To begin our program this eek, please stand and welcome the West Covina High School jrotc honor guard for the presentation of the colors that will be followed by the singing of the National Anthem by alisa, cilario. Oh say can you see by the dawns early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilights last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight ore the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming and the rockets red glare the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there oh, say does that starspangled banner yet wave ore the land of the free and the home of the brave [applause] please be seated. Thank you to the West Covina High School our r. O. T. C. Honor guard and alisa i would like to recognize spernl guests guest te with us at the Richard NixonFoundation John barr and sandy quin. [applause] Orange County supervisor john spitzer. [applause] members of the Yorba Linda City Council including mayor Peggy Hernandez seth, and city manager mark calone. [applause] Close Friends of the Richard Nixon foundation ruth and marita and ruth c. Shannon. Mike the National Archives and Record Administration director of the Nixon Library and his associates Cliff Wallace director of education. [applause] thank you. And our most important reare source that is the envy of the other 12 president ial libraries, those who are here tonight who represent our 150 volunteer, thank you. The Nixon Foundation is largely supported by its members. Membership support educational pral and opportunities for our youth to engage in civic discourse and learning memberships also support special engagement of programs like this evenings event. The impact of your fellow of support allows foundation continued to continue its important work allows president nixons core vision of building a lasting structure of peace and building a more just society at home to expand to other parts of the country and the world and make differences in peoples lives. If youre not already a member, and encourage you to join us this evening we have a membership table appropriately a and the court, we can enter this evening you can become part of the extended nixon family. Now, president nixon was a navy man. He was exempt from the trap of world world war ii because of his faith as a quaker and never backed down enlisted voluntarily in the u. S. Navy served honorably in air airport command becoming officer in charming at the canal in the islands. While he was honorably discharged in 1946, he didnt retire from the u. S. Naval reserve until 20 years later 1996. During which time he served as the u. S. Congressman, a u. S. Senator, and Vice President of the united states. As president , richgd are nixon commitment to the u. S. Military was unwaiverring. Upon entering office he faced reality that young men have been shipped off by thousands to fight in jungle of vietnam facig that challenge Richard Nixon focused on negotiating the end to american involvement in vietnam and brought our soldier home. In negotiated the release of all american p. O. W. From the prison of North Vietnam and welcomed them home in 1973. He tended the draft in instituted todays all volunteer military. Todays secretary of defense jim mattis recently visited the Nixon Library and from this very podium said an enemy on 9 11 who thought they could scare us by hurting us the maniac who murdered over 3,000 innocent citizens of our country and 0 other countries that day have is all been taught a hard lesson by the all volunteer military that president nixon was confident. Could protect our country end quote. Thats why the foundation is so hon norred today to have robert oneal as our guest. And its now my pleasure to intercourse our speaker and this evenings mod ray he is a highly decorated combat veteran and man who killed Osama Bin Laden. [applause] while wear withing equipment gleyed steps from here in the water and the court, equipment which is on for first time i might add neil fired shots to kill Osama Bin Laden during the raid on his compound in pakistan and may 2nd, 2011. Robert oneal participated in hundreds of Top Secret Missions including rescue of captain Richard Phillips from somali pirates in 2009. And he led to heroining retrieval of marcus the lone survivor in afghanistan in the summer of 2005. [applause] following his hon nocialt discharge from the navy in 2012, rob cofounded grateful nation a nonprofit that help military elite veteran transition into their next successful career. Raul will be joined this evening on stage by rob clapper, rob served in the army for two decades and was deployed all over the world an he received general douglas leadership author award for oustanding leadership throughout his army career and honored that distinguished him for more than 35,000 officers. Rob will be joined on stage tonight with gunner. His lovable black lab service dog. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand and welcome two patriots, with gunner to the Richard Nixon president ial library. [applause] army guy needed a navy guy to do it. Im going to give you a break. [laughter] wasnt that interesting sung by senator kidd rock too soon . Maybe. East, wow what a crowd. Awesome. Man you look really good. Thank you who picked out your wardrobe . [laughter] just joking and seriously nots going to say because were in the president ial library. Man. So well, great to see so many wonderful friendly faces, those of you that arent friendly qk to stand in the back. [laughter] but great to have you request us. Were going to go ahead and jump many you guys have been patient in waiting so so hey, rob, the one question everybody wants to know is how did a guy from montana end up in the navy much less having a career like you. Thats funny concern thats a really interesting question because im a big believer that that life is what happens around you while youre making a plan. That 95 of the stuff that you worry about never whats anyway so kind of like i join navy because of a girl. [laughter] on accident and its actually the first