WEBVTT 00:00.430 --> 00:02.430 performed by Master Sergeant . Page 00:02.430 --> 00:04.652 rubble from the United States Air Force 00:04.652 --> 00:06.708 band and the invocation delivered by 00:06.708 --> 00:08.874 chaplain Colonel Eddie Kinley Junior . 00:33.180 --> 00:35.100 Oh say can 00:37.120 --> 00:40.970 by the dawn's early light . 00:40.980 --> 00:42.370 What so proud 00:45.550 --> 00:49.230 at the time lights last gleaming 00:49.270 --> 00:52.740 whose broad stripes and bright stars 00:56.420 --> 00:59.870 fight or the part 00:59.870 --> 01:03.760 we want for so govender , 01:03.770 --> 01:05.760 me streaming . 01:22.870 --> 01:26.000 Oh , say does that star 01:26.000 --> 01:27.220 spangled 01:31.910 --> 01:32.530 or not ? 01:44.440 --> 01:45.370 Mm Thank you . 01:53.440 --> 01:55.551 Let us fervently bar heads for a word 01:55.551 --> 01:57.773 of prayer . Eternal ! Heavenly father . 01:57.773 --> 01:59.940 We have assembled here this morning in 01:59.940 --> 02:01.996 the Hall of Heroes in remembrance of 02:01.996 --> 02:04.240 the brave men and women offered their 02:04.240 --> 02:06.240 service and sacrifice in defense of 02:06.240 --> 02:09.070 this great country and her allies . Let 02:09.070 --> 02:11.470 us not forget the 72,000 lost in World 02:11.470 --> 02:15.200 War two 7000 missing from the korean 02:15.200 --> 02:17.970 war in the 1500 in Vietnam who raised 02:17.970 --> 02:19.859 their right hand , leaving behind 02:19.859 --> 02:21.970 friends and families and loved ones . 02:21.970 --> 02:24.137 We thank you that we can take a moment 02:24.137 --> 02:26.248 out of the daily grind of our day and 02:26.248 --> 02:29.120 reflect and remember the unsung heroes 02:29.120 --> 02:31.540 who never returned home who never had 02:31.540 --> 02:34.400 the opportunity to reunite and yet who 02:34.400 --> 02:36.344 were willing to give their all and 02:36.344 --> 02:38.900 sacrifice and service to the recipients 02:38.900 --> 02:41.122 of the Land of the Free and the Home of 02:41.122 --> 02:43.122 the Brave today . Oh God , we honor 02:43.122 --> 02:45.178 their loyalty , courage and selfless 02:45.178 --> 02:48.840 service today we remember and reflect 02:48.850 --> 02:51.040 and for this we thank you Hear our 02:51.040 --> 02:52.570 prayer . Amen . 02:58.280 --> 02:59.336 Please be seated . 03:05.780 --> 03:07.891 Ladies and gentlemen , General Daniel 03:07.891 --> 03:10.058 Hokanson , Chief of the National Guard 03:10.058 --> 03:09.540 Baru . 03:24.180 --> 03:26.740 Secretary Austin , Ambassadors of our 03:26.740 --> 03:29.360 partner nations . D . O . D . Leaders 03:29.410 --> 03:32.830 and our distinguished guests today we 03:32.830 --> 03:35.090 honor and observe P . O . W . M . I . A 03:35.100 --> 03:38.720 recognition day . We ache with the 03:38.720 --> 03:40.860 absence of those who remain missing . 03:41.760 --> 03:43.816 We wrap our arms around the families 03:43.816 --> 03:45.927 who bear the burden of dark and heavy 03:45.927 --> 03:48.730 questions . We find strength in our 03:48.730 --> 03:50.841 international partners and our shared 03:50.841 --> 03:54.460 humanity for this solemn mission . We 03:54.460 --> 03:56.627 seek solace in the timeless efforts of 03:56.627 --> 03:58.849 compassionate professionals and service 03:58.849 --> 04:01.930 organizations who refuse to rest until 04:01.930 --> 04:05.800 every american comes home . But more 04:05.800 --> 04:07.578 than that , we grapple with the 04:07.578 --> 04:10.890 concepts of always and never . And the 04:10.890 --> 04:14.360 murky spaces in between always 04:14.370 --> 04:17.150 stretches beyond time . It's a promise 04:17.340 --> 04:20.780 that transcends death . Never is also a 04:20.780 --> 04:24.000 promise . It is definitive , Final and 04:24.000 --> 04:27.300 unmoving . And the murky spaces in 04:27.300 --> 04:29.410 between are the timeless questions . 