[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2013] i would be delighted to yield to our speaker if you would like to continue this. I just want to say this. Please use the microphone. There was no question in my mind that the arguments and metements i said change to on complaint of the members. I dont believe they were notified. I believe that they truly did not get the mail in their office. I am inviting you to hear a dialogue on my protection of american policy and Foreign Affairs should be. To 1970s to go back 1972. Gentleman baldwin, a who i have the greatest respect for, chairman of our intelligence committee. You are going to ask about their policy and the vietnam war. Did you speak to your wife lately . I want you to come in and answer the questions of the philosophy you had then. You talk about angola. Ou dont talk about angola how during the Eisenhower Administration we were the very people who later on were opposed to change. You didnt say anything about things of that nature. My opinion is this. You deliberately stood before an empty house and challenged these people and you challenge their americanism and it is the lowest thing i have ever seen in my 32 years in congress. [applause] all. T me say, first of i move we take the speakers words down. [applause] from househlights floor coverage on our facebook page. Cspan, created by americas Cable Companies 35 years ago. Brought to you as a public service. Coming up on cspan, president obama awards the medal of honor to 24 medal of honor veterans. Looks at theurnal republican partys efforts to attract younger and minority voters. The campaign and fundraising operations for a Hillary Clinton president ial run. The report on transparency and the obama administration. The privacy and Civil LibertiesOversight Board holds a hearing this morning looking at the ford Intelligence Surveillance act that gives the Government Authority to conduct surveillance overseas. You can see this live starting at 9 00 a. M. Eastern on cspan 2. Over on cspan 3, the Brookings Institution looks at the future of nato with secretary general. Live coverage at 2 30 p. M. Eastern. The Health Care Program is going to continue and is not going to go anywhere. If we do not deal with the issue of innovation, all of those findings that occur at the , as long as wel do not understand disease and how to treat or cure them, there is no point in talking about the solution of health care problems. Coverage isance what is going to provide health insurance. When it comes to drugs, when it comes to premiums, when it comes to subsidies, where are the subsidies going to come from . From taxpayers money. People are not going to get dollars out of trees. People have to pay for that. There is a limit. Is the science of limitations. If we do not deal with that, with a better system of working on invention, understanding how we can take care of our own health, then there is no point in just having health insurance. Is going to happen is what happens in colombia right now, what happens in panama. Everybody has access to health care, but what happens in people are covered, but when it comes to medications and access to drugs, governments are having problems affording them. The future of health care a. Day night on cspans q president obama honored 24 Army Veterans tuesday with the medal of honor. The recipients were found to have been wrongly denied the award because of prejudice. They were recognized for their valor during major combat operations in world war ii, korean war and vietnam war. This ceremony from the east room was attended by the three living recipients and those Family Members being honored posthumously. This is an hour and 20 minutes. Let us pray. All knowing god, we are sometimes not the people we like ourselves to think that we are. We have at times failed to be a people whose actions measure up to our words. We have been called to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. We are humbled by the love demonstrated by these men, the valor, 24 whom we honor today. From world war ii to korea and vietnam, you will hear stories would haven into a heroic hole remind us that though we may be different in many ways, we are alike. We are american soldiers. We celebrate a legacy which inspires our service, grant unto us the decency of purpose, steadfast the resolve and strength of will which these men possessed, courage, with humility that we may follow their path. Grant us eternal god, that we may never forget that the highest preeshes is not to utter a word but to become a model of what we advocate and we pray and ask in your holy name, amen. Good afternoon, everybody. Please be seated. Welcome to the white house. The presentation of our nations highest military decoration, the medal of honor is always a special occasion. But today, it is truly historic. This is the Single Largest Group of Service Members to be awarded the medal of honor since the second world war. And with several of these soldiers recognized for their valor during that war, this ceremony is 70 years in the making. As one Family Member has said, this is long overdue. Many of these families and i had a chance to meet all of them who are present here today, they have known these stories of heroism for decades. Still, they were pretty surprised when we called them to break the news about the medal of honor. Some of them thought it was a prank. \[laughter] some of them thought it was a scam. A few of them thought it might be some trick to get their credit card number. \[laughter] when i