and john kerry ran. people like me were saved by men like him. ae american legion is just conservative organization. legion isamerican championed by all veterans and is nonpartisan. what we care about is veterans. the american legion has sinceted for veterans 1919. we offer so many services. accreditedr 2900 representatives to help a veterans navigate through the v.a. system. legion doesn't care about your gender or your race. care of ourt taking nation's heroes and we do a great job of doing that. host: this is our camera live outside the vietnam memorial. you can see the people lined up to mark veterans day. there are several events happening around washington on the mall. over at the arlington national vice president joe biden will participate in that wreath laying ceremony at 11:00 eastern time. minutesgot about 15 left with verna jones. we want to get your thoughts on veterans issues this morning. howard is in florida and on the democratic line. i live in seminole, florida. when i was in the service, i was in vietnam. out, i am turning 65 this year. going to be losing some of my benefits over at the v.a.. i am going to get social security. understand. i have been going there and had operations and everything else. i don't have a lot of money. 65 and losingbe my benefits and i just don't social security could go to that to pay for people who can afford it. guest: thank you so much for your service and for sharing that information. i will ask you to call the american legion. i think we need more information. has changed, it may put you in a different category. without knowing, i would not be able to give you a good answer about what you need or what we can do. i would ask you to call the american legion. someone can help you. we will look at your particular situation and guide you in the right direction to see what you need to do for your benefits. tim is on the air with verna jones. caller: verna, thank you for your service and representing the american legion today. american legion member for 27 years. all of these that's that are -- that's -- vets that are coming back, i think they should inquire about membership. they are your voice. they are our voice that will hold the feet to the fire of our congressional leaders and the president when it comes to veterans issues. and thinkthank you the legion for what they have done over the years of service. thank you, tim. thank you for your membership. we are so proud of what we are able to do for veterans. it is a wonderful thing to be able to be part of the world's greatest veterans service organization. the american legion is holding town hall meetings. that because we really care about veterans and they deserve what the american legion is advocating for for them. democraticd is a caller. welcome to the conversation. caller: good morning. i am alfred nicholson and i am a disabled veteran. appeal with been on the department of veterans affairs since february 15, 1974. all the legal recourse i have , the veterans administration in north carolina and the board of appeals has blocked by every attempt. new material evidence was held from my file for 21 years. now the board of appeals is trying to change the date of my claim. they told me i needed to get an attorney. where do i go to get legal help to get my claim resolved that has been on appeal for about 41 years best of mark --? guest: people are waiting way too long. i am going to ask you to call. i want you to ask directly for me. direct youe able to to the right person. call the number and asked for verna jones. is an independent color. caller: i am not a veteran, but i salute all veterans. i would like to salute missed jones. i have done some work with the american leisure post 200 in mississippi. charles moore is the commander. if you are the executive director, you are there because you earned. they don't give you anything. you don't want any apologies. i appreciate that you represent yourself and the american soldier so well. i have a question in regards to there are african american posts and white posts. we also have another post that is white in our town. why is there a difference? what is the historic nature of that? if you can dwell on that a little bit and give me some history as to how that came about, i would appreciate it? guest: thank you for your comments. there are different posts in different communities. there are some posts that are historically african-american and some that are white posts. postearns go to which ever they feel more comfortable in. they go with a feel they can be the most service. air, --as allegiant legionnaire, -- a you go where you're most comfortable. we were established in 1919 and things were different then. if you go to an american legion post, you will not be denied membership because your gender or race. we welcome all veterans into the american legion. host: charles is in indiana and is an independent. caller: good morning. address some of the things that happened at the v.a. i know that congress has tried to address things. my brother goes to the ba and i have to take him because he can't drive. they wanted him to have a colonoscopy one time. i told him that he will have to stay overnight at the v.a. they told him he could not stay overnight. he would have to have the colonoscopy and then stay one night after. i told my brother that that doesn't make sense. i can't drive you three hours to chicago to have a colonoscopy after you have had that medicine. clinic.him over to the i will take him for a blood test and then i take them for a urine test. then i take him over for another hearing test area then he might have a doctors appointment the next week. if congress is working on that. i understand they have tried to. someone has to drive over an hour and a half to get to a clinic should be able to go to a local clinic and have their blood test or urine test taken. guest: thank you for calling in. this is going to cut down on some of that. talking about being more than 40 miles away from the vap that is an inconvenience and veterans should be accommodated better than that. your brother should receive a stress card. card,e gets that choice ask those questions about what he is entitled to based on the appointments he hast to have and how far he lives from the v.a. if you have additional questions, call the american legion. we will be able to help you. few: we have time for a more phone calls as we continued to talk with verna jones. this is veterans day. you have seen shots of our camera out on the national mall before the vietnam memorial here in washington. see the vets and their families and friends gathering around these memorials. across the country are marking veterans day. and it is in a fresno, california. caller: good morning. i am a widow of a veteran. you, who'dg to ask you contact by writing an e-mail for suggestions and complaints? my husband had filed a claim the same year he died. in 2007.back thatpt sending letters they were working on it. they were working on his case. when he died, everything stopped. i went to the veterans affairs and they had to call the oakland office. there was nothing in the booklet that said he was deceased. everything just stopped. he was not receiving any benefits. filed since he came out of the korean war. he had a claim number from back during that time. he did not know what the results were. his paper got burned in love those fires. i am still struggling with and disturbed by i don't know if he was ever entitled or not entitled to benefits because they completely stopped. he had authorized the paperwork where they could go to your doctors letters and then they sent me one to sign but did not explain why i had to sign one. it still should've been good for what he signed for. thessen in the claim for dependent. -- then he sent in the claim for the dependent. thing is not only that, my dad was in the navy. i do know when the policy changed with the veterans hospital. you used to just be able to go in with your dog tags or your dd .14 paperwork and get help my dad was treated in the hospital there. i was only a teenager. host: i will have verna addressed that. guest: i want to apologize that you have to go through that. you should not have to wonder what is going on with your husband's claims. things and itany seems like the paperwork, i'm not sure what is happening. i want to be able to help you happen i'm going to ask you to call the american legion or leave your phone number so we can contact you. we will have to look at all the paperwork and see what is going on. the claims shouldn't stop just because your husband passed away. you may be entitled to benefits because of your husband service. you can call the american legion. let them know why you're calling. they will connect you with someone who can look over that paperwork and help explain everything to you. that way you will know what you may be entitled to and what needs to happen next. we can help you through that process. host: is the american legion open today? the building is closed today. the staff and legionnaires are celebrating veterans day. host: peter is in idaho. caller: good morning. i would like to set -- salute verna and the american legion. i served in vietnam from 1961 until 1965. the v.a. has taken good care of me. v.a., woke up in the there was the american legion with a packet and a card and they were supportive of me. thank you so much. host: we hear peter's comments as we look at the vietnam memorial in washington. you can see the names and people leaving flowers and other memorabilia at the memorial this morning. we will go to chuck in hawaii. caller: hello. hello hot. half --aloha. have a question about the crisis centers. they are very successful. with them. i think they allow the veteran and the v.a. neutral ground. a lot of veterans are disenchanted with the v.a. and don't want to go there. the american legion has put together this program to allow veterans to come in and it a good thing for the veteran. host: thank you. guest: thank you, check. a veterans crisis center in hawaii and we were able to help a lot of veterans. we just want to say happy veterans day to everyone. the american legion is here to help you with what ever it is that veterans need. we feel very grateful and proud to be who we are and be able to help veterans that we help. if you have any questions, they can call us. legion.org host: thank you so much for he went to every kind of event hat you could imagine. by 19500 he was ready to run for governor advocating on behalf of the people. and he had two issues. one, the direct primary. no more selecting candidates at convention. two, stop the interests. specifically the railroads. >> watch all of our events saturday noon eastern on c-span 2 book tv and sunday afternoon at 12:00 on merning history tv on c-span-3. national captioning institute] the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. isit ncicap.org] >> we are live of the vietnam veterans memorial here as the nation commemorates that wednesday. it's the day that honors u.s. service members of u.s. armed >> how hard is it to follow kellly pickler? how about giving her a round of applause? we're honored to be back. this is one of the things i think i mentioned this the last three years when we put our calendar together for the year, there's just a handful of things that we put on the calendar and we don't let anybody knock them off. and this is one. it's because, as kelly said, it is important. it's important for the soul of the force and so my compliments to the sunshine so our congratulations to jd and kris tin for becoming the leaders of this incredible organization. and you can count on us to be among your biggest fans not only while we're serving but ong after. thanks for that. aisha said she thought the commandant of the marine corps had the coolest name -- frank grass, you might be at the other end of that. grass? i love you, man but -- anyway 1 every year i throw somebody under the bus and this year it happens to be you. over the last week -- one of the things that continues to surprise me is the way emotions kind of wash over you as the chairman and i'm sure the service chiefs feel the same way. there is always something that captures your imagination, your heart, your soul. and that last week alone, including this event tonight which i will mention in a moment, they week ago i was up at west point with my classmates celebrating our 40th reunion. yeah, it was unbelievable. one of the things we did is we took a cruise down the hudson river and it had been raining during the day but the rain kind of blue off -- blew out the bad weather and what we ended up with was an unbelievably crystal-clear fall night on this cruise, we saw the freedom tower in new york city and we all got some emories of that. all of a sudden, they announced come out on deck because we are about to approach the statue of liberty. we walked out on deck as a group. you can probably do the maths so you know it's my 40th anniversary -- 40th reunion come you can probably tell how old we are but we walked out on deck and i'm not kidding you -- the size and the magnitude and the majesty and the beauty of the statue of liberty was just -- it was awe-inspiring. when you think about what it stands for -- honestly, for a unch of us who were just telling lies to he cut -- each other all week about who we were and what we hoped to be, -- you kind of remember who we are. it was one of those moments so that was on saturday night and today, i went to the passage of ommand for the united states marine corps where the 35th commandant, jim amos, past command to the 36th commandant, joe dunford and i will tell you what, i am proud to be a member of the united states army but i also have the shoot bid -- the privilege of eating chairman of the joint chiefs. if you could see the pride with which those young men and women stood tall and passed in review and were there for this ceremony honoring their outgoing commandant and their new commandant, it just made you want to stand taller and straighter it's hard to stand straighter at least at my age. but the point is, the pride of the young men and women who served is absolutely inspiring. that is why, jd and all of you who served with the uso, that's why you do what you do because you want to match their pride with your commitment. it was just unbelievable. here i am again tonight so this is the trifecta for me. one week, three events where you can feel good not only about the military but about the country. now you can. let's give the country around you can feel good not only about the military but about the country. now you can. let's give the country around of applause. [applause] i already mentioned jd and christine and we want to welcome you -- by the way, there is nothing on this teleprompter. everybody else had something on he teleprompter. anyway but jd and christine, welcome aboard as we say, terrific. i also want to mention my teammates, the joint chiefs. some of them are here tonight and i saw ray odierno and john and some of the vices and the commandant of the marine corps, the the guy with the cool name and frank, the not so cool man guy. i could not be, honestly, i could not be prouder to be part of that team, the joint chiefs of staff. we've got a lot going on in case you have not noticed. if i had had this conversation with you and with them what, four months ago, we would not be talking about insecurity in europe or this thing called isil and we would not be talking about ebola and here we are. by the way, the joint chiefs and the men and women who serve, we will figure it out. we will figure out what the country needs us to do and we will do it. we will do it well and we are going to keep the country safe -- even while we are sitting here tonight, besides the young men and women employed on missions we already know about, we've got people packing their bags to go to europe to reassure our allies or go to iraq or kuwait to make sure that this threat of isil does not continue to expand and to go to places like senegal and liberia to make sure that this disease is contained and therefore does not become a threat to the homeland. that is what they do. the uso, i hope you did not think we would put you out of work. we are not going to put you out of work. you will have some work to do and we are proud to be partners with you in doing it. i also want to make a special mention tonight to a couple that happened to be here with us and to get, i think i'm a far less credit than they deserve or what they have done for their country and that's lloyd and charlene austin who happen to be sitting at our table tonight. if you value humility as a haracter trait, there is not many people i know better as humble as lloyd and charlene austin. when you think about the portfolio we have given him and the men and women who served with him, it's quite remarkable. he's got really big shoulders but it's even remarkable that even he can bear the weight of what we have asked him to do. join me in a round of applause or lloyd and charlene. i already talked about kellie pickler. what an incredible person and kyl her husband. so she is an extraordinarily successful and talented country-western singer and on a whim says maybe i will try that "dancing with the stars" thing and i'm glad she does not want to give a shot to being the chairman. i'm not sure i could fight her off. she is little, very little, but he is mean as a snake. that i want to mention one other person and i actually -- i try to mention this person every year. some of you have been here for these events in the past. i apologize for being repetitive but marilou austin -- where is she? let me tell you -- i don't know where she is i may get her to stand up and if somebody can find her with a spotlight -- marilou -- where is she? stand up. you are standing, i'm sorry. some of you heard the story but when i was a second lieutenant on the way to germany, it was january, 1975, i was lost. this is before sponsorship was a big deal. they kind of gave you a ticket to go to a place you could not pronounce. i got off of the aircraft and i went to where we all go when you're not exactly sure where to go. i went to the uso. ary lou was there. she steered me in the right direction and i told this story three years ago -- she came up to me after and said " it was me." i thought that was cool so every year now, here you are. she is down in atlanta now but here's the rest of the story -- last year mike son was redeploying from afghanistan through atlanta. guess who he met? arilou austin. last thing i want to say before i bow off the stage and we will get the chiefs appear to recognize the wonderful young men and women who are honored here tonight is i want to mention -- the army on many tonight has a special connection to me. i don't even think he knows it. my son was class of 2000 from west point and had a best friend by the name of tom kennedy. tom kennedy was killed just about two years ago now in afghanistan. in that incident, there was a suicide bomber with a suicide vest. among the folks who made the situation less catastrophic than it could have been was sergeant andrew mahoney who happens to be the army nominee tonight.. he actually tackled a couple of the members of the team that were there and prevented them from being killed in that incident. that is who we are, right? i never met him but i will meet him here in a moment. we've got a connection that i did not even know we had until i read the bio. here's the deal, people say to me what's it like to be chairman right now? it's hard to describe actually. it's probably hard for all of us to describe what it's like to be serving just now when we are. but i did find this little irish ditty. can i get a drink of water before i try to bang out this irish tune? can somebody hand me a drink of water? somebody back there has got to be listening. by the way, this is the guy that put me in this position. i will never forgive you for his. thanks, sir, george casey, 36 chief of staff of the united states army. i found this little -- it will shock you when i tell you it is an irish ditty but it is a little story about a brick layer. he was a brick layer and he was actually writing to his boss to explain why he was not at work on this particular day. it's called " the sick note." i would describe it as analogous to what it's like to be serving at this level at this particular point in time. here's how it goes -- sir, i write this note to you to tell you of me plight and at the time of writing, i am not a pretty sight my body is all black and blue me face a deathly gray i write this note to say why patty is not at work today while working on the 14th floor, some bricks i had to clear now to throw them down from such a height was not a good idea the foreman was not very pleased he being an awkward sod. he said i would have to carry them down on the letter with me hod. clearing all the bricks by hand, it was so very slow so i hoisted up a barrel and secured the rope below but inme hasted to do the job, i was too blind to see that a barrel full of building bricks was heavier than me so when i did untie the rope, the barrel felt like lead and clinging tightly to the rope, i started up instead while i shot up like a rocket to my dismay i found that halfway up i met the loody barrel coming down the barrel broke me shoulder as to the ground it sped and when i reached the top, i banged the pulley with my head but i clung on tight through phnom penh shock from this almighty blow and the barrel still don't have to bricks 14 floors below now when these bricks have fallen from the barrel to the floor i then outweighed the barrel and so started down once more still clinging tightly to the rope, i sped back towards the ground and i landed on the broken bricks that were spread and scattered around while i laid there groaning on the floor, i thought i had passed the worst when the barrel at the pulley wheel, and then the bottom burst a shower of bricks rained down on me i had not got a hope as i lay there moaning on the ground i let go the bloody rope the barrel then being heavier, it started down once more and landed right across me as i lay across the floor well it broke three ribs and my left arm and i can only say that i hope you'll understand p whyaddy's not at work today. cheers and applause] thanks. on behalf of the joint chiefs, let me tell you how proud we are to be part of this ceremony tonight and how proud we are of the men and women who serve and serving our country side-by-side with the uso. god bless you all, thank you. >> i don't think i have enjoyed anything more than watching the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff singh and irish ditty a cappella. it was incredible. we have to get some kind of celebrity idol going on. kelly come come out and coach you. by the way, this is for irish people, no? that's why all the drinking, ok? they will tell you that was true. to help recognize this year's uso service members of the year, please welcome back to the states, dr. crouch, general eyer, and general dempsey. and assisting us with the award presentation this evening is the daughter of a retired u.s. army major and miss district of columbia, teresa davis, a proud military brat. she dedicated saluting the military and their families. each year, we come together to celebrate, honor, and recognize a servicemember from each branch of the military for their outstanding and heroic actions. our first presenter is a graduate of the united states military academy and served key operational leadership posts in europe, the middle east and the united states. to present the 2014 u.s. soldier of the year award in the please welcome the army chief of staff general raymond brodeur now -- general raymond oh dear no -- odierno. >> thank you very much. general dempsey was a 37 chief of staff and i am the 38. like all things, talent skips a generation. so as we pick the next chief, we will be conducting singing auditions before we decide who the chief will be. general dempsey has volunteered to be one of those who graze the audition. -- who graze the audition. i want to thank everyone at the uso for this incredible evening and for what you do. everyone of us who wear uniform have our own uso story. we can all set up. and tell a great story of how it impacted us or one of our family members or one of our soldiers. i want to thank everyone for that tonight. i also have the honor tonight of presenting the soldier of the year. we often talk -- as