04:29.460 --> 04:31.870 What are the limits of human endurance ? 04:31.980 --> 04:35.910 Where can we find peace ? Who can bear 04:35.910 --> 04:39.540 the weight of uncertainty and how 04:39.540 --> 04:43.410 long can hope survive ? My family 04:43.410 --> 04:45.243 grappled with these questions in 04:45.243 --> 04:47.460 November of 1967 , when they received 04:47.460 --> 04:49.540 word my uncle was missing in action 04:49.550 --> 04:52.010 after his infantry company was overrun 04:52.010 --> 04:54.790 during the Battle of Doc toe in Vietnam . 04:57.380 --> 04:59.547 For the families in this room and more 04:59.547 --> 05:01.700 than 81,000 families still awaiting 05:01.700 --> 05:04.460 answers . The questions stretch across 05:04.460 --> 05:08.000 months , Years and decades . Some even 05:08.000 --> 05:09.722 the better part of a century . 05:10.850 --> 05:12.906 Sometimes the answer is the happiest 05:12.906 --> 05:14.794 one . Your loved one is alive and 05:14.794 --> 05:17.480 coming home to you . Sometimes the 05:17.480 --> 05:19.550 answer is nothing but bitter grief . 05:20.570 --> 05:22.570 But sometimes our loved ones remain 05:22.570 --> 05:24.830 missing , denying us the promise of 05:24.830 --> 05:27.750 always and never . These are the 05:27.750 --> 05:29.861 service members and families we honor 05:29.861 --> 05:33.280 here today . But our nation has made a 05:33.280 --> 05:35.370 promise . If you pledge your life to 05:35.370 --> 05:37.592 our nation , if you pledge your life to 05:37.592 --> 05:39.648 our constitution , we will not leave 05:39.648 --> 05:42.250 you behind . We will never leave you 05:42.250 --> 05:45.140 behind . And that is why we continue 05:45.140 --> 05:48.850 the search unyielding relentless across 05:48.850 --> 05:51.630 distance and time to keep our promise . 05:51.640 --> 05:55.610 Always , First Lieutenant James 05:55.620 --> 05:57.509 Wright from lumber bridge , north 05:57.509 --> 05:59.640 Carolina cared about others . His 05:59.640 --> 06:01.920 family described him as handsome and 06:01.920 --> 06:04.090 kind and deeply committed to his 06:04.090 --> 06:07.190 community . He began his military 06:07.190 --> 06:10.070 service as a member of L company 120th 06:10.080 --> 06:12.590 Infantry Regiment , which is today part 06:12.590 --> 06:14.646 of the 30th armored Brigade , combat 06:14.646 --> 06:16.646 team of the north Carolina National 06:16.646 --> 06:19.910 Guard . He transferred to the 5th 06:19.910 --> 06:22.480 Infantry Division in 1942 , which is 06:22.480 --> 06:24.480 how he ended up on the banks of the 06:24.480 --> 06:26.702 Moselle River in France in September of 06:26.702 --> 06:30.600 1940 for his regiment crossed the river 06:30.600 --> 06:32.767 and took a position in the woods , but 06:32.767 --> 06:34.822 after sustaining heavy losses , they 06:34.822 --> 06:37.580 were forced to pull back a few soldiers 06:37.580 --> 06:39.747 stayed behind a search for the wounded 06:39.747 --> 06:41.747 and the missing , Remembering their 06:41.747 --> 06:43.580 promise to leave no one behind . 