called Melvin Morris, who well recognize in a moment for his actions in vietnam, his first reaction was, oh my god, what have i done . [laughter] when i told him it was all good, the medal of honor, i could hear through the phone, he almost passed out. \[laughter] you see, for their gallantry under fire, each of these soldiers was longer recognized with the armys second highest award, the distinguished service cross. But ask their fellow veterans, ask their families and theyll tell you that their extraordinary deeds merited the highest recognition. And today we had the chance to set the record straight. This ceremony reminds us of one of the enduring qualities that makes america great, that makes us exceptional. No nation is perfect, but here in america, we confront our imperfections and face sometimes a painful past, including the truth that some of these soldiers fought and died for a country that did not always see them as equal. So in each generation we keep striving to live up to our ideals of freedom and equality and recognize the dignity and patriotism of every person, no matter who they are, what they look like or how they pray. And thats why more than a decade ago, congressman dated a review to make sure that the heroism of our veterans wasnt overlooked because of prejudice or discrimination. Our military reviewed thousands of war records. They teamed up with veterans groups and museums to get this right. It was painstaking work made even harder because sometimes our Service Members felt they needed to change their last names to fit in. That tells the story about our past. But ultimately after years of review, these two dozen soldiers, among them hispanic, African American and jewish veterans were identified as having earned the medal of honor. This is the length to which america will go to make sure that everyone who serves under our proud flag receives the thanks that they deserve. This is going to be a long ceremony and we are going to read all 24 citations, because every one is a story of bravery that deserves to be told. But first i want to take a few minutes to describe the americans behind these actions. The men these families know, the brilliant lives behind the Smiling Faces in those old photographs and how they reflected all the beauty and diversity of the country that they served. They were americans by birth and americans by choice. Immigrants, include one who was not yet even a citizen. They grew up in brooklyn, Rural Communities like hooper, nebraska, small towns like puerto rico. They loved to fish and play baseball, they were sons who made their parents proud and brothers who their siblings looked up to. They were so young. Many in their early 20s. And when their country went to war, they answered the call. They put on the uniform and hugged their families goodbye. Some of them hugged the wives and children that they would never see again. They fought in the rocky hills of italy, the bloodstained beaches of france and freezing mountains of korea and human humid jungles of vietnam. Their courage almost defies imagination. When you read the records of these individuals, its unimaginable the valor that they displayed. Running into bullets, charging machine gun nests and climbing aboard tanks and covering their comrades so they could make it to safety, holding back enemies wave after wave even when the combat was handtohand. Manning their posts, some to their very last breath so their comrades might live of the. Of the 24 american soldiers we honor today, 10 never came home. One of them, corporal Joe Baldonado from the korean war is still missing, reminding us that we have a obligation to give the families from our missing Family Members, a full accounting of their loved ones. Through their grief, the families of our fallen summon the strength to carry on. Wives whose hearts ache for their husbands, sons and daughters who grew up without their dad, nieces and nephews and grandchildren and these families join us today. And they know more than most that because others laid down their lives for us, we have been able to live our lives in freedom, pursue our dreams. So theres a legacy here, borne of sacrifice. And that includes a soldiers nephew, a kid from new york who gue up to become one of the great rock stars of all time and honors his uncle here today. It includes soldiers who came home and took different paths, some continue to serve in uniform, some beginning new careers, some getting married and raising their kids, serving their communities, taking care of their fellow vets. These veterans lived out their lives in the country that they helped to defend in doing what they loved, like William Leonard who at age 71 passed away in his back yard sitting in his chair listening to his beloved yankees play out on the radio. And thats where this story might have ended, but a friend of one of these soldiers and army vet himself set out on a mission. These soldiers and army vet himself set out on a mission. He and his wife spent years writing letters and working with congress and our military to get this done. We thank for all of those who worked so hard to bring us to this moment especially marlin and mitchell who are now 83 years old and i ask them to stand so we can say thank you. [applause] finally, of these 24 soldiers, three remain with us and have joined us here today, men who remind us that sometimes the heroes we seek are right in front of us, literally living right next door. Most days you can find jose row dello in his san antonio home, 76yearold retiree who enjoys baseball on tv and working on his 1975 chevy pickup and mowing the grass. Joe is such a humble guy that he did not even mention the ceremony to his neighbors, who i think would be pretty shocked to turn on the news tonight [laughter] and see that the guy who cuts their lawn is getting the medal of honor. [laughter] today we remember how 32yearold Sergeant First Class rodela fought through his wounds in vietnam and rallied his men during 18 hours of constant combat. Most days you can find Melvin Morris at home in port st. John, florida. 