i go around, i say that the army, the strength of the army is our soldiers. tonight's awardee, sergeant mahoney, is incredibly representative of that. we often talk about courage, competence, commitment, and character and he represents all of those incredible things. we are very, very proud of him as he represents the army this evening. our honorees are accompanied by family and friends tonight while we recognize these extraordinary service members, we also want to recognize the family members and friends of our honorees. in so many ways, our family and friends served with us. it's obvious to me that sergeant mahoney has a close and loving family supporting him. he is joined tonight by his wife melanie, his parents lori and james, his siblings travis, trevor, and sarah and his sister-in-law christie and brother-in-law ray. i want to thank all of you for supporting andrew. thank you so much. on the morning of august 8, 2012, sergeant andrew j mahoney help to tackle a suicide bomber near the provincial governor's compound in afghanistan. he saved the lives of 24 people. including the fourth brigade combat team fourth infantry division's commander at the time, colonel now brigadier general james mingus. ever vigilant as the team was proceeding on foot from the forward operating days to its destination when it reached a narrow bridge. sergeant mahoney noticed the individual and identified abnormal bulge under his shirt. as sergeant mahoney and captain grover tackle the bomber, the assailant detonated his best wanting both soldiers. captain grover suffered wounds to his left leg and sergeant mahoney suffered a severe soft tissue wound to his left forearm and trap the ones to his right shoulder and leg. for his exceptional gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty, sergeant mahoney receives the silver tar. ladies and gentlemen, it's my distinct honor to present to you the 2014 u.s. oh soldier of the year, sergeant andrew mahoney. u [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ >> we are honored to have a sensible alumnus and naval aviator here to present the uso marine of the year award. please welcome marine corps deputy commandant of programs and services, lieutenant eneral waters. [applause] >> thank you so much. unfortunately, the marine of the year could not be with us tonight as he is currently attending officers candidate chool. however, you have to do what you have to do. several members of his family are here on his behalf and i would like to take a moment to recognize them. his wife jody who is expecting their first child in december -- speaking to her backstage, she says she is due on the fifth. her husband is not ready to deploy until the 12th. schedule dependent. the teleprompter notwithstanding, i will make a shameless plug and i did the math and i think and 2032, we will have another recruit. i would like to recognize his father-in-law, john and his mother-in-law celeste, is aunt and his uncle, atherine and don keller. sergeant matthew melici is an osprey crew chief and defended his aircraft and the crew during an approach of a reconnaissance rated to a heavily defended enemy landing zone. his actions warranted the presentation of the distinguished service for his heroism and on june, 2012, he was serving as an aircraft gunner to death delivery suppressive gunfire while approaching the landing zone. this allowed the raid force chooses some part -- disembark the aircraft and engage the enemy. despite serious damage to the control system and gunfire, he kept the aircraft commander and crew appraisal the situation. the california native maintained his poise while returning to the area to support the withdrawal of the raid force enabling the successful completion of the mission. his superb airman to inspired courage and loyal devotion reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the marine corps nd united states naval service bradleys and gentlemen, i'm honored to present the 2014 u.s. oh marine of the year to sergeant matthew e, belleci. >> accepting on behalf of the sergeant is his wife jody. [cheers and applause] >> this is an extra barry knight. i feel like cuba gooding junior in "jerry maguire" you all are oing to make me cry. a native of butler, pennsylvania, this admiral has served at every level of command in honolulu seven fleet to u.s. fleet forces command and now chief of naval operations. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the 30th chief of naval operations, admiral jonathan greeneert. [applause] >> thank you very much. thank you, i as my fellow service chiefs are honored to be here tonight. i would like to extend a special welcome to the friends and family of our recipient, officer cromer. this is a family affair as well. his wife laura and his parents gary and marie are here. laura's parents,marita and richard are here. , he's got them all here tonight everybody gets along, it's a wonderful thing. i thank you all for coming out to support troy. before we present the award, i would also like to thank the uso for their longtime support as marty has said and ray said, we all have a story, good story about the uso of what they have done for ourselves and our shipmates and those of us who are serving. we are here to recognize brave and committed teammates who epitomized the selfless service that defines our military today. courageous and committed force continues to provide our united states with an advantage, and asymmetric advantage unmatched by any nation. officer first class troy cromer's job is in explosive ordnance disposal -- he is a one-person bomb squad. he distanced himself on numerous occasions. this is pretty amazing -- during a 2013 deployment to afghanistan where he was serving with a navy seal team 10. on a foot patrol, the petty officer's platoon encountered intense emmet -- enemy fire and were forced to withdraw in an armored vehicle. after leaving the patrol, and getting away from the ambush, troy is covered a remote-controlled improvised explosive device that was placed between the vehicles. you all know improvised explosive device is a homemade bomb. while directing fire against the enemy and getting her buddy out, he discerned the ied and allowed the platoon to save the department area. on a separate mission, petty officer cromer led for special operations vehicle through an area littered with ied's and disabled three of them and insured once again their safe passage. on another occasion, he located and destroyed about 1/4 mile long tunnel underground cave system that had been used to store a bunch of weapons and explosives and got rid of that. two other separate occasions in other instances, his quick actions and bravery helped save the lives of at least five wounded afghan soldiers, those who are serving with him. petty officercromer has received the army commendation medal and the navy and marine corps achievement medal with a combat v and action ribbon. you might think that's pretty extraordinary, there is more. after a couple sheet all of that, most of us would have gone to duty and be completed and go home. this sailor, while he was off duty, rescued a mother and her 18-month-old daughter from a burning apartment. in his free time -- he dedicates a lot of time, countless hours to the make-a-wish foundation. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome a really handsome looking guy, by the way, but he's taken -- the 2014 sailor of the year, petty officer first class troy cromer. cheers and applause] >> our next presenter is a native of washington, d.c. and also the first air force officer to serve as assistant chief of staff on the white house military office. to present the 2014 uso airman of the year award, please look him vice chief of staff of the united states air force, eneral larry o. spencer. [applause] >> good evening, everyone. you may have noticed a little ruckus in the back because i demanded equal time with the chairman. you can tell obviously i am not from irish ancestry. but i actually wrote a rap ong. [cheers and applause] however, because he said it's getting late, i have to wait until next year. sorry, chairman. >> after party. >> ok, after party. i am honored to represent general mark welch this evening. his family and friends are here this evening. joining senior airman john c hamilton in the audience tonight are his wife andrea, his mother sabrina, stepfather paul, father mark, and stepmother teresa. [cheers and applause] lieutenant colonel mason doolan and his wife are here to support airmen hamilton. lieutenant colonel dollan was a special tactical squadron commander and had the foresight to nominate john for this award to thank you. both of you represent the values of honor and integrity we hold so dear. senior airman john c hamilton, a parrot rescue men, distinctions up when he displayed remarkable courage and critical life-saving medical skills during an august 14, 2013 firefight in afghanistan. senior airman hamilton acted as a rescue and battlefield trauma specialist for an elite army special forces team during 13 high risk combat missions in afghanistan. while assaulting a knownhakani network sanctuary, they were pinned down by heavy fire and his bravery and medical expertise help save the life of a wounded comrade during the four-hour firefight and that proved decisive in preventing his small unit from being overrun. senior airmen hamilton who enlisted in the air force in 2009, had been assigned to the 23rd special tactics squadron since 2012 and hold combat diver, freefall, and static line qualifications and is nationally certified paramedic. his dedicated service earned him and air force chief and metal and is a compass must reflect great credit upon himself and the united states air force. ladies and gentlemen, i am pleased to present the 2014 u.s. so air men of the year, senior airman john c amilton. [cheers and applause] >> our next presenter leads the largest component of the department of homeland security. to present the award for the 2014 uso coast guardsmen of the year, please welcome the 25th commandant of the coast guard, admiral paul s. zuchoonst. >> all right, you have heard it rom a-z. aisha, i'm not sure which is more difficult your name or my. i have the not cool name. my last name means future and the future of the coast guard s very bright. in two months, the u.s. coast guard, the shallow water service, will cover all seven continents on the globe. today, we are in afghanistan, iran, africa, liberia, in south america, china, we are everywhere and i could not be more proud to serve the service but i cannot be more proud to have a seat that chairman dempsey has afforded me to be a guest on the chairman of the joint chiefs as we deal with many challenges that face us and the world ahead. really what people ask -- why do you give to come to work every day? what causes you to get up to work every day is the people we are proud to serve. first of all, we are an all volunteer service and how appropriate we are here with the uso, an all volunteer service as well. i'm just delighted to say that my wife fran is one of those 29,000 volunteers. she kept her maiden name because no one can pronounce zukunft so people would come through reagan national air force -- airport at the uso office and asked what her usband does. all of a sudden, they laid down alms but fran is anything but that. she is very proud to be part of this great organization that we call the uso that serves our members and not just our members but our families as well. there's a family i will call out tonight and that is the family of petty officer brett bates, joined tonight by his ife leanne and joined by his mother and father lisa and mark and his grandfather doyle. hy are we calling out -- brett tonight? many of you may have seen the movie "the guardian." [applause] brett bates is one of the guardians of the coast guard. he jumps out of perfectly good helicopters and he did so. it was back in april of 2013, launching over 100 miles south of galveston, texas and there is a fishing vessel foundering in 15 foot seas. normally you lower your rescue down by a hoist and it was too rough to lower him down so he jumps out of a perfectly good ircraft. he swims up to a life raft. then he not only comes up to the life raft but he says," it's ok, i'm here to give you a lift." that's exactly what he did but if we could do the same with ebola that he did with this mariner in distress, and then he hooked up, and then we lifted this mariner out and all thanks to brett bates for doing that. if that was not enough, he also is an emt. on a tennis court, somebody playing tennis suffers cardiac arrest and he happened to have an id kit and administered cpr and saves another life. he has done that again and again. and so he is truly a lifesaver. the biggest challenge for me as i call ourselves the silent service because we never talk about what we do. brett bates is one of the many in our service that time and again, they save lives and that's what i'm trained to do. what you heard before his many heroes who have come before them and i will call another one out but that's what he is trained to do, to serve our nation as a volunteer. sobrett bates, please come forward to be recognized, thank ou for your service. [applause] >> i would like to think admiral zukunft for correcting me so beautifully. t was very classy. my people cannot help but to put flair on everything we do. if your name was smith, i would all you smithay. 'll never forget it again. i will remember it when i am crying alone in my hotel room. it's all good. the national guard provides a vital role in the nation's defense -- hold it together -- both at home and overseas. in his civilian life to merit presented pursued a career with the u.s. army corps of engineers to present our national guardsmen of the year, please welcome the 27th chief, national guard bureau general frank j graff. [cheers and applause] ♪ >> good evening, everyone and i think if i checked the schedule, i am the last military presenter. i've got the simplest last name. i got to tell you when i went to basic training i went to ocs, that name did not give me any benefit whatsoever. i was thinking as i was standing there listening to general dempsey throw me under a bus a few times and i'm the last military presenter, we've got a great chairman, no doubt. you should here this guy sing frank sinatra. for pat and i it's a real pleasure to be here and so many places we have been, what a great organization that takes care of the men and women. you don't ask for anything. you walk in over and over, i have seen it, and i have to tell you that no matter where i have been on the map, there's always a friendly smile and sometimes you really need that especially if you're going to dover or going somewhere to meet family and you need that smile to build your endurance up and do what you have to do when you have to notify someone. whenever you go in there and the family has been taken care of by the uso, it makes our jobs much easier. for everyone involved with the uso, thank you so much. before i introduce our award winner tonight, i want to introduce sergeant andrew multredder's family, his daughter cora, his parents are here, his brother al, sister-in-law emily, sister amy, and brother-in-law charlie. thank you so much for supporting this great warrior. andrew, as any guardsmen who has done his training is an active duty training on the weekend. at the end of his training, he was heading home and back to lexington, his training was and shelby, kentucky. on the 12th of january, 2014, on his way home, he came upon an overturned suv on fire. with no regard for his personal safety, he went to the vehicle. he saw the driver who was unconscious and still strapped in. assisted by two of his kentucky army national guard and army veteran that stopped to help, sergeant mehltretter took charge of the situation and went into action to extract the driver from the vehicle even while it was burning. he wanted to make sure there were no more injuries caused. so he began to organize the effort at the crash site. the driver who was a canadian citizen, as he came out of the vehicle, this combat medic, sergeant andrew mehltretter, uses combat skills and destabilize the patient and he stayed with that patient until the ambulance arrived. when the driver came back to onsciousness, he looked up and andrew said you are ok emma we are here with you. many folks especially the first responders say that andrew. save that gentleman's life anders commander said his dedication to duty and selfless service warrants recognition. his extraordinary here was him -- heroism establishes him as a professional, as a leader, as a mentor of soldiers. ladies and gentlemen, the 2012 -- the 2014 uso national guardsmen of the year, sergeant ndrew mehltretter. [cheers and applause] >> and now ladies and gentlemen, we present to you the 2014 uso service members of he year. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome back asiha tyler and the vice president of monster, steve coker. >> i just want to say if i have not made it clear what an honor it's been to share this night with you. all night, people have thanked me for being here. i keep telling them how much of an honor it is for me and how grateful i am. that's not have lump. that's not casual conversation. i said yes immediately when i was asked. the best part of my job is all the close and the carpets and bowl - bull you read about -- the best part of this job is to give back and it's incredibly high honor to serve that there is no higher honor than to be of service to those who serve. i am so, so grateful to be here with you. as an incredible night for may. thank you. >> thank you and great job. >> except for the zumkunft thing - that was that. >> is that the only thing? >> that was the only thing. >> on behalf of monster military.com i want to thank you all for attending this evening. it is truly an honor to support the uso and their mission to lift the spirit of american troops and families and to jd and the uso staff, what an inspiring program you put together tonight. thank you for creating such an extraordinary event. to those who are honored this evening, i am in in all. i spake for everyone in this room when i say we are humbled by your stories. your courage and dedication in the service makes me proud to be american. you are what makes our country great. you have my sincere thanks and ppreciation. >> we have come to the end of a remarkable evening. as i've said, it's been -- yes, there is always something afterwards a hold on. it's in a real pleasure to serve as your mistress of ceremonies tonight and hear the stories of these incredible service man women and their families. you are incredible and we are so grateful for everything you do. i think -- there is one other thing -- >> there is one other thing. >> it feels like we did not lannett. >> the after party is getting started upstairs in the international terrorists. general spencer is still here? i hear we might have a rap. it may just motivate everyone to go. he's given us the thumbs up so we will see you upstairs, thank you. >> thank you for joining us, good night and god bless the nited states of america. national captioning institute] the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. isit ncicap.org] >> i enjoy q&a. i turn off the phones and get my cup of coffee and it's the most enjoyable conversation. >> good opinions. i enjoy listening to him and he comments today. he was very accurate and on point. he was not using his own personal inwendos. and i greatly enjoyed it and i hope you have more guests like that. he was right on target this morning. >> i'm calling to say that i think like many people c-span is wonderful. but as to criticisms i almost have none. and i'm a very partisan kind of person. but the reason i almost have none is i think you do a tremendous job of showing just about every side of everything and the way people look at things in d.c. and elsewhere. i take my hat off to you. >> continue to let us know what you think about the programs you're watching. >> dr. craig spencer, a physician in new york being treated for ebola was released after being declared eeb lo la free. today health and human secretary testifies on the government's ongoing response to protect americans from the ebola outbreak. we'll be live with the senate appropriations committee at 2:00 p.m. eastern on c-span-3. senate he house and return today at 2:00 p.m. eastern. the house is scheduled to debate 10 bills including updateing the presidenttial records act which would allow current and former u.s. presidents to continue to restrict access to surn certain records created during this presidency. votes expected on judicial nominations. over 2014 mid terms are or just about over and we look ahead to the lame duck session. we are joined by thehill looking ahead to the 113th lame duck session and give lawmakers a day or two to debate and vote. they've got a deadline in december. what is that and what will be included in this omnibus bill? >> they basically have a day or two based on what i've been told by people at the house appropriations committee to pass an omnibus spending bill that would fund the government through the rest of the fiscal year which would be to the end of next september. the problem is that the spending bill that lawmakers approved in september expires on december 11, which is that week. and people will only just a few days to debate and vote on the bill, otherwise what could happen is lawmakers might choose to extend the continuing resolution that's currently in place for maybe a short period of time until they pass this omnibus spending bill. >> that short-term extension sounds like they've done that in the past, how much is in this bill? is this basically the levels they agreed to, the budget that was passed earlier this year? and what other surprises may we see in that omnibus spending bill? >> that's correct. the level that will be in the omnibus spending bill will be at the level set by the budget deal that paul ryan and patty murray reached last december. it'll be around the $1.014 trillion mark. otherwise it's hard to tell exactly what's going to be new in this omnibus spending bill. obviously the white house has asked for two separate new funding requests that are pretty major. one is for the ebola fight and one is for the war on isis. those are the two funding requests that the administration sent to congress in the last week. lawmakers will obviously have to debate these requests and it's possible they could wind up in the omnibus spending bill. that's what the administration is hoping for. but of course there could be republicans who oppose those requests. >> you tweeted about that administration request, that $5.6 billion, here's your tweet, it says, democrats call for isis war vote in the lame duck. not only is there consideration of how much money but whether the president has the authority to do this, right? >> right. president obama has said he does have the authority to carry out military operations in iraq. and syria. however, he has said in the last week that he will seek an authorization to carry out these operations in the middle east. the problem is that a lot of democrats do want this war authorization vote to happen in the lame duck session since they do have control of the senate. however, republicans want it to be pushed until next year when they have the majority in the senate. i think that that might be what winds up happening, the republicans might get their way here, because they only have about 15 working days in session during the lame duck session at the end of this year. and i don't think they'll be able to get much done besides a spending bill and maybe a few other things. i think something as large as an authorization vote would have to have more time for them to debate and vote on it. >> let's move over to the senate and the nomination of loretta lynch to replace eric holder as attorney general. the president making the announcement last weekend. interesting that "the hill" and other organizations reporting about a possible delay in her nomination. the headline in "the hill" says democrats unlikely to ram through the obama attorney general pick. why would democratic leaders delayed the consideration of her nomination and wait until a republican majority takes control of the senate? >> i think democrats are not too concerned about her nomination. i think the white house put her forward as somewhat of a bipartisan choice. she has