06:43.900 --> 06:45.844 Lieutenant Wright was one of those 06:45.844 --> 06:48.420 soldiers after rescuing three wounded 06:48.420 --> 06:50.642 soldiers on the german occupied side of 06:50.642 --> 06:52.864 the river . Lieutenant right across the 06:52.864 --> 06:55.340 river . One more time . He was never 06:55.340 --> 06:59.290 seen again except never in this 06:59.290 --> 07:03.290 case was not never last year , 77 07:03.290 --> 07:05.623 years after his death along the Moselle . 07:05.623 --> 07:08.250 Lieutenant Wright came home After an 07:08.250 --> 07:10.194 anonymous burial in the Luxembourg 07:10.194 --> 07:12.840 American cemetery . After research by 07:12.840 --> 07:15.040 the 7th Armored Division Association . 07:15.660 --> 07:17.827 After his remains were sent to the P . 07:17.827 --> 07:19.827 O . W . M . I . A accounting agency 07:19.827 --> 07:22.150 laboratory . After generations of 07:22.150 --> 07:24.420 questions in the murky space between 07:25.010 --> 07:27.060 when it right came home to lumber 07:27.060 --> 07:30.470 bridge , he was buried at the Oakdale 07:30.470 --> 07:33.130 cemetery in the community he loved and 07:33.130 --> 07:35.241 nearly in sight of the home where his 07:35.241 --> 07:36.950 family waited for his return 07:39.180 --> 07:41.630 Nearly 4300 miles away . Lieutenants 07:41.630 --> 07:43.852 right name is still on the walls of the 07:43.852 --> 07:45.797 missing at the up and all American 07:45.797 --> 07:49.120 cemetery in France . But now next to 07:49.120 --> 07:52.050 his name is a rosette , a symbol the 07:52.050 --> 07:55.680 missing has been found and that brings 07:55.680 --> 07:58.570 us to the promise of always and never a 07:58.570 --> 08:00.626 concept that is never far from those 08:00.626 --> 08:02.910 who serve our nation . But when we 08:02.910 --> 08:05.210 bring to the fore on P . O W . M . I . 08:05.210 --> 08:08.540 A remembrance day , love is always 08:08.640 --> 08:11.500 family is always duty , Service and 08:11.500 --> 08:15.300 honor . They are always My 08:15.300 --> 08:18.080 family's news . In 1967 was bittersweet . 08:19.070 --> 08:22.130 Uncle Steve's battalion of 330 size guy 08:22.130 --> 08:25.570 soldiers suffered 95 killed and 87 08:25.570 --> 08:29.320 wounded at doc toe . After his company 08:29.320 --> 08:31.487 was overrun , steve hidden . The north 08:31.487 --> 08:33.790 Vietnamese occupied airy caring for his 08:33.790 --> 08:35.930 best friend , robert Bly , who was 08:35.930 --> 08:39.290 severely wounded when the U . S . 08:39.290 --> 08:41.840 Retook the area steve was found alive 08:42.380 --> 08:44.491 next to the body of his best friend . 08:47.480 --> 08:49.510 Our family received the good news , 08:50.530 --> 08:52.586 robert . Bligh's family received the 08:52.586 --> 08:55.860 opposite news , but their son's name 08:55.860 --> 08:58.410 lives on in my uncle's firstborn son , 08:58.420 --> 09:01.230 My cousin robert Bly Hawkinson . 09:03.820 --> 09:06.230 Because of love and because of our 09:06.230 --> 09:08.540 family and because of duty , service 09:08.540 --> 09:11.280 and honor . We never leave our fellow 09:11.280 --> 09:14.230 service members behind . We never let 09:14.230 --> 09:16.770 their memory fade . We never give up 09:16.770 --> 09:19.550 hope and we never give up the search . 