72 years old. A retired salesman and a greatgrandfather. You will find him working on his boat, going fishing, reading the bible, spending time with his beautiful wife mary, married 53 years this month. You are going to have to give me some tips. We arent that far along yet. [laughter] today we remember how 27yearold Staff Sergeant morris, one of our nations very irst green beer a berets ink about that, thats legendary, how Staff Sergeant morris recovered a fallen comrade in vietnam and took out several enemy bunkers and kept going after being shot three times. And on most days you can find santiago erevia at home in san antonio. He is a 68yearold retired postal worker. He is fixing up his house, tending to the garden, going on walks with his wife or doing some pushups to stay in shape. [laughter] today, we remember how 23yearold specialist 4 erevia, under a hail of bullets in vietnam, gave first aid to his wounded comrades and single hand he hadly destroyed four enemy bunkers. These are extraordinary americans. They are exemplary soldiers. Nd so i want to begin by welcoming santiago areef yeah to the stage for the read erevia for the reading of the citation. Santiago areceivey, United States army, 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 specialist 4 santiago j. Erevia, United States army for gallantry at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Santiago j. Erevia distinguished himself above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a adio telephone operator in irst battalion air mobile, 101 Airborne Division near tamky republic of vietnam on may 21, 1969. Specialist 4 erevia rendered first aid to several casualties and the rest of the plaptoon moved forward. He came under intense hostile fire from four bunkers. Although he could have taken cover with the rest of the element, he chose a course of action. With heaven my fire directed at him, he moved in full view of the hostile gunners as he proceeded to crawl from one wounded man to the other gathering ammunition. Armed with two m16 rifles, he charged toward the enemy positions behind the suppressive fire of the two rifles. Under intense fire as he continued to advance, he was near the first bumpinger. Disregarding the enemy fire, he pulled the pin from a hand grenade and advanced on the bunk er, wounding the insurgent. Without hesitation, he employed identical tactics as he eliminated the next two enemies. Specialist 4 erevia exhausted his supply. Still under intense fire, he courageously charged forward. Arisk at the very edge of the bumpinger, he silenced the occupant in the for the fix at point blank range. Through his actions, the lives of the wounded were saved and the members of the Company Command post were relieved. His performance in the face of overwhelming danger was an inspiration to his entire company and contributed to the success of the mission. Specialist 4 erevias gallantry and extraordinary heroism at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty where in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflected upon his unit and he United States army. [applause] Sergeant First Class melvin orris. Sergeant first class Melvin Morris, distinguished himself by acts of gallantry above and beyond the call of duty while serving as commander of a strike force drawn from company d, fifth special forces Group Airborne during combat operations against an armed nemy in the city of chi lang republicic of vietnam. Staff morris affiliated company were engaged by a Hostile Force. He learned by radio that a fellow Team Commander had been killed near an enemy bunker and reorganized his men into an effective assault posture before advancing forward and splitting off with two men to recover the Team Commanders body. Observing the maneuver, the Hostile Force concentrated its fire on his threeman element and wounded both men accompanying him. After assisting the two wounded back, Staff Sergeant morris charged forward with only his men suppressive fire as cover. While enemy gun placements were against him, Staff Sergeant morris destroyed the positions with hand grenades and continued his assault eliminating four bunkers. Upon reaching the bumpinger nearest the fallen Team Commander, he repulsed the enemy and began the trek back to friendly lines. He was wounded three times as he struggled forward but succeeded in returning his fallen comrade to a fall safe position. They are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his you noit and the United States army. His unit and the United States army. [applause] master Sergeant First Class jose rodela. Aster Sergeant Jose rodela served as a Company Commander b36, company a, fifth special forces group, First Special forces against an armed on september 1, 1969. Hat afternoon, Master Sergeant rodelas battalion were under gun fire. Ignoring the enemy fire, Master Sergeant rodela began placing his men into defensive positions to prevent the enemy overrunning the entire battalion exposing himself to enemy fire, he