sentence in any book the operator is about that. I have my heartbroken by a girl named hillary in montana, and im i was never going to join the military and never a lifelong dream but i decided to get out of town and i have two friends two years oldering than me that wanted to be a marine growing up and when they graduated high school they joined marine corps. Same day went to paris island together and i remember thinking thats awesome. Marines are tough. Theyre strong, confident uniforms are incredible and when i decide to leave town i was like i want to do that and join marine corps. So i went to join the marine and lucky to have it because seems better to be lucky than it is to be good. Marine recruiter was not in the office. [laughter] and the navy guy was so i looked over there, and only reason i went into the navy to his office because my two marine friends told me something i didnt know and many of you may not know. They said that the marine corps. Is actually part of the department of the navy. [laughter] just its just a mens department. [laughter] i went in there to ask him wheres the marines . Because if anyone will know where he was he was why a marine . Well i want to be a snipe or and marines have the best snipers in the world well look no further. We have snipers right here in the navy you need to be a seal first no big deal but kind of glossed over that whole thing, so you have to figure im a 19yearold kid from montana. That didnt know how to swim not a lot of swimming going on so very cold up there high altitudes and im 19 and naive this guy a professional recruiter why will he lie to me . [laughter] and i signed up that day. And then he made me made me watch recruiting video after he signed paperwork i was man im in a pickle here i dont know how to swim but with the government to be dealing it then i started thinking well okay i found out about fuel training i probably wont make it through but probably an adventure ill go there and probably wont make it through seal train four years ill have stories when i come back and i qengt to the navy. Learned like 59 of the all volunteer military is there buff a girl. [laughter] and i worked hard and just because you know that day because of a girl and not knowing how to swim and joining navy and bin ladens bedroom it is proof it doesnt matter where youre from or what you look like you can do anything you want as long as you avoid negativity and work hard and never quit and run away from a girl. [laughter] [applause] you have to figure a lot of things out because of a girl look at our 45th president. [laughter] be hillary thats funny. [applause] i saw this and wouldnt get lil, and that went out the door. [laughter] so i think while you touched on it but they want to know so you department know how to swim. Okay, with that might be something you need to do for seal training. How did that map like i said i didnt know how to swim but i figured how hard could it be and i went to i went to the pool i played a year of College Football montana second up there e they have a pool, and i didnt know any technique standing at the edge of the pool, and im like okay 25 meters down 25 meters back ill swim a thousand meters you know just gauge my work without from there and that was fine. Everything was working out with my plan. Until i entered the water thats [applause] so i made it down to the end and sort of back so i could touch my toes like man im in pickle two lanes nots even 50 yards and im exhausted and a buddy of mine that i wect to high school with one of the few guys who swim he did swim in notre dame he said name is mike chris cool hey dont worry ive never seen you in the pool before. Today what gives . I just joined the navy today and im going to be a seal. [laughter] he said yeah not like that he taught me the breast and side stroke is and i signed up for delayed entry so buddy of mine taught me in five months how to swim, and then i went to the navy. [laughter] past forward made it through boot camp got through southern california, so talk about, you know, kind of your first couple of experiences with every seal goes through training south of san diego called basic underwater demolition seal training or bud as we call it. A hard training of the world. You know 5 of the peel try out dont make it. Its in a its tough. Its in a lot of books a lot of movies and its essentially just like a beat down for eight months. Where it gets, it gets so hard i remember, i remember being there. I can see it as if it was yesterday where its like i i know i have a past acame from somewhere but i dont have a future im just going to be in hell as far as i can are tell. Thats it. And thats when we started to learn how to compartmentalize everything and not from now to graduation and good information from life but how do i get this longterm goal done but wake up in the morning on time and make your bed the right way and then brush your teeth Little Victories make it to 5 a. M. Workout on time and then make it to breakfast after breakfast think about getting to lunch and dinner, and do everything you neededded to to get back in that perfectly made bed regardless of how u bad your day was you get a fresh start tomorrow because the day and bed ised made. And i had instructor tell me when you feel like quitting which you will, and yids every day dont quit now. But quit tomorrow. Whats it a little victory. And then all of a sudden five days before graduation i remember thinking, well shit now im a navy s. E. A. L. What am i supposed to do . But victory at a time and get into that. But seal training was a flutter kicks and it was a mile from there to chow hall so every day we were running six miles just to eat. And thats not even working out thats to get to o the chow hall additional 14 miles a day and really tough course but thats one of the strengths with navy s. E. A. L. Is sense of humor you cant laugh at yourself. But what kind of horrible decision why did she dump me . Why am i here . Youre going to qish they come with a sense of hiewrl thats again god advice for