been confirmed twice before by the senate to be u.s. attorney in new york. so i don't think they'll have too hard of a time getting her through. even john mccain said earlier today that he thinks she will get through a republican senate next year. i don't think democrats are concerned and they don't have too many days to debate and vote on this sort of thing in the lame duck session. >> and senator mcconnell, the likely incoming majority lead of the senate, what are his thoughts on repealing obamacare? >> he's said repeatedly he wants to repeal obamacare. i wrote a story a few days ago about a number of conservative groups pushing for him to repeal obamacare. he has suggested he could use the budget tool called reconciliation to push out think -- push it through which would only require 51 votes in the senate. however, there are a number of legislative procedural hurdles he may face in terms of getting that appeal through. what would be much more likely, maybe president obama would be willing to sign, maybe a repeal of the medical device tax, maybe something on the employer mandate. something that might get some sort of bipartisan attraction. >> both the house and senate, republican and democrats, will hold their leadership elections this week. what are some of the races we should keep an eye out for? >> i think this won't be too controversial. republicans are holding their leadership elections on thursday as are democrats in the senate. i think what we're really looking for is what's happening in the senate, obviously, the two sides are going to flip, mcconnell is going to get the majority here. there's some races that are open that are not too controversial. as far as john boehner, i think he's going to get the speakership again. there might be a few tea party republicans that might choose to put their name in the hat but i don't think that he'll have too hard of a time. it seems pretty clear he'll be speaker again. >> and it looks like his hand is strengthened by the results of the election. >> that's exactly right. >> read more from rebecca at thehill.com. >> book tv and american history tv on the road. traveling to u.s. cities to learn about their history and literary life. this week and we partnered with charter communications for a visit to madison, wisconsin. >> it is a glorious service, the service for the country. the call comes to every citizen. it is an unending struggle to him make and keep government representative. >> probably the most important clinical figure in wisconsin history -- political figure in wisconsin history and one of the most important history of the 20th century in the united states. governor.eforming he defined what progressivism is. he was one of the first to use progressive to self identify. he was a united states senator who was recognized by his peers in the 1950's as one of the five greatest senators in american history. he was an opponent of world war i, stood his ground advocating for free speech. above all, he was about the people. in the air after the civil war, america changed radically from a nation of small farmers and small producers and small manufacturers, and by the late 1870's, 1880's, 1890's, we had concentrations of wealth, we had growing inequality, and we had concern about the influence of money and government. so he spent the later part of the 1890's giving speeches all over wisconsin. if you wanted a speaker for your club or your group, bob latta follow it would give the speech. he went to county fairs, he went to every kind of event you could imagine and built a reputation for himself. by 1900, he was ready to run for governor advocating on behalf of the people. he had two issues. one, the direct binary. inmore selecting candidates convention. two, stop the interests. specifically, the railroads. >> watch all of our events saturday at c-span2 and sunday afternoon on c-span3. next, vice president joe biden participates in the annual veterans day wreath laying ceremony at the tomb of the unknowns at arlington national cemetery. the vice president and veterans affairs secretary robert mcdonald also speak at the ceremony. this is 45 minutes. >> present arms. [national anthem playing] >> present arms. ["taps" playing] >> ladies and gentlemen, the vice president of the united states. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the procession of our nation's colors and those of our veterans' service organizations. as we march on the colors the , band will play the national emblem march. please place your hand on your heart or salute. there will be a prayer and the pledge of allegiance. ♪ >> let us pray. almighty god, we invoke your presence and we ask that your blessings may come on us as we gather here in our nation's most hallowed memorial garden of heroes to honor our nation's veterans. we thank you for veterans of generations past and present who served both during times of war and peace. many of whom are bearing the physical, spiritual, visible and invisible wounds of war. we celebrate them for their faithful service in defending and preserving freedom for us all. we are grateful for our national and state veterans service organizations who many are represented today in this rousing parade of colors. we thank them for their ongoing willingness to support and advocate for veterans every day in so many valuable ways. we as a nation never fail to remember and support those who made the supreme sacrifice above and beyond to secure for our nation the blessings of life, liberty, and justice for all. god bless america, god be with our nation's leaders, bless the families and friends of those who we honor today, and thank you for giving us so much to celebrate on this veterans day. amen. >> now i'd like to invite mr. ron hope, national commander disabled american veterans, to lead us in our pledge of allegiance. >> please place your hand over your heart. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> please be seated. it is now my distinct privilege to introduce the members of the veterans day national committee. the committee was formed by presidential order in 1954 to hold this annual observance in honor of america's veterans and support veteran day observances throughout the nation. please hold your applause until i have introduced these special guests. if you will please stand when i call your name. ron hope, national commander, disabled american veterans. ryan horbert jr., national president, national veterans sole and exclusive. larry canard, national president korean war veterans association. angel zuniga, national commander american g.i. forum. nkle, catholic war veterans of the u.s.a. al kovak, national president, paralyzed veterans of america. ogne, commander jewish veterans of the u.s.a. john stroud, command for the chief, veterans of foreign wars of the united states. james pigeon, national first vice commander amvets. mark cornell, national president, blinded veterans association. version jones, national commander, army and navy union of the usa h. gene overstreet, commander noncommissioned officers association. william bryant, national vice commander, the american legion. patrick little, empowering veterans to lead high quality lives with respect and dignity. they're represented today by their national commander. ladies and gentlemen please welcome ron hope. [applause] >> good morning, america. ladies and gentlemen, families, friends, and most of all my fellow veterans. i'm privileged and honored to be here on the hallowed grounds of this beautiful memorial to speak with you today was i proudly served among the ranks of many a civil to your today. like many of you, i wore the uniform of my country proudly and served a cause greater than myself. the defense of our nation's and our -- of our nation and our freedoms we value so much. it's a special bond all veterans share and it's a privilege to share that bond with you on veterans day weekend. today is special to us. when the country calls, my brothers and sisters and i responded by saying send me. , on veterans day we all think about our brothers and sisters, those we served beside, those we led, those with looked up to, and those we lost. for us, veterans day could never be just another day of the year. military and veteran families are unique in this way. when a wife or husband, son or daughter raises his or her hand and says, send me, there's a great deal of sacrifice involved that most americans can't begin to understand. our men and women in uniform miss holidays, birthdays and other milestones other families take for granted because service members are often called away on duty. we're rapidly approaching the holiday season. military families often cannot invest the emotional capital of enjoying this time of year that is for most filled with joy, being surrounded by loved ones. it happens all too often in military careers, sometimes the rug gets pulled out from under you. when least expected, orders drop that, as many of you know, is like a hard kick in the gut. it's no wonder that only one-half of one percent choose to serve today, but serve they do and they, in my humble opinion are among our nation's finest and bravest because they raise their hands and say send me, i will go. when our country calls. i'm also proud to be part of a very special group, a group of people who left behind part of themselves while serving our country. disabled veterans, whether they're injury is visible or not, reminds us all of the phrase freedom isn't free, it's more than just a cliche, it's a daily truth we all live with. that's why i'm proud to be part of the d.a.v. disabled american veterans. we know our heroes want to live fulfilling live lives with respect and dignity. they don't ask for much and that makes it all the more important to keep our promise to our veterans who served. d.a.v. fights to make sure those promises are met and i urge you to get involve. let's briefly examine what veterans day means to those who said, send me. like i said, i like to keep things simple. let me share three words with you. has anyone ever heard of we the people? america's sons and daughters took an oath, put on american uniforms and have sworn to uphold and defend freedom in dangerous and desolate places. i'm very proud, as all veterans should be, when i remind myself that i'm part of a special group who committed to defend the ideas of our forebears. the concept of hard-won freedom and liberty outlined in our constitution gave birth to what was a profound and radical concept way back in 1789. a government that was responsible to the people who elected it. what about those words, duty, honor, and country? general macarthur said those words, reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, and what you will be. they are your rallying points to build courage when courage seems to fail. to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith. and to create hope when hope becomes forlorn. because of the words "we the people" mean something to all americans, the words duty, honor, and country carry profound meaning to military members and veterans. committing to serve one's country and community is the single most important undertaking one person can make. i was and still am proud of my military service, but knowing i still advocate for the american veteran makes me prouder still. our veterans are part of america's greatest treasure. in my mind, they are the bravest, finest, and ensuring that we can and always will be a nation comprised of we the people. thank you for letting me share my thoughts with you today and remember that for dav, every day is veterans day. [applause] >> thank you, mr. hope. please welcome the honorable robert mcdonald, secretary of veterans affairs. [applause] >> vice president biden, medal of honor
me and they still do today. i carry pictures in my wallet. the troops give you the respect you never thought you had. after 45 years, i am on the telephone with my 400 troops. that is part of leadership. i cared for them. that is what it is all about. [applause] next, joint chiefs of staff chair general martin dempsey speaks at the annual uso service members gala. and we hear from world war ii and vietnam veterans about their military service. on the next "washington journal," terry jeffrey discusses how republican leaders in congress should handle major policy issues, including immigration and the affordable care act. adam green, cofounder of the progressive change campaign committee, outlines the legislative agenda of progressive groups. conable talks about president obama's authorization of additional troops to iraq to train kurdish and iraqi forces. live atton journal," 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. during a speech in brisbane, australia, president obama continued to strengthen ties with allies in the asia-pacific region. he talked about the recent high lateral agreement on climate change, and advancing human rights. here is a portion. >> the united states will continue to pursue a constructive relationship with china. by virtue of its size and its remarkable growth, china will inevitably play a critical role future of the region. the question is, what kind of role will it play? i just came from beijing. as i said there, the united states welcomes the continuing rise of a china that is peaceful and prosperous and stable and plays a responsible role in world affairs. it is a remarkable achievement at thellions of people lifted out of poverty in china because the extraordinary growth rates they have experienced. that is a good thing that we should want and welcome that kind of development. ofchina is playing the role a responsible actor that is peaceful and prosperous and stable, it is good for the region, it is good for the world, and it is good for the united states. we will pursue cooperation with china where our interests overlap, and there are sick ethic and injuries -- there are significant areas of overlap. more training between the militaries to prevent misunderstandings. more travel and exchanges between your people, and more cooperation on global challenges, from ebola to climate change. but in this engagement, we are also encouraging china to adhere to the same rules as other nations, whether in trade or on the streets. in this engagement, we will continue to be frank about where there are differences. america will continue to stand up for our interests and principles, including our unwavering support for the fundamental human rights of all people. benefit from the relationship with china, or any other country, in which we put our values and ideals aside. for the young people here, practicality is a good thing. there are times where compromise is necessary. that is part of wisdom. is also important to hang on to what you believe, to know what you believe and be willing to stand up for it. what is true for individuals is also true for countries. >> you can see that entire speech by the president tomorrow night at 9:00 eastern on c-span. chairmanefs of staff general martin dempsey was the main speaker at this year's uso servicemember award gala in washington. following remarks that included a bird addition of an ivory song, he and other members of honored members of the military. united service organization is a private group, providing programs in the u.s. and around the world for american troops and their families. medienneand co the master ofs ceremonies. >> senior military leaders have a time-honored tradition of partnering with the uso to make sure the troops receive the support and services they need. these relationships allow the uso to be a part of the journeys our troops take and i'm incredibly honored to introduce our next guest, a man of true courage, honor, and integrity. a hero who has served in the united states army for nearly 40 years and currently serves at the 18th chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. and apparently knows the lyrics pickler'skellie songs. please welcome general martin dempsey. [applause] >> thanks very much. i would like to begin i saying i "redt know the words to high heels." i don't know where she went but i cannot believe she said that. [laughter] by the way, how hard is it to follow kellie pickler? in terms of someone who demonstrates heart and passion and patriotism and compassion and commitment. she is all those things. i don't know where you are, kelly, are you back at the table? i don't see her there but how about we give her a round of applause? she might hear in back. [applause] deenie and i are honored to be back. i mentioned this the last three years that when we put our calendar together for the year, there's just a handful of things we put on the calendar and we don't let anybody knock them off and this is one and it's because it is important. it's important for the soul of the force, so my compliments to the uso. our congratulations to jd and christine for becoming the leaders of this incredible organization and you can count on us to be among your biggest fans not only while we served but long after. thanks for that. aisha said she thought the commandant of the marine corps had the coolest name -- frank grass, you might be at the other end of that. [laughter] grass? i love you, man but -- anyway -- [laughter] every year i throw somebody under the bus and this year it happens to be you. [laughter] over the last week -- one of the things that continues to surprise me is the way emotions kind of wash over you as the chairman and i'm sure the service chiefs feel the same way. there is always something that captures your imagination, your heart, your soul. and that last week alone, including this event tonight which i will mention in a moment, they week ago i was up at west point with my classmates celebrating our 40th reunion. yeah, it was unbelievable. one of the things we did is we took a cruise down the hudson river and it had been raining during the day but the rain kind of blew out the bad weather and what we ended up with was an unbelievably crystal-clear fall night on this cruise, we saw the freedom tower in new york city and we all got some memories of that. all of a sudden, they announced come out on deck because we are about to approach the statue of liberty. we walked out on deck as a group. you can probably do the math so you know it's my 40th anniversary -- 40th reunion come you can probably tell how old we are but we walked out on deck and i'm not kidding you -- the size and the magnitude and the majesty and the beauty of the statue of liberty was just -- it was awe-inspiring. when you think about what it stands for -- honestly, for a bunch of us who were just telling lies to each other all week about who we were and what we hoped to be, -- you kind of remember who we are. it was one of those moments so that was on saturday night and today, i went to the passage of command for the united states marine corps where the 35th commandant, jim amos, past command to the 36th commandant, joe dunford and i will tell you what, i am proud to be a member of the united states army but i also have the privilege of being the chairman of the joint chiefs. if you could see the pride with which those young men and women stood tall and passed in review and were there for this ceremony honoring their outgoing commandant and their new commandant, it just made you want to stand taller and straighter. it's hard to stand straighter at least at my age. but the point is, the pride of the young men and women who served is absolutely inspiring. that is why, jd and all of you who served with the uso, that's why you do what you do because you want to match their pride with your commitment. it was just unbelievable. here i am again tonight so this is the trifecta for me. one week, three events where you can feel good not only about the military but about the country. now you can. [applause] let's give the country around of applause. [applause] i already mentioned jd and christine and we want to welcome you -- by the way, there is nothing on this teleprompter. everybody else had something on the teleprompter. [laughter] anyway but jd and christine, welcome aboard as we say, terrific. i also want to mention my teammates, the joint chiefs. some of them are here tonight and i saw ray odierno and john and some of the vices and the commandant of the marine corps, the guy with the cool name and frank, the not so cool man guy. [laughter] i could not be, honestly, i could not be prouder to be part of that team, the joint chiefs of staff. we've got a lot going on in case you have not noticed. [laughter] if i had had this conversation with you and with them what, four months ago, we would not be talking about insecurity in europe or this thing called isil and we would not be talking about ebola and here we are. by the way, the joint chiefs and the men and women who serve, we will figure it out. we will figure out what the country needs us to do and we will do it. we will do it well and we are going to keep the country safe -- [applause] even while we are sitting here tonight, besides the young men and women employed on missions we already know about, we've got people packing their bags to go to europe to reassure our allies or go to iraq or kuwait to make sure that this threat of isil does not continue to expand and to go to places like senegal and liberia to make sure that this disease is contained and therefore does not become a threat to the homeland. that is what they do. the uso, i hope you did not think we would put you out of work. we are not going to put you out of work. you will have some work to do and we are proud to be partners with you in doing it. i also want to make a special mention tonight to a couple that happened to be here with us and to get, i think i'm a far less credit than they deserve or what they have done for their country and that's lloyd and charlene austin who happen to be sitting at our table tonight. [applause] if you value humility as a character trait, there is not many people i know better as humble as lloyd and charlene austin. when you think about the portfolio we have given him and the men and women who served with him, it's quite remarkable. he's got really big shoulders but it's even remarkable that even he can bear the weight of what we have asked him to do. join me in a round of applause for lloyd and charlene. [applause] i already talked about kellie pickler. what an incredible person and kyle her husband. so she is an extraordinarily successful and talented country-western singer and on a whim says maybe i will try that "dancing with the stars" thing and i'm glad she does not want to give a shot to being the chairman. [laughter] i'm not sure i could fight her off. she is little, very little, but she is mean as a snake. [laughter] i want to mention one other person and i actually -- i try to mention this person every year. some of you have been here for these events in the past. i apologize for being repetitive but marilou austin -- where is she? [applause] let me tell you -- i don't know where she is. i may get her to stand up and if somebody can find her with a spotlight -- marilou -- where is she? stand up. [applause] you are standing, i'm sorry. some of you heard the story but when i was a second lieutenant on the way to germany, it was january, 1975, i was lost. this is before sponsorship was a big deal. they kind of gave you a ticket to go to a place you could not pronounce. i got off of the aircraft and i went to where we all go when you're not exactly sure where to go. i went to the uso. mary lou was there. she steered me in the right direction and i told this story three years ago -- she came up to me after and said " it was me." i thought that was cool so every year now, here you are. she is down in atlanta now but here's the rest of the story -- last year, my son was redeploying from afghanistan through atlanta. guess who he met? marilou austin. [applause] last thing i want to say before i bow off the stage and we will get the chiefs up here to recognize the wonderful young men and women who are honored here tonight is i want to mention -- the army on many tonight has a special connection to me. i don't even think he knows it. my son was class of 2000 from west point and had a best friend by the name of tom kennedy. tom kennedy was killed just about two years ago now in afghanistan. in that incident, there was a suicide bomber with a suicide vest. among the folks who made the situation less catastrophic than it could have been was sergeant andrew mahoney who happens to be the army nominee tonight. [applause] he