09:20.670 --> 09:23.330 We always remember . We never forget 09:23.340 --> 09:25.580 and we will never rest until every last 09:25.580 --> 09:27.300 american comes home . 09:29.980 --> 09:32.480 Thank you ladies and gentlemen , It is 09:32.480 --> 09:34.702 now my honor to introduce the honorable 09:34.702 --> 09:36.960 Lloyd J . Austin , our 28th Secretary 09:36.960 --> 09:37.980 of Defense . 09:51.940 --> 09:54.107 Well , thank you . General Wilkinson . 09:54.520 --> 09:57.740 And good morning everyone . Thanks for 09:57.740 --> 10:00.840 joining us for this important occasion . 10:02.070 --> 10:05.090 I'm especially honored to welcome 10:05.090 --> 10:06.810 Colonel Mike Brazelton 10:09.610 --> 10:13.280 Brazelton , an 10:13.280 --> 10:15.447 accomplished Air Force pilot who spent 10:15.447 --> 10:17.447 more than six years in captivity in 10:17.447 --> 10:20.830 Vietnam . Colonel Brazleton . Your 10:20.830 --> 10:23.310 monumental courage and sacrifice 10:23.320 --> 10:25.264 inspires us all . And I thoroughly 10:25.264 --> 10:27.431 enjoy spending some time with you this 10:27.431 --> 10:31.210 morning . There's a rumor out 10:31.210 --> 10:33.690 there that Colonel Brazleton actually 10:33.690 --> 10:36.500 conducted a parachute jump yesterday or 10:36.510 --> 10:39.230 earlier this week . I confirmed that 10:39.240 --> 10:42.590 that rumor is true . So he's still 10:42.600 --> 10:45.040 still very active . I'd also like to 10:45.040 --> 10:48.100 recognize your your daughter Adriana , 10:48.100 --> 10:49.933 who's carrying on your legacy of 10:49.933 --> 10:53.020 military service . We're also joined 10:53.020 --> 10:56.120 today by ambassadors of partner 10:56.120 --> 10:58.970 Nations whose support has been 10:58.970 --> 11:02.560 invaluable in searching for and 11:02.560 --> 11:05.610 recovering our missing missing . So 11:05.610 --> 11:08.140 thanks to all of you for being here , 11:08.150 --> 11:11.360 we are tremendously grateful for your 11:11.360 --> 11:13.500 support and welcome to the pentagon 11:16.620 --> 11:18.787 to the family members of those who are 11:18.787 --> 11:22.300 still missing . You have shown an 11:22.310 --> 11:25.880 unimaginable strength amid terrible 11:25.890 --> 11:29.850 uncertainty and please know 11:29.850 --> 11:32.490 that your loved ones are always in our 11:32.490 --> 11:36.470 hearts and we are humbled by 11:36.620 --> 11:40.590 your fortitude through the long years 11:40.590 --> 11:44.460 of waiting . Every year on National P . 11:44.460 --> 11:47.180 O . W . And M . I . M I . A recognition 11:47.180 --> 11:50.580 day . We gather to honor american 11:50.580 --> 11:52.910 service members who were taken captive 11:54.030 --> 11:56.141 and to stand with the families of the 11:56.141 --> 12:00.040 missing and the unaccounted for and 12:00.040 --> 12:03.840 to renew our commitment to bring home 12:04.360 --> 12:05.680 our missing heroes . 