life dont be afraid to enjoy yourself. Smile because think about this, money of us are get out of this alive. [laughter] i dont believe in statistics but i believe 10 out of 10 die so enjoy yourself. Question talk you talk about sense of humor and e clearly army guys have much better ones. Absolutely. But they have a lot of time to think about jokes and on the missions yes. [applause] we wont talk about who pulled you off a mountain side. So [laughter] so you talk about the sense of humor. Yes. Why dont you share one or two stories in train aring when you got introduced to sense of humor. First time realized theres a sense of humor aspect was they had 220 of us to start about 208 navy sailors that wanted to be seals and read books, seals read a lot of them and seen movies but we didnt know what seal training was like what do we do every day and show up. So they actually sat us in a room and brought a seal instructor in to explain to us what were going to do like heres what bud is. Heres what by the way, you can tell with the bash sense of humor is comonl among special and military, and we learn first day that the instructor came in, walking on a stage kind of like this, and were looking at him like youre looking at me. Except were terrified. Like this guy is superman you can kill us if you want to, so hes looking, hes the first seal we ever met he looks like a seal camouflage and shined boots blue tshirt and instructor, you know guy is ripped hes got tattoos down to his knuckles hes a navy s. E. A. L. To ridiculously good looking. [applause] [laughter] and he stood on the stage is and relished in the silence and then he finally provoked it by saying looking good today, jim. Not you, me. [laughter] i know youre thinking i look tired i had to get my wife out of jail. [laughter] she was arrested for shoplifting early orier that afternoon we were leaving the mall together. She had her arm arranged me. Security thought she was trying to steal anatomy chart. [laughter] and were sitting there like what is this psychopath talk about. So what we later realized is he was messing with us. He was early, he was bored and done it before and a he thought he would have fun so he should realize other than he might decapitate this guy is funny. So that kind of used to kind of a rocky edge dry sense of humor thats what he got used to and saw on the Bin Laden Mission to fast forward too much. But i was in the helicopter that didnt crash. [laughter] which is which is a good they think. And when we got we dpght know other one crash, and fast forward but we got this side the house and i didnt know it crashed other guy didnt know it crashed an were inside and one of the guys bomb the helicopter and the helicopter crash. And what comet crashed . Im thinking they sent guys in to shut down and lost 30 of our friends bro our helicopter crashed in the front yard. He walked right past it. [laughter] so im trying to calculate this in my head as im doing so one of the snipers that had dog was running around the entire xowngd make sure there was no out and he went up to the famous spot where he could see the tail that helicopter right and she came to that and as were having this conversation he come e over to radio he said hey be on alert their ready for us. They have a training, mockup of our supersecret helicopter. [laughter] in the front yard and this is not most Important Mission since normandy and you heard him say no you jackass thats ours. Hes trash. [laughter] and you have this awkward pause and he said, yeah that makes a lot more sense the shit i was just saying. [laughter] so we said funny the whole time so, obviously, Field Training is relatively long theres lots of ups and downs lout it but whats the one story probably related i dont know not but whats the one story about, you know, never never quit. Theres a we would every day to make sure you stick around to fail for time whatever the test is. It just keep you in the program and hard to understand. Its not like an algorithm to type code basically a test is simple. Simple to understand not simple to do with a 50 meet or underwater swim so jump in the pool do a flip underwater without a site from the football field simple, bad. But like a nautical while from the current, fast and retire hands behind our becomes and feet together and throw us in the deep end of the pool 45 minutes in a time doing exhaling air out of your lungs, go up top, inhale and swim hundreds of meet eshes an throw pen or mas and you have to grab them off bottom with your teeth. But the test there is introducing you with like not able to breathe. But theyre instilling in you panic will not help. Chill out so i have to drown proofing i found it relaxing because that was an hour a day they could not. But test we had was underwater knot tieing they tie a rope to the width of a pool a foot off the bottom. So 14 feet down is a rope and then on the surface there will be a student and instructor. Oneonone and student has a knot in the rope of his own so we know how to tie notes so tie a series of knots he tells you with this rope around that rope so on the surface, and he said go tie a bowling knot so he holds breaths and swim down, and instructor stay is on the surface request this snorkel and mask so hes breathing hes watching so down to your bowling knot and you back off stay down there. Hes coming down slowly and like look at the knot and look at student. Ingand act like hes never seent before and first one is always wrong. So got to go back up and untie bowling knot and retie the exact same knot. Hands out been about a minute and 15 seconds and he comes down it like yeah, thats it so untie the knot get to the surface one breath of air and thats enough time to tie a square p. So another minute. Minute 15 seconds a right angle anyway for the test thats simple. Five knots in a right way in a row you pass. Friend of mine john on his last attempt. Theyll let you try certain amount of times john didnt get five knots right now hell never be a neigh navy s. E. A. L. To thats a lot of pressure so on fift