actually tackled a couple of the members of the team that were there and prevented them from being killed in that incident. that is who we are, right? i never met him but i will meet him here in a moment. we've got a connection that i did not even know we had until i read the bio. here's the deal, people say to me, what's it like to be chairman right now? it's hard to describe actually. it's probably hard for all of us to describe what it's like to be serving just now when we are. but i did find this little irish ditty. can i get a drink of water before i try to bang out this irish tune? can somebody hand me a drink of water? somebody back there has got to be listening. by the way, this is the guy that put me in this position. i will never forgive you for this. [laughter] thanks, sir, george casey, 36 chief of staff of the united states army. [applause] i found this little -- it will shock you when i tell you it is an irish ditty but it is a little story about a brick layer. he was a brick layer and he was actually writing to his boss to explain why he was not at work on this particular day. it's called "the sick note." i would describe it as analogous to what it's like to be serving at this level at this particular point in time. here's how it goes -- dear sir, i write this note to you to tell you of me plight and at the time of writing, i am not a pretty sight my body is all black and blue me face a deathly gray i write this note to say why patty's not at work today while working on the 14th floor, some bricks i had to clear now to throw them down from such a height was not a good idea the foreman was not very pleased he being an awkward sod he said i would have to carry them down on the letter with me hod. clearing all the bricks by hand, it was so very slow so i hoisted up a barrel and secured the rope below but in me hasted to do the job, i was too blind to see that a barrel full of building bricks was heavier than me so when i did untie the rope, the barrel fell like lead and clinging tightly to the rope, i started up instead while i shot up like a rocket to my dismay i found that halfway up i met the bloody barrel coming down [laughter] the barrel broke me shoulder as to the ground it sped and when i reached the top, i banged the pulley with my head but i clung on tight through numb and shock from this almighty blow and the barrel spilled out half the bricks 14 floors below. now when these bricks have fallen from the barrel to the floor i then outweighed the barrel and so started down once more [laughter] still clinging tightly to the rope, i sped back towards the ground and i landed on the broken bricks that were spread and scattered around while i laid there groaning on the floor, i thought i had passed the worst when the barrel hit the pulley wheel, and then the bottom burst a shower of bricks rained down on me i had not got a hope as i lay there moaning on the ground i let go the bloody rope [laughter] the barrel then being heavier, it started down once more and landme as i lay across the floor well it broke three ribs and my left arm and i can only say that i hope you'll understand why paddy's not at work today. ♪ [laughter] [applause] [applause] thanks. on behalf of the joint chiefs, let me tell you how proud we are to be part of this ceremony tonight and how proud we are of the men and women who serve and serving our country side-by-side with the uso. god bless you all, thank you. [applause] ♪ >> i don't think i have enjoyed anything more than watching the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff sing an irish ditty a cappella. it was incredible. we have to get some kind of celebrity idol going on. kelli come come out and coach you. by the way, the irish, super up upbeat people,-- no? that's why all the drinking. they will tell you that was true. [laughter] to help recognize this year's uso service members of the year, please welcome back to the stage, dr. crouch, general meyer, and general dempsey. [applause] and assisting us with the award presentation this evening is the daughter of a retired u.s. army major and miss district of columbia, teresa davis, a proud military brat. she has dedicated her rain to saluting the military and their families. each year, we come together to celebrate, honor, and recognize a servicemember from each branch of the military for their outstanding and heroic actions. our first presenter is a graduate of the united states military academy and served key operational leadership posts in europe, the middle east and the united states. to present the 2014 uso soldier of the year award in the please welcome the army chief of staff general raymond odierno. [applause] >> thank you very much. general dempsey was a 37 chief of staff and i am the 38. like all things, talent skips a generation. [laughter] so as we pick the next chief, we will be conducting singing auditions before we decide who the chief will be. [laughter] general dempsey has volunteered to be one of those who grade the audition. i want to thank everyone at the uso for this incredible evening and for what you do. every one of us who wear uniform have our own uso story. we can all set up here and tell a great story of how it impacted us or one of our family members or one of our soldiers. i want to thank everyone for that tonight. i also have the honor tonight of presenting the soldier of the year. we often talk -- as i go around, i say that the army, the strength of the army is our soldiers. tonight's awardee, sergeant mahoney, is incredibly representative of that. we often talk about courage, competence, commitment, and character and he represents all of those incredible things. we are very, very proud of him as he represents the army this evening. our honorees are accompanied by family and friends tonight while we recognize these extraordinary service members, we also want to recognize the family members and friends of our honorees. in so many ways, our family and friends served with us. it's obvious to me that sergeant mahoney has a close and loving family supporting him. he is joined tonight by his wife melanie, his parents lori and james, his siblings travis, trevor, and sarah and his sister-in-law christie and brother-in-law ray. i want to thank all of you for supporting andrew. thank you so much. [applause] on the morning of august 8, 2012, sergeant andrew j mahoney helped tackle a suicide bomber near the provincial governor's compound in afghanistan. he saved the lives of 24 people. including the fourth brigade combat team fourth infantry division's commander at the time, colonel now brigadier general james mingus. ever vigilant as the team was proceeding on foot from the forward operating base to its destination when it reached a narrow bridge. sergeant mahoney noticed the individual and identified an abnormal bulge under his shirt. as sergeant mahoney and captain grover tackle the bomber, the the assailant detonated his vest, wounding both soldiers. captain grover suffered wounds to his left leg and sergeant mahoney suffered a severe soft tissue wound to his left forearm and shrapnel wounds to his right shoulder and leg. for his exceptional gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty, sergeant mahoney receives the silver star. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, it's my distinct honor to present to you the 2014 uso soldier of the year, sergeant andrew mahoney. [applause] ♪ ♪ [applause] >> we are honored to have a sensible alumnus and naval aviator here to present the uso marine of the year award. please welcome marine corps deputy commandant of programs and services, lieutenant general glen waters. [applause] >> thank you so much. unfortunately, the marine of the year could not be with us tonight as he is currently attending officers candidate school. however, you have to do what you have to do. [applause] several members of his family are here on his behalf and i would like to take a moment to recognize them. his wife, jody, who is expecting their first child in december -- [applause] says she is due on the fifth. her husband is not ready to deploy until the 12th. schedule dependent. [laughter] the teleprompter notwithstanding, i will make a shameless plug and i did the math and i think in 2032, we will have another recruit. [laughter] i would like to recognize his father-in-law, john and his mother-in-law, celeste. [applause] his aunt and his uncle, catherine and don keller. [applause] sergeant matthew melici is an osprey crew chief and defended his aircraft and the crew during an approach of a reconnaissance raid to a heavily defended enemy landing zone. his actions warranted the presentation of the distinguished service for his heroism and on june, 2012, he was serving as an aircraft gunner, delivering suppressive machine gun fire while approaching the landing zone. this allowed the raid force to disembark the aircraft and immediately engage the enemy. despite serious damage to the control system and gunfire, he kept the aircraft commander and crew appraised of the situation. the california native maintained his poise while returning to the area to support the withdrawal of the raid force enabling the successful completion of the mission. his superb airmanship, inspiring courage, and loyal devotion reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the marine corps and united states naval service bradleys and gentlemen, i'm honored to present the 2014 u.s. -- 2014 uso marine of the year to sergeant matthew e, belleci. [applause] >> accepting on behalf of the sergeant is his wife jody. [applause] ♪ ♪ >> this is an extraordinary. i feel like cuba gooding junior in "jerry maguire. you all are going to make me cry. a native of butler, pennsylvania, admiral johnny greener it has served at every level of command in honolulu seven fleet to u.s. fleet forces command and now chief of naval operations. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the 30th chief of naval operations, admiral jonathan greeneert. [applause] ♪ >> thank you very much. thank you, i, as my fellow service chiefs are honored to be here tonight. i would like to extend a special welcome to the friends and family of our recipient, officer cromer. this is a family affair as well. his wife laura and his parents gary and marie are here. laura's parents, marita and richard are here. he's got them all here tonight . everybody gets along, it's a wonderful thing. i thank you all for coming out to support troy. before we present the award, i would also like to thank the uso for their longtime support as marty has said and ray said, we all have a story, good story about the uso of what they have done for ourselves and our shipmates and those of us who are serving. we are here to recognize brave and committed teammates who epitomized the selfless service that defines our military today. courageous and committed force continues to provide our united states with an advantage, and asymmetric advantage unmatched by any nation. petty officer first class troy cromer's job is in explosive ordnance disposal -- he is a one-person bomb squad. he distinguished himself on numerous occasions. this is pretty amazing -- during a 2013 deployment to afghanistan where he was serving with a navy seal team 10. on a foot patrol, the petty officer's platoon encountered intense enemy fire and were forced to withdraw in an armored vehicle. after leaving the patrol, and getting away from the ambush, troy discovered a remote-controlled improvised explosive device that was placed between the vehicles. you all know improvised explosive device is a homemade bomb. while directing fire against the enemy and getting everybody out, he disarmed the ied and allowed the platoon to save the department area. on a separate mission, petty officer cromer led for special operations vehicle through an area littered with ied's and disabled three of them and insured once again their safe passage. on another occasion, he located and destroyed about 1/4 mile long tunnel underground cave system that had been used to store a bunch of weapons and explosives and got rid of that. two other separate occasions in other instances, his quick actions and bravery helped save the lives of at least five wounded afghan soldiers, those who are serving with him. petty officer cromer has received the army commendation medal and the navy and marine corps achievement medal with a combat v and action ribbon. you might think that's pretty extraordinary, there is more. after accomplishing all of that, most of us would have gone to duty and be completed and go home. this sailor, while he was off duty, rescued a mother and her 18-month-old daughter from a burning apartment. in his free time -- [laughter] he dedicates a lot of time, countless hours to the make-a-wish foundation. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome a really handsome looking guy, by the way, but he's taken -- the 2014 sailor of the year, petty officer first class troy cromer. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ >> our next presenter is a native of washington, d.c. and also the first air force officer to serve as assistant chief of staff on the white house military office. to present the 2014 uso airman of the year award, please look -- please welcome vice chief of staff of the united states air force, general larry o. spencer. [applause] >> good evening, everyone. you may have noticed a little ruckus in the back because i demanded equal time with the chairman. you can tell obviously i am not from irish ancestry. [laughter] but i actually wrote a rap song. [laughter] [applause] however, because he said it's getting late, i have to wait until next year. sorry, chairman. >> after party. >> ok, after party. i am honored to represent general mark welch this evening. his family and friends are here this evening. joining senior airman john c hamilton in the audience tonight are his wife andrea, his mother sabrina, stepfather paul, father mark, and stepmother teresa. [applause] lieutenant colonel mason doolan and his wife are here to support airman hamilton. [applause] lieutenant colonel doolan was a special tactical squadron commander and had the foresight to nominate john for this award so thank you. both of you represent the values of honor and integrity we hold so dear. senior airman john c hamilton, a pararescue man, distinctions up when he displayed remarkable courage and critical life-saving medical skills during an august 14, 2013 firefight in afghanistan. senior airman hamilton acted as a rescue and battlefield trauma specialist for an elite army special forces team during 13
the other concern, rather than fear, i had, that when i was command that i would make the right decisions and get the job done and get fewer marines hurt or injured. it is pretty tough to make a decision, when i tell you four to take out that machine gun and you get mowed down and i turned to the next four, and i say, you get them. we have to take out that machine gun or we are all going to go. those are the fears, scares, concerns. it is semantics. the whole thing is emotions you have to control. you don't say go to this. you say, follow me. [applause] >> i had a brief question for both gentlemen. what does wearing the medal of honor me to you, your family, and to the menu fought fought side-by-side with? >> to me, humility. there is no greater pride to me than anything in the world. i never would have believed what happened. r the medal of honor, to receive it, it changes your life. what you used to be, you are not anymore. you are a different person. you have to expect your life is going to be completely changed, as mine have. you are a national treasure when you receive the medal of honor or a high decoration. people are watching you. they are looking at you. you are setting an example for the rest of the people. it is an honor to where it. you have to walk a straight line. you have got to walk a straight line. if you warn inspiration to a younger generation -- i was telling someone, we left for birmingham with a lot of students. a lot of students don't even know what the medal of honor is, what it represents. to have that knowledge, please give them a little push and a little education. if this nation does not honor its heroes, we're doomed. >> is a great honor. the secretary of the navy was putting it around my neck and i was looking at my mom and dad with tears and i made them proud. to me, that was the highest moment because i made them proud. 5'10" through -- i put them through hell. my mother had worn out three pairs of stockings on the kneeler from praying. i wore this my entire time. those great marines and phenomenal corpsman i saw on the field of battle. i never used it for my own benefit. i never used it to get my orders change or get a job. i would be naive to believe that this did not help me with outside because some general thought i wanted the medal of honor. like general walton wanted me to be his aid. because barney barnum has the medal of honor. it is not just cap than, major barnum. it is barnum with a medal. people are looking for. i had a recruiting training italian. in two crew years, i trained 12,000 -- i had a recruiting training batalian. in two years, i trained 12,000 civilians. they knew i was there because cigars with seller. they emulated me because they respected me. they wanted to be like me. that is awesome. the troops look up to. as general chapman says, marines do things that they are supposed to do and don't do things that they are not supposed to do. i followed general chapman's edict and i did what i was supposed to be because i was leading by example. [applause] >> this is for both of you. you have addressed this to a certain extent. what effect the upbringing by your parents, your church, hunting, fishing growing up, how much help you become what you became? >> dictate in the center -- it gave me the standards to live by. even today a little bit more because there has been a change in my life because of the medal of honor. it is the way you live. the hardship that i had in my youth, that also helps you to do things. not joking, i spent a lot of time eating rabbit and squirrel, right? i learned to hunt when i was a small kid because it was necessary. i have the foresight just to do the right thing. most of all, it helped me develop the character i needed to go through life and i still use the same tools for that. >> i concur. let me segue the answer to this into my closing remark. my parents, my scoutmaster, my priests, my coaches, they helped me build the foundation of life. upon that foundation, i have been building walls. college, marine corps career. a grandpa and putting a roof of the house. but the roof on the house would fall down if i did not have a strong foundation, ok? you all are climbing a ladder of life. because you are into college, you're up on about rung five or six. i encourage you and charge you to set your goals high, way high, and always reach out to get those goals as you continue to climb that ladder of life. never say it is too hard. never say, i can't. four god's sake, take the word failure out of your vocabulary. if there is anything you want to accomplish and you can't, you put your mind to it. there is no free lunch out there. you have got to work for what you get. in the greatest country of the world, if you work hard, you will get it. if you're going to be a bear, be a grizzly bear. think about those things that we said. we are sharing them with you because we experienced it. we want you to have a great life, living in the greatest country in the world. we have had a great life. have there been challenges? hell, yeah. but look at us. [laughter] [applause] >> i want to make one more comment. an example about leadership. after i received the medal of honor, my radio operator from cambodia found me after 45 years. my interpreter. he was getting everyone together. they admired me and they still do today. i carry pictures in my wallet. the troops give you the respect you never thought you had. after 45 years, i am on the telephone with my 400 troops. that is part of leadership. i cared for them. that is what it is all about. [applause] >> joint chiefs of staff's chair general martin dempsey speaks at the annual servicemember gala. meeting onlic government information gathering and privacy rights. next "washington journal ," terry jeffrey discusses how republican leaders in congress should handle major policy issues including immigration and the affordable care act. of the progressive change committee outlines the upcoming progressive agenda in the upcoming congress. managermarine corps talks about president obama's deployment of marine corps. you can join the conversation on facebook and twitter. 7:00ngton journal, live at a.m. on c-span. during a speech in brisbane, australia president obama gave a speech about sharing ties. he also spoke about china and the recent bilateral agreement on climate change and advancing human rights. here is a portion. states willd continue to pursue a constructive relationship with china. by virtue of its size and remarkable growth, china will inevitably play a critical role in the future of this region and the question is what kind of role will it play. i just came from beijing. as i said there, the united states welcomes the continuing rise of a china that is peaceful, prosperous and plays a responsible role in world affairs. it is a remarkable achievement that millions of people have been lifted out of poverty in china because of the extraordinary growth rate they have experience. welcome that development. , in fact, china is pulling actorle of a responsible that is peaceful in this region it is good for the world and the united states. so we will pursue cooperation with china where our interests overlap. investment, more communication between militaries to prevent misunderstandings. travel and exchanges between our people and more cooperation on global challenges from ebola to climate change. engagement we are toouraging china to adhere the same rules as other nations whether in trade or on the seas. in this engagement we will continue to be frank about where there are differences. america will continue to stand up for our principles and unwavering support for the rights of all people. benefit from a relationship with china or any other country where we put our values aside. for the young people here, practicality is a good thing. there are times where compromise is necessary. that is part of wisdom. onis also important to hang to what you believe, to know what you believe and be willing to stand up for it. see the entire speech by the president in brisbane australia tomorrow night on c-span. joint chiefs of staff chair general martin dempsey was the main speaker at this year's uso servicemember awards gala are in washington. remarks followed a rendition of an irish song he and other members of the joint chiefs honored individual soldiers in each branch of the military. united service organization was founded in 1941 and is a private group providing programs in the u.s. and around the world for american troops and their families. actress and comedian aisha tyler was the master of ceremonies and this is about one hour. >> senior military leaders have a time-honored tradition of partnering with the uso to ensure that our troops receive the support and the services they need. these relationships allow the uso to be part of the attorneys our troops and families take. i'm incredibly honored to introduce our next guest, a man of true courage, honor and integrity, a hero who has served in the united states army for nearly 40 years and currently serves as the 18th chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and apparently knows the lyrics to all of kellie pickler's songs. [laughter] ladies and gentlemen and gentlemen, please welcome general martin dempsey. [laughter] [applause] >> thanks very much. i would like to begin by saying i do not know the words to "red high heels." i don't know where she went but i cannot believe she said that. [laughter] by the way, how hard is it to follow kellie pickler? in terms of someone who demonstrates heart and passion and patriotism and compassion and commitment. -- she is all those things i don't know where you are, kelly, are you back at the table? i don't see her there but how about we give her a round of applause. she might hear him back. [applause] -- hear it in back. deenie and i are honored to be back. i mentioned this the last three years that when we put our calendar together for the