12:08.620 --> 12:11.950 Just a few days ago , we saw how much 12:11.950 --> 12:14.960 this solemn mission matters As one 12:14.960 --> 12:17.200 American family got the chance to honor 12:17.270 --> 12:20.230 the heroic service of a loved one 12:21.520 --> 12:24.950 in 1943 . And in an Army Air Corps , 12:24.950 --> 12:27.160 lieutenant colonel named Addison baker 12:27.860 --> 12:30.027 was leading his pilots in a low flying 12:30.027 --> 12:32.700 attack on enemy controlled oilfields in 12:32.700 --> 12:36.310 Romania . As he neared his target , 12:36.380 --> 12:39.390 the enemy hit him with an anti aircraft 12:39.390 --> 12:42.450 shell . His plane was burning and 12:42.450 --> 12:45.010 damaged and he could have chosen to 12:45.010 --> 12:48.870 land . But Colonel baker 12:49.120 --> 12:51.400 was determined to complete the mission 12:52.950 --> 12:54.839 so he kept going until he hit his 12:54.839 --> 12:57.690 target , but afterwards his damaged 12:57.690 --> 12:59.990 plane tragically crashed into the town 12:59.990 --> 13:03.890 below . The following 13:03.890 --> 13:06.230 year , Colonel baker was posthumously 13:06.230 --> 13:09.190 awarded the medal of Honor for his 13:09.190 --> 13:12.680 valor and we're proud to have his name 13:12.680 --> 13:14.791 on the wall right here in the Hall of 13:14.791 --> 13:18.080 Heroes . Now the 13:18.080 --> 13:21.960 department never gave up on recovering 13:21.960 --> 13:25.860 his remains and nearly eight 13:25.860 --> 13:28.370 decades after his daring mission 13:29.310 --> 13:31.890 scientists at Offutt Air Force Base 13:32.950 --> 13:35.250 used innovative forensic techniques to 13:35.250 --> 13:38.830 identify him . And so this week his 13:38.830 --> 13:42.340 family got to say a proper goodbye and 13:42.340 --> 13:44.670 to bury Colonel baker at Arlington . 13:47.150 --> 13:49.150 And we have some of Colonel baker's 13:49.150 --> 13:52.760 family here with us . We welcome you to 13:52.760 --> 13:54.960 the pentagon and I absolutely enjoyed 13:54.960 --> 13:57.340 having the opportunity to meet with you 13:57.350 --> 14:00.800 earlier today . Thanks for your 14:00.800 --> 14:02.689 sacrifices , your patience , your 14:02.689 --> 14:05.220 determination , your great example of 14:05.220 --> 14:06.210 persistence . 14:13.100 --> 14:15.860 We all know how much this moment means 14:15.860 --> 14:19.180 to you and your family and we couldn't 14:19.180 --> 14:21.660 be prouder to be here with you today . 14:21.660 --> 14:24.650 So thanks for sharing this day with us 14:25.600 --> 14:29.590 you now . Over the years thousands 14:29.590 --> 14:31.534 of families have had the chance to 14:31.534 --> 14:35.120 honor loved ones who have been in 14:35.120 --> 14:38.530 prison or missing . And that's because 14:38.530 --> 14:40.308 of the dedicated work by public 14:40.308 --> 14:42.720 servants in this department and the 14:42.720 --> 14:45.420 service organizations that work 14:45.420 --> 14:48.340 alongside them . But we know that we 14:48.340 --> 14:50.507 have more work to do . A lot more work 14:50.507 --> 14:52.860 to do . As you heard . General 14:52.860 --> 14:55.550 Hawkinson say earlier , more than 14:55.560 --> 14:57.970 81,000 American service members and 14:57.970 --> 15:00.860 civilians remain unaccounted for 15:02.700 --> 15:04.978 And the experts that the defense P . O . 15:04.978 --> 15:06.978 W . M . I , a accounting agency say 15:06.978 --> 15:10.010 that nearly half of those may be 15:10.010 --> 15:13.420 recoverable . This is a monumental 15:13.420 --> 15:17.080 task , but it's also a sacred 15:17.080 --> 15:20.250 obligation because everyone who serves 15:20.250 --> 15:22.194 the United States military makes a 15:22.194 --> 15:24.306 solemn commitment to this country and 15:24.306 --> 15:27.100 their families do as well . And this 15:27.100 --> 15:29.760 country makes a solemn promise to them 15:29.770 --> 15:32.630 in return to provide the fullest 15:32.630 --> 15:35.290 possible accounting for anyone who goes 15:35.290 --> 15:38.330 missing in the line of duty . And it's 15:38.330 --> 15:40.890 our solemn obligation to do right by 15:40.890 --> 15:43.130 those who sacrifice to defend our 15:43.130 --> 15:46.000 security and our democracy . 