year, there's just a handful of things we put on the calendar and we don't let anybody knock them off and this is one and it's because it is important. it's important for the soul of the force my compliments to the uso in our congratulations to jd and christine for becoming the leaders of this incredible organization and you can count on us to be among your biggest fans not only while we served but long after. thanks for that. aisha said she thought the commandant of the marine corps had the coolest name -- frank grass, you might be at the other end of that. [laughter] grass? i love you, man but -- anyway -- [laughter] every year i throw somebody under the bus and this year it happens to be you. [laughter] over the last week -- one of the things that continues to surprise me is the way emotions kind of wash over you as the chairman and i'm sure the service chiefs feel the same yeah, it was unbelievable. one of the things we did is we took a cruise down the hudson river and it had been raining during the day but the rain kind of blue off -- blew out the bad weather and what we ended up with was an unbelievably crystal-clear fall night on this cruise, we saw the freedom tower in new york city and we all got some memories of that. all of a sudden, they announced come out on deck because we are about to approach the statue of liberty. we walked out on deck as a group. you can probably do the math so you know it's my 40th anniversary -- 40th reunion come you can probably tell how old we are but we walked out on deck and i'm not kidding you -- the size and the magnitude and the majesty and the beauty of the statue of liberty was just -- it was awe-inspiring. when you think about what it stands for -- honestly, for a bunch of us who were just telling lies to he cut -- each other all week about who we were and what we hoped to be, -- you kind of remember who we are. when you think about what it stands for -- honestly, for a it was one of those moments so that was on saturday night and today, i went to the passage of command for the united states marine corps where the 35th commandant, jim amos, past command to the 36th commandant, joe dunford and i will tell you what, i am proud to be a member of the united states army but i also have the shoot bid -- the privilege of eating chairman of the joint chiefs. the chairman of the joint chiefs. if you could see the pride with which those young men and women stood tall and passed in review and were there for this ceremony honoring their outgoing commandant and their new commandant, it just made you want to stand taller and straighter. it's hard to stand straighter at least at my age. but the point is, the pride of the young men and women who served is absolutely inspiring. that is why, jd and all of you who served with the uso, that's why you do what you do because you want to match their pride with your commitment. it was just unbelievable. it was just unbelievable. here i am again tonight so this is the trifecta for me. one week, three events where you can feel good not only about the military but about the country. now you can. let's give the country around of pplause. [applause] i already mentioned jd and christine and we want to welcome you -- by the way, there is nothing on this teleprompter. everybody else had something on he teleprompter. anyway but jd and christine, welcome aboard as we say, terrific. i also want to mention my teammates, the joint chiefs. some of them are here tonight and i saw ray odierno and john and some of the vices and the commandant of the marine corps, the the guy with the cool name and frank, the not so cool man guy. i could not be, honestly, i could not be prouder to be part of that team, the joint chiefs of staff. we've got a lot going on in case ou have not noticed. [laughter] if i had had this conversation with you and with them what, four months ago, we would not be talking about insecurity in europe or this thing called isil and we would not be talking about ebola and here we are. by the way, the joint chiefs and the men and women who serve, we will figure it out. we will figure out what the country needs us to do and we will do it. we will do it well and we are going to keep the country safe -- [applause] even while we are sitting here tonight, besides the young men and women employed on missions we already know about, we've got people packing their bags to go to europe to reassure our allies or go to iraq or kuwait to make sure that this threat of isil oes not continue to expand and to go to places like senegal and liberia to make sure that this disease is contained and therefore does not become a threat to the homeland. that is what they do. the uso, i hope you did not think we would put you out of work. we are not going to put you out of work. you will have some work to do and we are proud to be partners with you in doing it. i also want to make a special mention tonight to a couple that happened to be here with us and to get, i think i'm a far less credit than they deserve or what they have done for their country and that's lloyd and charlene austin who happen to be sitting t our table tonight. if you value humility as a character trait, there is not many people i know better as humble as lloyd and charlene austin. when you think about the portfolio we have given him and the men and women who served with him, it's quite remarkable. he's got really big shoulders but it's even remarkable that even he can bear the weight of what we have asked him to do. join me in a round of applause or lloyd and charlene. [applause] i already talked about kellie pickler. what an incredible person and kyl her husband. so she is an extraordinarily successful and talented country-western singer and on a whim says maybe i will try that "dancing with the stars" thing and i'm glad she does not want to give a shot to being the chairman. i'm not sure i could fight her off. she is little, very little, but she is mean as a snake. [laughter] that i want to mention one other person and i actually -- i try to mention this person every year. some of you have been here for these events in the past. i apologize for being repetitive but marilou austin -- where is she? let me tell you -- i don't know where she is i may get her to stand up and if somebody can find her with a spotlight -- marilou -- where is she? tand up. [applause] you are standing, i'm sorry. some of you heard the story but when i was a second lieutenant on the way to germany, it was january, 1975, i was lost. this is before sponsorship was a big deal. they kind of gave you a ticket to go to a place you could not pronounce. i got off of the aircraft and i went to where we all go when you're not exactly sure where to go. i went to the uso. ary lou was there. she steered me in the right direction and i told this story three years ago -- she came up to me after and said " it was me." i thought that was cool so every year now, here you are. she is down in atlanta now but here's the rest of the story -- last year mike son was redeploying from afghanistan through atlanta. guess who he met? arilou austin. last thing i want to say before i bow off the stage and we will get the chiefs appear to recognize the wonderful young men and women who are honored here tonight is i want to mention -- the army on many tonight has a special connection to me. i don't even think he knows it. my son was class of 2000 from west point and had a best friend by the name of tom kennedy. om kennedy was killed just about two years ago now in afghanistan. n that incident, there was a suicide bomber with a suicide vest. among the folks who made the situation less catastrophic than it could have been was sergeant andrew mahoney who happens to be the army nominee tonight.. he actually tackled a couple of the members of the team that were there and prevented them from being killed in that ncident. that is who we are, right? i never met him but i will meet him here in a moment. we've got a connection that i did not even know we had until i read the bio. here's the deal, people say to me what's it like to be chairman right now? t's hard to describe actually. it's probably hard for all of us to describe what it's like to be serving just now when we are. but i did find this little irish ditty. can i get a drink of water before i try to bang out this irish tune? can somebody hand me a drink of water? somebody back there has got to e listening. by the way, this is the guy that put me in this position. i will never forgive you for this. thanks, sir, george casey, 36 chief of staff of the united states army. i found this little -- it will shock you when i tell you it is an irish ditty but it is a little story about a brick layer. he was a brick layer and he was actually writing to his boss to explain why he was not at work on this particular day. it's called " the sick note." i would describe it as analogous to what it's like to be serving at this level at this particular point in time. here's how it goes -- sir, i write this note to you to tell you of me plight and at the time of writing, i am not a pretty sight my body is all black and blue me face a deathly gray i write this note to say why patty is not at work today while working on the 14th floor, some bricks i had to clear now to throw them down from such a height was not a good idea the foreman was not very pleased he being an awkward sod. he said i would have to carry them down on the letter with me hod. clearing all the bricks by hand, it was so very slow so i hoisted up a barrel and secured the rope below but inme hasted to do the job, i was too blind to see that a barrel full of building bricks was heavier than me o when i did untie the rope, the barrel felt like lead and clinging tightly to the rope, i started up instead while i shot up like a rocket to my dismay i found that halfway up i met the bloody barrel coming down the barrel broke me shoulder as to the ground it sped and when i reached the top, i banged the pulley with my head but i clung on tight through phnom penh shock from this almighty blow and the barrel still don't have to bricks 14 floors below now when these bricks have fallen from the barrel to the floor i then outweighed the barrel and so started down once more still clinging tightly to the rope, i sped back towards the ground and i landed on the broken bricks that were spread and scattered around while i laid there groaning on the floor, i thought i had passed the worst when the barrel at the pulley wheel, and then the bottom burst a shower of bricks rained down on me i had not got a hope as i lay there moaning on the ground i let go the bloody rope the barrel then being heavier, it started down once more and landed right across me as i lay across the floor well it broke three ribs and my left arm and i can only say that i hope you'll understand p whyaddy's not at work today. [applause] thanks. on behalf of the joint chiefs, let me tell you how proud we are to be part of this ceremony tonight and how proud we are of the men and women who serve and serving our country side-by-side with the uso. god bless you all, thank you. [applause] >> i don't think i have enjoyed anything more than watching the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff singh and irish ditty a cappella. it was incredible. we have to get some kind of celebrity idol going on. kelly come come out and coach you. by the way, this is for irish eople, no? that's why all the drinking, k? they will tell you that was rue. to help recognize this year's uso service members of the year, please welcome back to the states, dr. crouch, general meyer, and general dempsey. and assisting us with the award presentation this evening is the daughter of a retired u.s. army major and miss district of columbia, teresa davis, a proud military brat. she dedicated saluting the military and their families. each year, we come together to celebrate, honor, and recognize a servicemember from each branch of the military for their outstanding and heroic actions. our first presenter is a graduate of the united states military academy and served key operational leadership posts in europe, the middle east and the united states. to present the 2014 u.s. soldier f the year award in the please welcome the army chief of staff general raymond brodeur now -- general raymond oh dear no -- odierno. >> thank you very much. general dempsey was a 37 chief of staff and i am the 38. like all things, talent skips a generation. so as we pick the next chief, we will be conducting singing auditions before we decide who the chief will be. general dempsey has volunteered to be one of those who graze the audition. -- who graze the audition. i want to thank everyone at the uso for this incredible evening and for what you do. everyone of us who wear uniform have our own uso story. we can all set up. and tell a great story of how it impacted us or one of our family members or one of our soldiers. i want to thank everyone for that tonight. i also have the honor tonight of presenting the soldier of the year. we often talk -- as i go around, i say that the army, the strength of the army is our oldiers. onight's awardee, sergeant mahoney, is incredibly representative of that. we often talk about courage, competence, commitment, and character and he represents all of those incredible things. we are very, very proud of him as he represents the army this evening. our honorees are accompanied by family and friends tonight while we recognize these extraordinary service members, we also want to recognize the family members and friends of our honorees. n so many ways, our family and riends served with us. it's obvious to me that sergeant mahoney has a close and loving family supporting him. he is joined tonight by his wife melanie, his parents lori and james, his siblings travis, trevor, and sarah and his sister-in-law christie and brother-in-law ray. i want to thank all of you for supporting andrew. thank you so much. [applause] on the morning of august 8, 2012, sergeant andrew j mahoney help to tackle a suicide bomber near the provincial governor's compound in afghanistan. he saved the lives of 24 eople. including the fourth brigade combat team fourth infantry division's commander at the time, colonel now brigadier general james mingus. ever vigilant as the team was proceeding on foot from the forward operating days to its destination when it reached a narrow bridge. sergeant mahoney noticed the individual and identified abnormal bulge under his shirt. as sergeant mahoney and captain grover tackle the bomber, the assailant detonated his best wanting both soldiers. captain grover suffered wounds to his left leg and sergeant mahoney suffered a severe soft tissue wound to his left forearm and trap the ones to his right shoulder and leg. for his exceptional gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty, sergeant mahoney receives the silver tar. ladies and gentlemen, it's my distinct honor to present to you the 2014 u.s. oh soldier of the year, sergeant andrew mahoney. >> we are honored to have a sensible alumnus and naval aviator here to present the uso marine of the year award. please welcome marine corps deputy commandant of programs and services, lieutenant general aters. >> thank you so much. unfortunately, the marine of the year could not be with us tonight as he is currently attending officers candidate school. however, you have to do what you ave to do. several members of his family are here on his behalf and i would like to take a moment to recognize them. his wife jody who is expecting their first child in december -- speaking to her backstage, she says she is due on the fifth. her husband is not ready to deploy until the 12th. schedule dependent. the teleprompter notwithstanding, i will make a shameless plug and i did the math and i think and 2032, we will have another recruit. i would like to recognize his father-in-law, john and his mother-in-law celeste, his aunt and his uncle, atherine and don keller. ergeant matthew melici is an osprey crew chief and defended his aircraft and the crew during an approach of a reconnaissance rated to a heavily defended enemy landing zone. his actions warranted the presentation of the distinguished service for his heroism and on june, 2012, he was serving as an aircraft gunner to death delivery suppressive gunfire while approaching the landing zone. this allowed the raid force chooses some part -- disembark the aircraft and engage the enemy. despite serious damage to the control system and gunfire, he kept the aircraft commander and crew appraisal the situation. the california native maintained his poise while returning to the area to support the withdrawal of the raid force enabling the successful completion of the mission. his superb airman to inspired courage and loyal devotion reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the marine corps and united states naval service bradleys and gentlemen, i'm honored to present the 2014 u.s. oh marine of the year to sergeant matthew e, belleci. >> accepting on behalf of the sergeant is his wife jody. >> this is an extra barry knight. i feel like cuba gooding junior in "jerry maguire" you all are going to make me cry. a native of butler, pennsylvania, this admiral has served at every level of command in honolulu seven fleet to u.s. fleet forces command and now chief of naval operations. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the 30th chief of naval operations, admiral jonathan greeneert. >> thank you very much. thank you, i as my fellow service chiefs are honored to be here tonight. i would like to extend a special welcome to the friends and family of our recipient, officer cromer. this is a family affair as well. his wife laura and his parents gary and marie are here. laura's parents,marita and richard are here. , he's got them all here tonight everybody gets along, it's a wonderful thing. i thank you all for coming out to support troy. before we present the award, i would also like to thank the uso for their longtime support as marty has said and ray said, we all have a story, good story about the uso of what they have done for ourselves and our shipmates and those of us who are serving. we are here to recognize brave and committed teammates who epitomized the selfless service that defines our military today. courageous and committed force continues to provide our united states with an advantage, and asymmetric advantage unmatched by any nation. officer first class troy cromer's job is in explosive ordnance disposal -- he is a one-person bomb squad. he distanced himself on numerous occasions. this is pretty amazing -- during a 2013 deployment to afghanistan where he was serving with a navy seal team 10. on a foot patrol, the petty officer's platoon encountered intense emmet -- enemy fire and were forced to withdraw in an armored vehicle. after leaving the patrol, and getting away from the ambush, troy is covered a remote-controlled improvised explosive device that was placed between the vehicles. you all know improvised explosive device is a homemade omb. while directing fire against the enemy and getting her buddy out, he discerned the ied and allowed the platoon to save the department area. on a separate mission, petty officer cromer led for special operations vehicle through an area littered with ied's and disabled three of them and insured once again their safe passage. on another occasion, he located and destroyed about 1/4 mile long tunnel underground cave system that had been used to store a bunch of weapons and explosives and got rid of that. two other separate occasions in other instances, his quick actions and bravery helped save the lives of at least five wounded afghan soldiers, those who are serving with him. petty officercromer has received the army commendation medal and the navy and marine corps achievement medal with a combat v and action ribbon. you might think that's pretty extraordinary, there is more. after a couple sheet all of that, most of us would have gone to duty and be completed and go home. this sailor, while he was off duty, rescued a mother and her 18-month-old daughter from a burning apartment. in his free time -- he dedicates a lot of time, countless hours to the make-a-wish foundation. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome a really handsome looking guy, by the way, but he's taken -- the 2014 sailor of the year, petty officer first class troy cromer. >> our next presenter is a native of washington, d.c. and also the first air force officer to serve as assistant chief of staff on the white house military office. to present the 2014 uso airman of the year award, please look him vice chief of staff of the united states air force, general arry o. spencer. >> good evening, everyone. you may have noticed a little ruckus in the back because i demanded equal time with the chairman. you can tell obviously i am not from irish ancestry. but i actually wrote a rap song. however, because he said it's getting late, i have to wait until next year. sorry, chairman. >> after party. >> ok, after party. i am honored to represent general mark welch this evening. his family and friends are here this evening. joining senior airman john c hamilton in the audience tonight are his wife andrea, his mother sabrina, stepfather paul, father mark, and stepmother teresa. [applause] lieutenant colonel mason doolan and his wife are here to support airmen hamilton. [applause] lieutenant colonel dollan was a special tactical squadron commander and had the foresight to nominate john for this award to thank you. both of you represent the values of honor and integrity we hold so dear. senior airman john c hamilton, a parrot rescue men, distinctions up when he displayed remarkable courage and critical life-saving medical skills during an august 14, 2013 firefight in afghanistan. senior airman hamilton acted as a rescue and battlefield trauma specialist for an elite army special forces team during 13 high risk combat missions in afghanistan. while assaulting a knownhakani network sanctuary, they were pinned down by heavy fire and his bravery and medical expertise help save the life of a wounded comrade during the four-hour firefight and that proved decisive in preventing his small unit from being overrun. senior airmen hamilton who enlisted in the air force in 2009, had been assigned to the 23rd special tactics squadron since 2012 and hold combat diver, freefall, and static line qualifications and is nationally certified paramedic. his dedicated service earned him and air force chief and metal and is a compass must reflect great credit upon himself and the united states air force. ladies and gentlemen, i am pleased to present the 2014 u.s. so air men of the year, senior airman john c hamilton. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> our next presenter leads the largest component of the department of homeland security. to present the award for the 2014 uso coast guardsmen of the year, please welcome the 25th commandant of the coast guard, admiral paul s. zuchoonst. >> all right, you have heard it from a-z. aisha, i'm not sure which is more difficult your name or my. i have the not cool name. my last name means future and the future of the coast guard is very bright. [applause]
u.s. warplanes hammered the forces of isis in iraq today, opening an offensive that the pentagon hopes will be a breakthrough against the islamic extremists occupying much of syria and iraq. iraqi kurdish troops, backed by 36 american airstrikes, moved to retake the town of sinjar, and they cut a highway used by isis to carry supplies from raqqa, its stronghold in syria, to mosul, the largest city that isis holds in iraq with more than a million residents. charlie d'agata is with the kurdish peshmerga forces. >> reporter: the battle to reclaim sinjar began in the air. u.s. air strikes pounded suspected isis targets throughout the day. thick smoke hung over the city as isis fighters lit banks of tires to try to block the bombers' visibility. dug in on the mountainside, kurdish peshmerga forces searched for targets, passing the coordinates to u.s. advisers. this is one of the forward fighting positions where they're helping to pick targets for air strikes. soldiers here told us with aircraft overhead all the time, sometimes it's just five minutes from the moment they call it in, to the time it's delivered. kurdish fighters are so close to isis militants, they can hear their conversations on simple two-way radios. "there's an airplane in the air" the voice said. mtop, hide." sniper mazan maraq is watching. "they're inside houses," he told us. "they move from house to house. they're behind the rubble." maraq and his family fled sinjar when isis militants overran the city 15 months ago. tens of thousands were uprooted in the terror that followed as isis murdered, raped, and enslaved members of the yazidi sect. today, the 22-mile stretch of highway that kurdish forces took control of, breaks a key isis supply route from syria. but the fight is only starting. as the day wore on, kurdish soldiers spotted more isis militants on the move and scrambled into position. maraq says he hopes isis will be defeated and his family can return home. and when do you think you will liberate sinjar? "hopefully tonight," he said. this fight is going to go house to house, scott. and peshmerga soldiers told us they expect to face snipers, car bombs, and booby traps, not only roadside bombs, but inside buildings, as they push further into the city. >> pelley: charlie d'agata on the battlefield tonight. charlie, thank you. an ohio man accused of being an isis supporter was arrested today and charged with trying to recruit people to kill u.s. service members. jeff pegues is following this. jeff. >> reporter: scott, based on what investigators say terrance mcneil posted online, he was the type of troubled soul that they are concerned about, someone easily influenced by isis' social media propaganda. prosecutors say 25-year-old terrance mcneil, shown here in hospital scrubs, got the f.b.i.'s attention this year when he promoted what was essentially an isis hit list of members of the u.s. military. isis' so-called "hacking division" published the list, complete with photographs, names, and addresses. prosecutors say in late september, using his tumblr account, mcneil reblogged the list and tried to solicit others to kill the service members, "wherever you find them." his twitter account was suspended numerous times but he often opened another account using the words "lone wolf." scott, we reached out to his attorney for comment but we have not heard back. >> pelley: jeff, thank you. in an extraordinary move tonight, the secretary of defense has fired his top military adviser, a three-star general, over allegations of misconduct. ash carter fired lieutenant general ron lewis, who before his pentagon assignment, had been an attack helicopter pilot in iraq and afghanistan. carter did not spell out the allegations, but he said the defense department is investigating. today, the university of missouri appointed an african american as interim president. michael middleton takes over for tim wolfe, who resigned on monday after students protested that he was insensitive to racial complaints. as other campuses joined the protest today, police are now investigating a threat at howard university in washington, d.c., and here's anna werner. >> reporter: additional officers were sent to checkpoints into and out of howard university this afternoon after a threat to students was found on social media. this comes after a 19-year-old student at the university of missouri was arrested this week, charged with making charged with making terroristic threats after he posted online he was going to shoot black students on campus. tensions are rising on campuses across the country after the student protests led to the president's resignation at mizzou. hundreds of students gathered inday at syracuse and yale universities to stand in solidarity with those demonstrators. >> we stand with mizzou!! >> reporter: and just yesterday at ithaca college in upstate new york, students called for their school's president to step down due to a perceived lack of response to racial incidents. the department of education reports the number of racial complaints on college campuses has increased from 555 in 2009 to 939 last year. this video of racist chants by fraternity members of the university of oklahoma was widely reported last spring. but several students at yale told us the reason they're marching is what happens when there are no headlines. senior alicia ponce diaz. >> i definitely felt like there was no one to turn to, no one to talk to about it or nowhere to report it, which i think is one of the crucial problems that the university has. >> reporter: a young man arrested at the university of missouri for making those threats, scott, is facing up to seven years in prison. >> pelley: anna werner reporting. anna, thank you. the next democratic debate is saturday, and today, a new cbs news/"new york times" poll has hillary clinton far ahead of bernie sanders, 52% to 33%. nancy cordes is on the campaign trail. >> reporter: clinton's 19-point advantage only tells part of the story. she leads among democratic women by 28 points, among older democrats by 41 points, and 76% of democratic voters says clinton has the best chance of winning next november compared to 18% for sanders. >> thank you, senator sanders. >> reporter: he excels, though, with younger voters. sanders has a six-point lead among democrats under 45, even date in the race. oo >> reporter: clinton is seen as better equipped to handle an ional crisis and to deal with gun issues. sanders has a slight edge when it comes to closing the gap between the rich and the poor, but she's seen as strong on the economy as a whole. >> we have to have an economy that works for everybody again. >> reporter: which republican would be hardest to beat next november? it was no contest. 31% of democratic voters said businessman donald trump, and he clearly feels the same way. >> you'll be happy to hear that head to head, i beat hillary very easily. isn't that nice? ( cheers and applause ) >> reporter: democratic voters are also worried about marco rubio and ben carson but not nearly as worried as they are about trump. and, scott, our politics may be polarized but a full three- quarters of the democratic voters we spoke to said they want a candidate who will compromise with republicans in congress. >> pelley: nancy cordes tonight. nancy, thank you. john dickerson will moderate that democratic presidential debate on saturday night. that's at 9:00 pm, here on cbs. twitter is one of our partners for this debate, and so we invite you to tweet us your questions for the candidates using the hashtag #demdebate. donald trump's plan to deport 11 million illegal immigrants could never pass congress, according to the new republican speaker of the house. in an interview for "60 minutes," paul ryan said he couldn't imagine how that plan could ever happen. ryan told us that he's been in touch with the president often since he became speaker two weeks ago, and while he opposes mr. obama on many issues, they have found common ground. >> i think you can walk and chew gum at the same time. i think you can oppose the president on some issue that you fundamentally disagree with, but also work with the other party on issues you do agree with. that's what i've been doing. look, if we can find common ground, we can on highways, we will on funding the government. hopefully we can on tax policy. those are three things that will produce certainty in this country in the next few months. let's go do that. >> pelley: there was a time on capitol hill when the other guy had a bad idea. and now on capitol hill, the other guy's a bad guy. >> yeah, i think that's right. >> pelley: how do you heel that animosity? it's your job now? >> leadership by example is the way i look at it. i have friends on the other side of the aisle. i have shown we can negotiate and compromise without compromising principle, that people with different ideas aren't bad people. they just have different ideas. somewhere in this we got into impugning people's character and motives if we didn't like their ideas. we've got to get back to just debating ideas and not impugning people's motives and character. >> pelley: sunday on "60 minutes" speaker ryan will tell us how he'd like to change taxes and social security, and his wife, janet, explains why she didn't want him to take the job. there was an outbreak of laser strikes on aircraft across the country overnight. laser pointers, sold at sporting goods stores, were aimed at planes and helicopters in 16 cities. here's kris van cleave. >> the laser was pointed at the pilot. >> reporter: three new york city news choppers became the story last night as they were targeted by people on the ground with dangerously bright green lasers. the news crews directed new york police to the location of one of the incidents and two people were taken into custody. the f.a.a. says more than 20 aircraft were hit with lasers last night flying over cities from new york to california, michigan to kentucky. in dallas, three pilots reported laser sightings while on approach to land. last night is part of a record- setting surge of laser strikes on aircraft. as of the middle of october, pilots had reported more than 5,300 incidents. that's nearly a 40% increase over all of 2014. in los angeles, it's enough of a problem that the l.a. police department's air support division equips its 88 airborne officers with special protective glasses. >> it's incapacitating for a few moments. >> reporter: l.a.p.d. pilot kevin cook has been hit with a laser at night while flying low over the city. >> you want to turn away from the light source. except when it illuminates the helicopter you can't turn away from the light source. >> reporter: no one was injured in last night's incident. and no accidents have ever been attributed to a laser strike. scott, it is a crime to shine a laser at an airplane punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison. >> pelley: kris van cleave, kris, thanks. in utah tonight, a lesbian couple is fighting a judge's ruling to remove their foster baby. carter evans spoke with them. la reporter: beckie peirce and april hoagland have just five days to hold on to the baby girl they've nurtured for months. >> knowing that, that's what we've done and it's been taken away from us is heartbreaking. >> reporter: the couple is legally married in utah and plan to adopt the child. but tuesday, according to lawyers present in the courtroom for utah's child welfare agency, judge scott johansen ordered the couple to give up the baby for just one reason. >> he said he's seen studies that say children do worse in homosexual homes than in heterosexual homes. >> reporter: the judge wouldn't tell you what studies he was referring to. >> no, he told the lawyers to do their own research. >> reporter: hoagland and pierce say the judge also ignored employees from the baby's biological mother to grant them custody. they believe the judge, a bishop in the mormon church, is imposing his religious beliefs over the law. >> this is all about sexual orientation, not what is best for the child. >> he has no other grounds but that. >> reporter: child and family services say the couple passed rigorous background checks and state law is on their side, according to director brent platt. >> any legally married couple in utah can become licensed as foster parents, same-sex couples, heterosexual couples. it's very simple, very reraightforward. >> reporter: there's not much time. >> there's not much time at all. she's happy, she bonded and now you're going to take that away from us. she has to start over. >> reporter: the couple is appealing the judge's decision, and child and family services is l ill trying to determine if it's even legal. we wanted to speak directly with judge johanson but the court told us he is not permitted to talk about pending cases. >> pelley: carter evans in salt lake city. carter, thanks. did a mix-up by the maker of birth control pills lead to unwanted pregnancies? and a swarm of tornadoes leaves devastation when the "cbs evening news" continues. nce and. but the more you learn about your coverage, the more gaps you may find. 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[sfx: yeti noise] ♪ we are farmers bum - pa - dum, bum - bum - bum - bum ♪ take the zantac it challenge! pill works fast? zantac works in as little as 30 minutes. nexium can take 24 hours. when heartburn strikes, take zantac for faster relief than nexium or your money back. take the zantac it challenge. if you have high blood pressure many cold medicines may raise your blood pressure. that's why there's coricidin® hbp. it relieves cold symptoms without raising blood pressure. so look for powerful cold medicine with a heart. coricidin® hbp. the possibility of a flare swas almost always on my mind. thinking about what to avoid, where to go... and how to deal with my uc. to me, that was normal. until i talked to my doctor. she told me that humira helps people like me get uc under control and keep it under control when certain medications haven't worked well enough. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. raise your expectations. ask your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, control is possible. >> pelley: 113 women in 28 states claim that they got pregnant even though they were on birth control, and in a lawsuit, they blame drug makers for mixing up their pills. here's michelle miller. >> reporter: qualitest pharmaceuticals and two other companies recalled eight different kinds of oral contraceptives. more than three million packets, after discovering that the rose rows of pills inside the box were placed upside down. women who did not notice the mistake would have taken a placebo during the week they should have been taking a hormone, increasing their risk for conception. 41 states allow for women to sue for unwanted pregnancies. the case seeks millions of dollars in damages and in some cases, the costs of raising children born from these alleged unplanned pregnancies to adulthood. cindy pearson is the head of the national women's health network. >> generations of women have trusted that when they pick up their packet of pills at the pharmacy that it's going to be put together in the right way and when companies mess up, they need to do the right thing. >> reporter: pearson says winning will be tough. it's difficult to prove the women got pregnant because of the mistake. qualitest says the number of affected packets was small. of the 500,000 packs returned in the recall, only 53 were improperly packaged in the reverse order. in an e-mail to cbs news, the company says it has only been able to confirm the sale of one defective pill pack to a patient. and there have already been multiple settlements for this packaging defect, scott. se unpla to several of the women who tell us that those unplanned births were life altering. >> pelley: michelle miller, thanks, michelle. there was a surprise verdict today in the so-called aloodfellas" mob trial, and we'll have that next. does it make the short list? 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(children giggle) symbicort. breathe better starting within 5 minutes. call or go online to learn more about a free trial offer. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. >> pelley: winds are howling across the great lakes tonight. thousand have lost power. gusts topping 60 miles an hour hit lake michigan today. the system unleashed a swarm of tornadoes yesterday, at least 11 of them reported in iowa. monroe county was hit hard but there were no serious injuries. an aging mobster was found not guilty today of helping plan the 1978 lufthansa heist in new york. it was retold in the movie "goodfellas." 80-year old vincent asaro said he was shocked. prosecutors who had asaro's cousin as their prime witness were just as stunned. on his worst day, an army captain summoned his best, a story of heroism next. ♪song: "that's life" ♪song: "that's life" ♪song: "that's life" ♪song: "that's life" ♪song: "that's life"♪ that's life. you diet. you exercise. and if you still need help lowering your blood sugar... ...this is jardiance. along with diet and exercise, jardiance works around the clock to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. it works by helping your body to get rid of some of the sugar it doesn't need through urination. this can help you lower blood sugar and a1c. and although it's not for weight loss or lowering systolic blood pressure, jardiance could help with both. jardiance can cause serious side effects including dehydration. this may cause you to feel dizzy, faint or lightheaded, or weak upon standing. other side effects are genital yeast infections, urinary tract infections, changes in urination, kidney problems, and increased bad cholesterol. do not take jardiance if you are on dialysis or have severe kidney problems. stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of an allergic reaction. symptoms may include rash, swelling, and difficulty breathing or swallowing. taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you have any medical conditions. jardiance is free for one year for eligible patients. so talk to your doctor, and for details, visit jardiance.com. sup jj? 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>> overwhelming, confusing, not exciting. >> reporter: on august 8, 2012, in afghanistan, groberg was in charge of protecting his brigade commander and a couple other v.i.p.s as they made a short march to the provincial governor's compound. >> it's just one of those weird moments that you get in combat where as soon as you get on the ground, things just don't feel right. >> reporter: groberg would normally have been at the rear of a protective diamond around the v.i.p.s. this time, he went to the front. >> i wanted to see where we were walking. i wanted to have eyes on. >> reporter: groberg spotted a man coming toward them from the left. >> he's a threat, and my only thing in the world they have to do that's that specific moment is eliminate the threat, no matter what it takes. >> reporter: why don't you shoot him? >> you can't just start shooting anyone. didn't see a weapon on him. you know, i can't pick up my rifle and shoot him. >> reporter: so groberg, followed by sergeant andrew rihoney, rushed him. >> i dropped my rifle, grabbed him, and realized that at this point, he's got plates on his chest. >> reporter: a suicide bomber. groberg and mahoney threw him to the ground. >> when he blew up, his chest first blew up into the ground and took the impact, which is probably the reason why i'm here talking to you here today. >> reporter: and why so many other soldiers who were there were in the audience today. g t moments later, a second suicide bomber hiding inside a nearby building detonated his vest, and between them, the bombers killed four men, which made it the worst day of groberg's life. >> this medal, that i will be receiving, i'd-- i'd turn it right back in right now, say no thank you. bring my guys back right here. >> reporter: that's what it feels like to be a war hero. david martin, cbs news, washington. >> pelley: and that's the cbs evening news for tonight. for all of us at cbs news all around the world, good night. captioning sponsored by cbs they are after the wrong people. >> after neighbors complained a police crackout in the haight. tonight a first look at what police have taken off the streets. >> oakland's pitch to the nfl. what the mayor is saying tonight about the chances of keeping the raiders. >> and new at 6:00, they were in no hurry to get out. these burglars ransacked a house and stopped to raid the fridge. and cameras caught it all. people who live in work in the haight have been complaining about it for months. police are finally cracking down on transients and tonight, neighbors tell kpix 5's emily turner they are already seeing the difference. >> reporter: about a month and a half ago you couldn't want a block without walking over or around someone on the sidewalk. now it's completely cleared out and the folks who live and work here are pleased about it. but those who moved are not. so tonight there's a meeting to have a meeting of the minds between those two groups. >> reporter: this kind of thing used to be a common occurrence in the haight-ashbury corridor but recent police crackdowns have changed that tune. for the folks who live and work there, it's for the better. >> it's nicer and easier for to us clean and close up without having -- without knowing that, like, it's going to be dirty the next morning. >> reporter: police created an 11-person task force to curb crime among homeless and transients. they adopted a zero tolerance policy on crime even sitting on the sidewalk and the change is noticeable. in the months since it began police have arrested 20 people for selling drugs and recovered we
good evening. we start with a growing danger in the sky which threatened nearly two dozen flights last night alone across the country. the fbi is looking for potentially dozens of suspects who lit up planes and helicopters with potentially blinding laser pointers in at least 16 cities. one targeted the helicopter of our nbc station here in new york city which aimed its camera lens at the source catching the alleged culprit in the act. tom costello now with a rare pilot's view of this alarming threat from the ground. >> reporter: it happened 1500 feet over brooklyn. a bright green laser light suddenly lit up the nbc 4 helicopter cockpit. >> don't look, george. >> reporter: the reporter and his pilot nearly blinded as they hovered above the city. on the ground, a man who appeared to be targeting not only the nbc chopper but nypd chopper, too. >> we can see him standing outside the building in the back with the laser in his hand shooting at us. >> there's another arrest. >> reporter: police quickly moved in making at least one arrest. at the same time in dallas -- three aircraft were targeted near love field. faa reports last night alone more than 20 aircraft were struck by lasers nationwide, from upstate new york to detroit, cincinnati to salt lake, san juan, puerto rico to los angeles. a number of attacks is growing. as of mid october, more than 5,300 t number of ats growing. as of mid october, more than 5,30h number of atta is growing. as of mid october, more than 5,300 strikes this year compared to 3,900 last year. at u.s. park police headquarters today where the s.w.a.t. team practiced repelling, they showed how a green laser light can overtake a cockpit blinding the pilot. the biggest risk is from lasers that are five milawatts or more, the eye damage can be irreversible. >> as we are coming in for a landing, the whole pock pit illuminates in almost like a green haze. >> reporter: no suspect was identified. pointing a laser at a plane is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 fine. so far, at least 50 people have been convicted. their sentences ranging from probation to five years. the suspect in last night's case in new york pleading not guilty. bail set at $20,000. by the way, the fbi says it's typically a male in his teens or 20s who is behind this. they generally don't know what they're doing. but as you know, 5 milawatt lasers are illegal, but you can still buy them online. >> thank you. no one is immediately dismissing a claim by isis thought was behind twin terrorist bombings that killed 48 people in lebanon. coming two weeks after the suspected bombing of a russian jetliner over egypt possibly by isis operatives. today's attacks raising fears isis may be expanding its reach. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel has late details. >> reporter: the bomb exploded in the lebanese capital beirut with devastating effects. more than 40 dead, at least 200 injured. the explosions were at a shopping area with cafes in the southern neighborhood. it's also a strong hold of the shiia militia hezbollah. and hezbollah is fighting against isis in syria. so it surprised no one when isis claimed responsibility for this atrocity which lebanese officials say involved at least two suicide bombers and possibly two more. it means isis is now at war internationally, bombing those who are fighting the group wherever it can find them. >> isis is expanding. and today, tonight's attacks in beirut if really carried out by isis, this would reinforce its narrative at invincibility. >> reporter: u.s. officials suspect isis bombed the russian plane in egypt two weeks ago in response to air strikes by russian jets in syria. isis specifically called for attacks on russia just this morning in a new video. and now isis apparently brought carnage to lebanon to take revenge against hezbollah. there are other countries attacking isis, as well. including the united states. but there's little common ground on how to deal with the group. >> this internal religious civil war is broadening and getting more cruel and dangerous to all of us. >> reporter: lebanese officials warn the country may be entering a new phase of violence. in the past, similar bombings in lebanon were the work of al qaeda. now it could be isis. the group's target list seems to be widening. >> thanks. there is late word of another black eye for the u.s. secret service. an employee assigned to the white house has been arrested, accused of sending sexual messages to someone he thought was an underage girl. our justice correspondent pete williams is in our d.c. newsroom with details. what can you tell us? >> these charges were filed against a member of the secret service uniformed division. an officer assigned to check the i.d.s of people with appointments to visit the white house. prosecutors say the officer, 37-year-old lee robert moore of churchill, maryland, began sending sexually explicit text messages in august to someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl but who was actually an undercover police officer. in one message he said he was, quote, sitting at box office style booth checking i.d.s for entrance into a building. court documents say he sent a sexually explicit photo of himself. he was relieved of duty last week and put on leave. prosecutors say after he was arrested, he admitted sending some explicit messages while he was on duty at the white house. >> pete, thank you. a stunning verdict late today in the sensational trial of an aging mobster accused of playing a part in one of the most infamous heists in history, one that became the basis for the hollywood classic "goodfellas." after weeks of testimony revealed details about the heist we never knew until now. the jury says he's not guilty. rehema ellis has the courtroom drama. >> it looks like a big one. >> reporter: it was a heist so big, so bold they made a movie out of it. "goodfellas" told the tale of the daring 1978 heist at the lufthansa airline terminal at kennedy airport that netted $6 million in cash and jewels. it was then the biggest cash robbery in u.s. history. for almost 40 years, no one was ever convicted of the crime, and today that remains the case. late this afternoon, the man charged with helping to plan it, 80-year-old reputed mobster vincent asaro walked out of federal court in brooklyn a free man, not guilty of all charges, including racketeering and extortion. >> i'd like to thank my two lawyers. without them i wouldn't be here now. i'd like to thank u.s. marshal service for treating me great. >> reporter: it was a stunning defeat for the government and its star witness, asaro's own cousin who turned on him and wore a wire to gather evidence against asaro. today when asked about his cousin, asaro said -- >> you don't want to know. >> it's probably beyond mob betrayal. it's a blood betrayal. >> reporter: asaro had never been linked to the heist until his arrest last year. based on those secret recordings in which he complained he never got his fair share of the loot. little of the money was ever recovered, and tonight, still no justice almost four decades later. rehema ellis, nbc news, new york. turmoil at the university of missouri has now led to a major shift in power. days after the school's president resigned following protests over his handling of racial incidents, an african-american has been named as his interim replacement. as jacob rascon reports, the student movement is spreading far beyond that campus. >> reporter: it was time for new leadership at the university of missouri and they chose michael middleton. >> i completely understand the frustration of our students, faculty, staff and community. >> reporter: the former deputy chancellor, now the interim president. >> it is imperative that we hear all of our students and do everything we can to make them comfortable and safe. >> reporter: also today, 19-year-old hunter park faced his charges. >> we believe he is a danger. >> reporter: court documents revealing he admitted to having deep interest in an active shooter incident which left nine students dead, an apparent reference to last month's rampage at umpqua community college at oregon. at northwest missouri state university, police arrested another student for threats against blacks. and today the fbi began looking into threats against black students at howard university. but missouri has ignited a movement from ithaca college to yale. >> the presidents of universities are looking at now. it's reactionary when students have been trying to tell them to be proactive. but they haven't been paying attention. >> reporter: from virginia commonwealth to vanderbilt, university of iowa to the university of southern california. thousands are standing with mizzou. >> this shows the power that engaged students can have in creating change on their college campuses. >> reporter: the dean of students resigned at claremont mckenna college, as protesters demanded better treatment for hispanics. back in missouri, many see the interim president as a perfect fit, a former civil rights attorney and student activist who fought similar issues on the same campus 50 years ago. now he says it's time for missouri to step forward and be a leader. lester? >> jacob rascon, thanks. ben carson is facing new questions about his friendship with a convicted felon. carson has taken a hard line on health care fraud, yet as chris jansing explains, he fought to keep his friend from going to prison for that very same offense. >> reporter: ben carson calls alfonso costa his very best friend. he is a driving force behind carson's charity, owner of a resort where carson vacations, but also a convicted felon. working out of this office as an oral surgeon, costa pled guilty in 2008 scamming more than $40,000 from insurance companies. nbc spoke exclusively to the prosecutor today. >> he caused the insurance companies to finance the expansion of his business. >> reporter: as first reported by the associated press, in a bid for leniency, ben carson wrote a letter to the judge saying next to my wife of 32 years, there is no one on this planet i trust more. he testified at costa's sentencing. they became friends because our value systems were almost identical, adding, i love him. >> fraud is fraud. dr. costa pleaded guilty to fraud. >> reporter: costa avoided prison, getting three years of probation, including a year under house arrest in this mansion outside of pittsburgh. even that sentence was reduced by a year because of his work with carson's charity. but four years after carson appealed for leniency for his friend he argued the opposite for everyone else. calling for a saudi arabian solution for fraud, not advocating chopping off people's limbs, but stiff penalties. no less than ten years in prison and loss of all of one's personal possessions. costa and his lawyer declined comment. no comment from carson, arriving at a fund-raiser tonight. in a statement today said of costa, i know his heart. i am proud to call him my friend. i have always and will continue to stand by him. that is what real friends do. it's been a lucrative friendship. when ben carson filed papers to run for president, they show he and his wife earned between $200,000 and $2 million a year from his business association with costa. lester? >> chris jansing, thank you. there is new hope on the way for american women unable to conceive a child because they don't have a uterus or theirs is damaged. moving to a new frontier in modern medicine, the cleveland clinic will perform the first womb transplant in america. eight women are taking part in the screening process. such transplants have been done previously with donated uteruses on nine women in sweden. four successfully have given birth. a pastor's pregnant wife murdered. he says he came home from the gym to find her shot in the head. was it a home invasion that took a deadly turn? the video of a man who seems to be completely unaware that a train is coming right for him. we are back now with a murder mystery that shocked the city of indianapolis. a pregnant wife of a young pastor found shot in the head inside her home. her young son found unharmed. authorities believe it was a home invasion robbery. as nbc ron mott reports, a church and close community are left devastated. >> reporter: she was a young wife and mother settling into a new life in indianapolis with her pastor husband to start a new church. but on tuesday morning, police say 28-year-old amanda blackburn was shot in the head and later died, the victim of a home invasion and robbery. two weeks ago pastor davie blackburn posted this video to his blog. >> your wife is your best friend, someone you should be willing to lay your life down for. >> reporter: tuesday he discovered his wounded wife after coming home from a workout. >> we found an adult victim inside the home unconscious with head trauma. and she was transported to methodist hospital in critical condition. >> reporter: the couple have a toddler son who was home at the time and unharmed and amanda was pregnant with their second child. they moved to indianapolis from south carolina three years ago and founded resonate church who offers bible studies and blogs. amanda's killing rattled the neighborhood. police say there was a separate burglary hours before she was found. >> for something like that, such a brazen attack, they had a weapon and shot somebody, it makes you scared. you don't want to live in fear, but you can't be paralyzed by that. >> reporter: police released no further details. tonight there are no arrests. ron mott, nbc news, chicago. we are back in a moment with the birth control mix-up that more than 100 women found out about after it was too late. we are back with a big lawsuit over birth control. over 100 women are suing a drug company because they say a mix-up in the packaging of their test test. test. finally, before tonight, only nine living veterans of our nation's longest war received the medal of honor. that number rose to ten today in a moving ceremony at the white house. nbc's jim miklazewski has the harrowing tale of an american hero awarded the nation's highest military honor. >> reporter: it was three years ago first lieutenant florent groberg led his team on a deadly mission that changed their lives forever. >> always would be the worst day of my life. >> reporter: it was supposed to be a routine operation in afghanistan. he and his six-man security team guarding a group of high-ranking u.s. and afghan commanders. suddenly two men on motorcycles come speeding around a corner, a clear diversion. out of nowhere a third man walked backwards toward the formation. >> he's a threat and i can't shoot him because i can't see a weapon him. >> reporter: sergeant andrew mahoney and groberg knew instinctively this was a suicide bomber. >> he wasn't looking at us. >> reporter: the two americans rush the bomber pushing him away from the other americans. >> reporter: this was a walking bomb and both of you confronted him. >> i hit him, grabbed him, start pushing him and threw him. mahoney comes and pushes him down and then he just detonated at my feet. >> reporter: miraculously both survived the blast. three american soldiers and a foreign service officer were killed. groberg was seriously wounded. after three years of rehab and 33 surgeries, he's back on his feet. today a visibly emotional groberg was at the white house where he received the medal of honor from president obama. >> on his very worst day he managed to summon his very best. >> reporter: long after afghanistan, he still wears a bracelet with the four who died. >> we do the best we could as a team and it's combat. that's the reality of it. >> reporter: jim miklazewski, nbc news, the pentagon. >> that will do it for us on this thursday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. standoff in san francisco. newly released surveillance video shows the shooter at st. holdup in san bruno before a standoff in san francisco. newly released surveillance video shows the shooter at st. luke's hospital stealing the rifle he used to terrorize the mission district. what police say he said to that clerk explained why he ended at the top of a construction site. >> i'm raj mathai. step by step, crime by crime, police are piecing together this bizarre chain of events that unfolded last night during our 6:00 newscast. tonight there's new information. this is what we saw from our nbc chopper. police confronts the man who climbed atop that building and started shooting towards st. luke's hospital. it's right across the street there. about an hour before police say he stole that gun in san bruno. what does that surveillance video reveal? >> police say he entered holding what looked like a paper advertisement. but managers found out. surveillance video shows 25-year-old javier lopez garcia holding a handgun by his waist telling the manager of this big five sporting goods store in san bruno to hand over the shotgun. this same shotgun investigators say he pointed from a rooftop at st. luke's hospital and then at officers before he was shot and killed by police. >> it was strange because he
a deportation force to move out 11 million undocumented immigrants. but is that possible? we'll ask the head of u.s. customs and border protection. he's joining us. >> hello, i'm kate bolduan. >> i'm john berman. a key moment in the battle against isis. a major assault in northern iraq. u.s. coalition warplanes, providing cover in this new intense fight to reclaim a strategic city? >> this centers on the town of sinjar. kurdish soldiers are attacking isis there from three sides. nick paton walsh is near the front lines of this battle with more. >> reporter: the key fight for sinjar seems to be what you can't really see behind me along the main road known as route 47. now, that is vital because it heads from mosul in iraq, in that direction, to raqqa in syria, in that direction. the caliphate self-declared capital. we've been seeing intense air strikes in the past hours or so. a lot of coalition aircraft in the skies above. while everyone understands that sinjar, the need to retake it is deeply symbolic because of the brutality inflicted on isis, the enslavement, the captivity of women and even children at times when that town was overrun by isis last year, it's also a deeply strategic town because it sits on that main highway. now, we can't disclose our exact location because of the rules the peshmerga put on us for going with them, but this is a main road here. and we have seen that the peshmerga are now on it, quite clearly. it seems able to hold that particular position. in the far west on this town, presumably an isis position has been heavily hit recently. consistent explosions along the skyline here. sinjar itself, the subject it seems to be four plumes of thick, black smoke that haven't stopped. there was optimism this fight would take days, hours from some kurdish officials but at dawn when the operation began in earnest but that has looked up. they're slowed down by mines and isis who simply don't to want give up this road. back to you. >> nick paton walsh near the front lines of this battle that's going on as we speak. our viewers, you will remember this heart-wrenching scene from sinjar last year. this is when thousands of people that were living in and around the town, they ran for their lives as isis moved in. our correspondent ivan watson was aboard when the helicopters that went in and ended up flying out as many people they could fit on board. you see babies being handed on there. u.n. estimates 5,000 men and boys have been slaughtered by isis there and young girls and women sold into slavery. >> joining us now retired brigadier who returned from iraq yesterday. general, thank you for being with us. obviously, returning those people's homes to them is of serious importance. let's talk about the strategic value of sinjar. hopefully we can put up a map to show where it is. tell us why sinjar is important in the battle against isis, both in iraq and syria. >> as nick brought out, it really is a choke point between raqqa in syria and mosul to the east. the real objective for the iraqi security forces is mosul. retaking mosul in the near term has been an objective for them for quite some time. by taking sinjar you cut route 47, which makes it easier to take mosul because it cuts off the ability of isis to supply logistics, supply troops, supply ammunition from syria. >> general, as nick was saying, there was optimism this would take hours, just days to retake sinjar. when you look at the balance here in terms of the man power, some 7500 peshmerga soldiers on this fight against several hundred -- maybe 700, if you will, that's a slippery number, of isis fighters, but there are real challenges the peshmerga are up against in trying to take this town. what are the difficulties they have? >> when you go from fighting out in the open where american aircraft can provide so much support to fighting inside the city, those numerical differences are, in many ways, immaterial. fighting in urban terrain, going from house to house, where you can't use the american air support, where you can't use artillery, where you can't use mortars, gives the advantage to the defender. so, it may be a couple hundred against 7,000 but in my mind, isis could continue this fight for quite some time. >> you say this is a sort of stepping stone to mosul, which is the ultimate goal. i think a lot of times in the u.s. we lose sight of the fact that isis has occupied the second largest city in iraq for about 18 months now. and nothing has seemed to budge them in any way. do you think what you're seeing so far, and we're about 12 hours into this now, indicates that there is progress toward that ultimate goal of liberating that city? >> for sinjar, i believe that's going to take weeks. for mosul, i believe the iraqi security forces and peshmerga forces are going to need months before they're able to go into mosul and retake that from isis. it will not be a quick fight. >> not at all, not with them in that city and dug in for more than 18 months. general, thanks for being with us. appreciate it. >> thanks, general. coming up for us, a deportation force. that is what donald trump says he would use to enforce his immigration plan, which of course includes removing some 11 million undocumented immigrants in the united states right now. but could a trump administration or any administration for that matter pull that off? we'll ask the head of u.s. customs and border protection ahead. handcuffs, shackled, tasered multiple times while in police custody. graphic new video. a man's family demanding answers. plus, he tackled a suicide bomber. he saved countless lives. honestly, above and beyond the call of duty. at this hour, retired army captain receives the nation's highest military honor. at ally bank no branches equals great rates. it's a fact. kind of like mute buttons equal danger. ...that sound good? not being on this phone call sounds good. it's not muted. was that you jason? it was geoffrey! it was jason. it could've been brenda. oh no... (under his breath) hey man! hey peter. (unenthusiastic) oh... ha ha ha! joanne? is that you? it's me... you don't look a day over 70. am i right? jingle jingle. if you're peter pan, you stay young forever. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. ♪ you make me feel so young... it's what you do. ♪ you make me feel ♪ so spring has sprung. a little bit of a haze. he wasn't sure but he thought he was in germany. and someone was at his bedside, talking to him. and he thought it was the lead singer from the heavy metal band korn. flo thought, what's going on? am i hallucinating? but he wasn't. it was all real. and so today, flo, i want to assure you, you are not hallucinating. are you actually in the white house. those cameras are on. i am not the lead singer from korn. we are here to award you our nation's highest military honor distinction, the medal of honor. now, flo and i have actually met before. three years ago i was on one of my regular visits to walter reed to spend time with our wounded warriors and flo was one of them. we talks. turned out he likes the chicago bears, so i liked him right away. and i had a chance to meet his parents, who could not be more gracious and charming and you get a sense of where flo gets his character from. it is wonderful to see both of you again. i also want to welcome flo's girlfriend, carson, who apparently flo tells me he had to help paint an apartment with just the other day, so there's some honey-do lists going on. his many friends, fellow soldiers and family all of our distinguishes guests. a day after veterans day, we honor this american veteran, whose story, like so many of our vets and wounded warriors, speaks so much not just g gallantry but heroism at home. as a teenager up the road in bethesda, flo discovered he had an incredible gift. he could run. fast. half mile, mile, two miles, he'd leave his competition in the dust. he was among the best in the state and he went on to run track and cross country at the university of maryland. flo's college coach called him the consummate teammate. as good as he was in individual events, somehow he always found a little something extra when he was running on a relay with a team. distance running is really all about guts. as one teammate said, flo could suffer a little more than everyone else could. so, day after day, month after month, he pushed himself to his limit. he knew that every long run, every sprint, every interval could help shave a second or two off his times. and as he'd find out later be a few seconds can make all the difference. training, guts, teamwork, what made flo a great runner also made him a great soldier. in the army, flo again took his training seriously, hitting the books in the classroom, paying attention to every detail and field exercises because he knew that he had to be prepared for any scenario. he deployed to afghanistan twice. first as a platoon leader and then a couple years later when he was hand-picked to head up a security detail. so it was on an august day three years ago that flo found himself leading a group of american and african soldiers as they escorted their commanders to a meeting with local afghans. it was a journey that the team had done many times before. a short walk on foot, including passage over a narrow bridge. at first, they passed pedestrians, a few cars and bicycles, even some children, but then they began to approach the bridge. and a pair of motorcycles sped toward them from the other side. the afghan troops shouted at the bikers to stop, and they did, ditching their bikes in the middle of the bridge and running away. and that's when flo noticed something to his left. a man dressed in dark clothing walking backwards just some ten feet away. the man spun around and turned toward them. and that's when flo sprinted toward him. he pushed him away from the formation and as he did, he noticed an object under the man's clothing, a bomb. the motorcycles had been a diversion. and at that moment, flo did something extraordinary. he grabbed the bomber by his vest and kept pushing him away. and all those years of training, on the track, in the classroom, out in the field, all of it came together in those few seconds. he had the instincts and the courage to do what was needed. one of flo as comrades, sergeant andrew mahoney, had joined in, too. together they shoved the bomber again and again and they pushed him so hard, he fell to the ground onto his chest and then the bomb detonated. ball bearings, debris, dust exploded everywhere. flo was thrown some 15 or 20 feet and was knocked unconscious. moments later he woke up in the middle of the road in shock. his eardrum was blown out, his leg was broken and bleeding badly. still, he realized that if the enemy launched a secondary attack, he'd be a sitting duck. when a comrade found him in the smoke, flo had his pistol out, dragging his wounded body from the road. that blast by the bridge claimed four american heroes. four heroes flo wants us to remember today. one of his mentors, 24-year army vet who always found time for flo and any other soldier who wanted to talk. command sergeant major kevin griffin. a west pointer who loved hockey and became a role model to cadets and troops because he always cared more about other people than himself. major tom kennedy. a popular air force leader known for smiling with his whole face, someone who always seemed to run into a friend wherever he went, major david gray. and finally, a usaid foreign service officer who had just volunteered for a second tour in afghanistan, a man who moved to the united states from egypt and revelled in everything american, whether it was disneyland or chain restaurants or roadside pie, ragaei abdelfattah. these four men believed in america. they dedicated their lives to our country. they died serving it. their families, loving wives and children, parents and siblings, bear that sacrifice most of all. so, while ragaei's family could not be with us today, i'd ask three gold star families to please stand and accept our deepest thanks. [ applause ] today we honor flo because his actions prevented an even greater catastrophe. you see, by pushing the bomber away from the formation, the explosion occurred farther from our forces and on the ground instead of in the open air. while flo didn't know it at the time, that explosion also caused a second unseen bomb to detonate before it was in place. had both bombs gone off as planned, who knows how many could have been killed. those are the lives flo helped to save. we are honored many of them are here today. brigadier general james mingus, sergeant andrew mahoney who was awarded a silver star for joining flo in confronting the attacker, sergeant first class brian brink who was honored silver star for valor for pulling flo from the road, sergeant baldarama who helped save flo's leg, private first class sergeant eric ochart who also served with distinction on that day. gentlemen, i'd ask you to please stand and accept the thanks of a grateful nation as well. [ applause ] >> at walter reed, flo began his next mission. the mission to recover. he suffered significant nerve damage and almost half of the calf muscle in his left leg had been blown off, so the leg that had powered him around that track, the leg that moved so swiftly to counter the bomber, that leg had been through hell and back. thanks to 33 surgeries and some of the finest medical treatment a person can ask for, flo kept that leg. he's not running, but he's doing a lot of cross-fit. i would not challenge him to cross-fit. he's putting some hurt on some rowing machines and some stair climbers. i think it is fair to say, he is fit. today flo is medically retired, but like so many of his fellow veterans of our 9/11 generation, flo continues to serve. as i said yesterday at arlington, that's what our veterans do. they are incredibly highly skilled, dynamic leaders, always looking to write that next chapter of service to america. for flo that means civilian job with the department of defense to help take care of our troops and keep our military strong. and every day that he is serving, he will be wearing a bracelet on his wrist, as he is today, a bracelet that bears the names of his brothers in arms who gave their lives that day. the truth is, flo says that day was the worst day of his life and that is the stark reality behind these medal of honor ceremonies. for all the valor we celebrate, all the courage that inspires us, these actions were demanded amidsome of the most dreadful moments of war. that's precisely why we honor heroes like flo. because on his very worst day, he managed to summon his very best. that's the nature of courage. not being unafraid, but confronting fear and danger and performing in a selfless fashion. he showed his guts, he showed his training, how he would put it all on his line for his teammates. that's an american we can all be grateful for. that's why we honor captain florent groberg today. we are free because of them. may god bless their families and may god continue to bless the united states of america with heroes such as these. >> the president of the united states of america authorized by act of congress march 3, 1863 has awarded in the name of congress the medal of honor to captain florenta. groberg, he acts of gallantry above and beyond the call of security while serving as personal detachment commander, 4th infantry brigade team, 4th infantry division in afghanistan on august 8, 012. on that day captain groberg was leading a dismounted movement to include two brigade commanders, who battalion commanders and an afghanistan national army brigade commander. as they approached governor's compound, captain groberg observed an individual walking close to the formation. while the individual made an abrupt turn turn toward the formation, he noticed a bulk under his clothes. he rushed forward using his body to push the man away from the formation. at this time, captain groberg confirmed the bulg was a suicide vest and captain groberg with the assistance of the other member of the security detail physically pushed the suicide bomber away from the formation. upon following the suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest outside the perimeter of the formation, killing four members of the formation and wounding numerous others. the blast from the first suicide bomb caused the suicide vest of a previously unnoticed second suicide bomber to detonate prematurely with minimal impact on the formation. captain groberg's immediate actions to push the first bomber away from the mother mags, significantly minimized the attack of the formation, saving lives of his comrades and several senior leaders. captain groberg's heroism and selflessness, above and beyond the call of duty on keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, 4th infantry brigade, 4 infantry division and the united states army. [ applause ] >> let us pray. may the example of all the soldiers we remember today serve who inspire us to defeat all the enemies we face. may the acts of virtue we remember give us the courage to hold onto what is good, strengthen the faint-hearted, support the weak and help those who suffer. may we the living bring honor to those who have perished so that others may live in peace. grant your blessing, remain upon us and be with us always. amen. >> that concludes the formal portion of this ceremony. i need to take some pictures with the outstanding team members as well as the gold star families who are here today as flo reminds us this medal, in his words, honors them as much as any honors that are bestowed upon him. and on veterans day week that's particularly appropriate. i want to thank all of our service members who are here today, all who could not attend, and i hope you enjoy an outstanding reception. i hear the food is pretty good here. thank you very much, everybody. give captain groberg a big round of applause again. >> one of the most poignant images you will see. captain florent groberg, retired army captain, choking back tears as he's awarded the military's highest distinction, the medal of honor for tackling a would-be bomber in afghanistan in 2012, saving the lives of countless people. this captain, this hero, insisted, asked the president to remember those who did die that day and also remember the others who acted so bravely that day. these are always poignant ceremonies but this was particularly touching. >> couldn't agree with you more. he has a remarkable story. and it is a remarkable day to watch him have this honor bestowed to him from the president. as the president said, a captain groberg said this was the worst day of his life. and the president well noted that on the very worst day of his life, he summoned his best and he is a hero. something we can all agree we're very proud to call a true american hero. an amazing day. a wonderful, wonderful ceremony to watch. >> he said, we are free because of people like him. some other news now. this morning a huge wall, a deportation force to help move 11 million people out of this country, two big immigration ideas from the front-run neither republican race for president, donald trump. he is taking a lot of criticism from his rivals but he's not backing down. >> you're going to have a deportation force and you're going to do it humanely and bring the country and, frankly, the people -- because have you some excellent, wonderful people. some fantastic people that have been here for a long period of time. don't forget, mika, that you have millions of people waiting online to come into this country and they're waiting to come in legally. >> a deportation force. is that feasible? how would that work? let's ask a man who would know, commissioner gil kerlikowske. thank you for being with us today. a huge topic in the debate was immigration and this is very important now in politics and far beyond. a deportation force. you, your agency, would necessarily have to be part of an operation like this. is it possible? >> well, kate, before i answer that, i have to tell you, as a veteran, having had the privilege to just watch that medal of honor ceremony, that's one of the most moving ceremonies and i really applaud you, cnn, for doing that. >> thank you. >> we have 60,000 employees in customs and border protection. we are accountable to the public. our borders are safer now than they have ever been. we have had fewer apprehensions in this last fiscal year than over many decades, so things have improved dramatically. i have often been asked questions about this, but i just have to tell you about the things that have gone on to really make this country much safer, particularly on all our borders. >> is it possible, a massive deportation, a deportation force, having to be used. a massive deportation of some 11 million people. from your perch, how challenging would that be? what would it require? what kind of manpower would it require? >> from my perch i would tell you whenever somebody gives you a simplistic answer to an incredibly complex problem like th this, that answer is usually wrong. there is one answer, it would be very helpful if congress passed comprehensive immigration reform. >> one of the things donald trump talks about, and talked about in the debate, is this operation that took place in the eisenhower administration. the name was actually operation wetback. it's offensive now but it was the forced relocation of perhaps a million immigrants in this country. do you think that is a model for what could happen now? >> i think we have a model that is already in existence right now. that is that people can apply for asylum. last summer we dealt with well over 60,000 unaccompanied children. we have a process in place. we have more, essentially, border security and infrastructure and technology than we have ever had before. the important part that goes back to the eisenhower administration, though, was that, you know, we need to be accountable. we need to be transparent in customs and border protection. in just about one hour i'm going to make an important press announcement on how we're going to improve through the use of body-worn cameras and other technology an organization that can be even more accountable to the public so that we can deal with these concerns. >> commissioner, at the core of donald trump's immigration policy that he would like to put in place, his plan. he talks about this deportation force but we have heard him over and over again talk about this wall. even him saying with a big, beautiful door in it to bring people back in, but first they all have to leave and then they're going to build this big wall. you're the man in charge of the border. >> so -- >> what would the wall do? i ask you this because i know you've said it seems simplistic in the past but this is a man who was a front-runner. this is an idea resonating with americans. what do you say to that? >> let me move away from the politics and tell you what i know about the border security. that is that we have lines of fencing now. they are placed very strategically so that we can put our people where they need to be. anyone who has ever visited one part of the border has only really seen one part of the border. we have deserts, we have mountains, a large city like san diego and we have the rio grande valley, a river that can be a trickle or a river that can be a flood. and the idea or the ability to build a wall is one that would not be helpful. again, i'd go back to probably the most meaningful part of this would be comprehensive immigration reform. >> so, the wall wouldn't work is what you're saying? the wall would not be helpful? >> we know that walls have not worked in many locations. we know we place our fencing, not only different types of fencing, but very strategically so that we can place our personnel, our finite number of personnel, we can put them exactly where they need to be. that's why when you look at the number of apprehensions, you look at the safety and security in border cities from el paso to san diego to tucson, things are greatly significantly and definitely improved. >> gil kerlikowske, thank you for being with us. >> thank you. >> so, what more will donald trump have to say about immigration? will he be pressed on what the commissioner just said, that the wall won't work? find out. you can see him tonight on "out front request erin burnett" at 7:00 p.m. eastern on cnn. a virginia man in police custody outside a mental health clinic, tasered while in handcuffs. we have new video from the night he died. count on being slammed this hwith orders. we're getting slammed with orders. and my customers knowing right when their packages arrive. totally slammed! introducing real-time delivery notifications. one more reason this is our season. it's how i try to live... 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justice correspondent pamela brown has the details. >> reporter: this police video shows three police officers in south boston tasing a man outside a hospital emergency room. shortly after that man, 46-year-old lynwood lambert died in police custody. the video begins with officers picking lambert up at a hotel early one morning in may of 2013 after several 911 calls were made about noise. in court records, police say because of the way lambert was acting, they decided to take him to the hospital for a mental health evaluation. they say he made comments about murdering two people and hiding their bodies in a ceiling. >> we're going to take you to the emergency room and we're going to get you -- make sure you're good to go. >> reporter: inside the patrol car police say he kicked out the window. then the video shows lambert running straight into the hospital doors while handcuffed. >> get on your belly! >> reporter: he falls to the ground and the officers repeatedly ask him to roll overon to his stomach, while threatening to tase him. >> on your stomach! >> reporter: lambert then admits he's on trugs. >> i just did cocaine. >> reporter: inside of taking him inside the emergency room, officers take him to the police station. >> you're under arrest. stand up. >> reporter: the officers tase lambert multiple times. he's bleeding, apparently from breaking the squad car window. by the time they reach the police station, lambert appears unconscious in the backseat. he was later announced dead after going into cardiac arrest according to the medical examiner's report. the report ruled it as acute cocaine intoxication. the family blames the police and they filed a $25 million wrongful death lawsuit, alleging the officer's callous disregard for lynwood lambert, tasing him several times and depriving him of the medical care he needed violates his constitutional right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. police deny the allegation and say his actions required the use of force. pamela brown, cnn, washington. >> the south boston police department released a statement saying, quote, we are vigorously defending the case. our position is affirmed by the reports of two independent well-qualified experts in the field. cnn has attempted to reach south boston police but we have not heard back. the medical examiner's report said while cocaine was the cause of death, there were three puncture wounds that look like they were from a taser. cnn was not able to independently verify how many times lambert was tasered. still ahead for us, rubio says, let them stay. trump says, kick them out. ted cruz is somewhere in between. the immigration divide emerging within the gop. ♪ ♪ isn't it beautiful when things just come together? build a beautiful website with squarespace. you can't breathed. through your nose. suddenly, you're a mouthbreather. a mouthbreather! how can anyone sleep like that? well, just put on a breathe right strip and pow! it instantly opens your nose up 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development over the last 36 hours in this race is ted cruz moving in ever so slowly on rubio. now it seems any chance he gets, he says, look at my record on immigration. i was against the gang of eight in the senate when they were pushing for immigration reform. he doesn't mention marco rubio but you know he's talking about him because rubio was part of that group which supported what many people in the republican party considered amnesty, letting 11 million undocumented immigrants stay in this country. so cruz versus rubio, how big is this fight now? >> i think it's obviously a very important fight because this is what's happening. you're seeing both senator ted cruz, senator marco rubio, both obviously doing very well in the debate. they are trying to appeal to that conservative base. obviously, for senator ted cruise, one of the things he's done, his pac released an ad against rubio on this particular issue and why, because this issue of immigration has become an incredibly important issue for the conservative gop voters out there. this is one of the issues that's driving their emotional state and so i think for senator ted cruz, look, he sees marco rubio as probably his biggest competition. one of the issues where they differentiate, on this issue, i grags. >> this is a crucial difference. >> that's right. when you look at the gang of eight, for example, it was the one area where conservatives have, time and time again, criticized senator marco rubio. it was very interesting in this last debate that senator rubio decided to stay very quiet in the debate and not even talk about immigration. why? because every time he's talked about this issue, we don't really quite know where he stands. he's gone from supporting the gang of eight bill to saying, well, maybe we want the green cards in there for illegal immigrants. it's kind of a shifting position. senator ted cruise is taking advantage of this. >> senator cruz definitely has not equivocated on that issue at all. speaking of marco rubio, brad woodhouse, there's a new ad by a perfectly named super pac called baby got pac. in the ad they raise the question. they say the candidate the democrats are most concerned about, marco rubio. take a look at a little bit of the ad. >> they admitted there's one candidate who scares hillary clinton and that's marco rubio. democrats say he's the one they don't want to face. bill clinton even calls him the biggest threat. >> so it's true. >> look, i'll tell you this, we're not -- i'll be honest, we're not really concerned about anyone in this field in particular. in part because donald trump and ted cruz now on the issue of immigration. this is a place where after the last election they said they needed to get right. they needed to go to this party and -- >> right, but rubio, that is not an area where hillary clinton can attack him on. >> that is absolutely not true. marco rubio has turned his back on the path to citizenship. marco rubio is against the dream act. marco rubio's against the president's immigration executive action. i mean, he has -- you know, he's only less extreme because of where donald trump has led -- led the party. marco rubio at this point is where mitt romney was in 2012 and that wasn't a good place to be for mitt romney. >> mitt romney was -- >> mitt romney was against the path to citizenship. marco rubio is against the path to citizenship. i believe marco rubio -- marco rubio's home state paper has said he'll basically do anything on immigration that helps him politically. i believe if he has to go more towards trump and cruz to get the nomination, he will. >> mercedes, 20 seconds. >> right, i think for marco rubio, his biggest challenge will be he will need to clarify his position. he knows quite well that we need immigration, real immigration reform in this country. i think he needs to stick by that and make sure he makes the statements clear. >> someone could ask at the debate. the next one on cnn. >> that's right. >> mercedes, brad woodhouse -- >> can you talk in unison too next time? >> come back any time. >> thank you. a small plane flies into an apartment complex. we are now getting a look at the moment right before impact. stunning video next. we have three chevy's here. alright. i want you to place this award on the podium next to the vehicle that you think was ranked highest in initial quality by j.d. power. hmm. can i look around at them? sure. highest ranking in initial quality. it's gotta be this one. this is it. you are wrong. really? actually it's all three. you tricked me. j.d. power ranked the chevy malibu, silverado half-ton and equinox highest in initial quality in their segments. that's impressive! i'm very surprised! i am. i'm very surprised. chevy hit three home runs. i accept i'm not the rower i used to be.. i even accept i have a higher risk of stroke due to afib, a type of irregular heartbeat not caused by a heart valve problem. but i won't accept is getting out there with less than my best. so if i can go for something better than warfarin, i will. eliquis. eliquis reduced the risk of stroke better than warfarin, plus it had significantly less major bleeding than warfarin. eliquis had both. that really mattered to me. don't stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer than usual for any bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. i accept i don't have to set records. but i'm still going for my personal best. and for eliquis. reduced risk of stroke plus less major bleeding. ask your 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[aat sleep train'sh mattress price wars, save up to $400 on beautyrest and posturepedic. get interest-free financing until 2019 on tempur-pedic. but mattress price wars and this special financing offer ends sunday. new this morning, police now have in custody a second person suspected of making racially charged threats on social media. the northwest missouri state university student allegedly made a threat on yikyak to harm others. this comes after rising racial turmoil at the university of missouri. mizzou campus police in columbia missouri made an earlier arrest after reports of an online threat. the suspect in that case not a student though. >> stunning new images a small corporate jet crashing into an apartment building. investigators say this surveillance video from a nearby construction site could provide valuable clues about why the plane fell short of an airport in akron, ohio. the crash killed all nine people on board. the ntsb is now also looking into weather might have played a role in this accident. new information this hour in the reported laser strikes on aircrafts. the faa says crews of at least 20 aircraft in new york, dallas, california, michigan and puerto rico, they reported being hit by lasers last night alone. in new york city, several news helicopters were actually targets. pilot of one was able to tell police where he thought the laser was coming from because, as you can see, they caught it on video. two men are now in custody in that incident. really is amazing they caught that on video. thank you all so much for joining us at this hour. >> "legal view" with ashleigh banfield starts right now. hello, everyone, i'm ashleigh banfield. welcome to "legal view." i want to begin this hour with some disturbing new video that's just been released that shows the minutes that lead up to a man's death. a man who's in police custody. but before we walk you through the video, there's a few things you should know. this is 46-year-old linwood lambert, the way his family would prefer he's remembered. three police officers tased him multiple times and he died not long afterwards. the incident happened on may 13th, 2013. it happened in south boston, virginia. and more than
The son legendary neurologist who cared for thousands during his tenure at Carney Hospital before his own life was cut short during the early weeks of the 2020 pandemic outbreak will run the Boston Marathon next week in his late father’s memory. Andrew Mahoney will run the race to help raise funds for the foundation named as a memorial to Dr. John F.X. Mahoney, MD, who had a