15:49.270 --> 15:51.360 And so I'm incredibly grateful to 15:51.360 --> 15:54.620 everyone who works so hard to honor 15:54.630 --> 15:58.250 that commitment . Our experts said the 15:58.250 --> 16:00.180 defense P . O . W . M . I . A . 16:00.180 --> 16:03.180 Accounting agency work in 46 countries 16:04.220 --> 16:06.109 and they painstakingly search for 16:06.109 --> 16:08.770 remains and then use cutting edge 16:08.770 --> 16:10.714 forensic testing and techniques to 16:10.714 --> 16:13.680 identify the missing and our partners 16:13.680 --> 16:15.760 around the globe lin vital support 16:15.760 --> 16:18.800 including former foes that have become 16:18.800 --> 16:22.510 friends and family and veteran 16:22.510 --> 16:25.620 service organizations . Many of them 16:25.630 --> 16:28.560 here today shine a spotlight on this 16:28.560 --> 16:31.500 important cause and help us fulfill our 16:31.500 --> 16:34.010 pledge to those who have served 16:35.640 --> 16:39.060 these efforts combine innovation and 16:39.060 --> 16:42.590 skill with compassion and unwavering 16:42.590 --> 16:46.410 resolve all to ensure that 16:46.410 --> 16:49.790 America fulfills the sacred promise . 16:52.320 --> 16:54.542 Over the past year , the department has 16:54.542 --> 16:57.030 identified more than 150 missing 16:57.030 --> 17:00.040 individuals including Colonel baker 17:01.480 --> 17:03.950 and behind each successful 17:03.960 --> 17:07.330 identification is a family story . 17:08.330 --> 17:10.120 These are stories of pain and 17:10.120 --> 17:14.090 uncertainty , but also of hope 17:14.190 --> 17:17.350 and endurance and relief 17:18.420 --> 17:21.620 when long sought answers are finally 17:21.620 --> 17:25.560 found . The black 17:25.560 --> 17:27.900 and white flag that we fly in honor of 17:27.900 --> 17:30.430 our P . O . W . And M . O . S . M . I . 17:30.430 --> 17:34.140 S . Bears a simple but powerful message 17:34.140 --> 17:36.307 to the families of those still missing 17:38.300 --> 17:39.860 and to all those who serve 17:42.060 --> 17:45.610 into our nation . And that message is 17:45.610 --> 17:48.820 that we will never forget . We will 17:48.820 --> 17:52.610 never give up hope and we will never 17:52.620 --> 17:55.810 stop working to find answers and to 17:55.810 --> 17:57.700 bring home are missing 18:00.440 --> 18:03.020 and to all those who are taken captive 18:03.030 --> 18:07.000 and have come home . You have born 18:07.010 --> 18:10.810 unspeakable hardship with 18:10.810 --> 18:13.700 resilience and patriotism . 18:15.880 --> 18:17.650 We are enormously grateful 18:20.230 --> 18:22.520 and to the families of the captured and 18:22.520 --> 18:26.450 missing your strength 18:26.800 --> 18:30.270 and your faith inspire us every day . 18:32.670 --> 18:35.150 Thank you to all who sacrificed so much 18:35.150 --> 18:38.620 to keep this country safe and to ensure 18:38.620 --> 18:41.620 that we keep our most sacred pledge to 18:41.620 --> 18:43.250 the men and women who serve 18:45.730 --> 18:49.010 May God bless you and may God continue 18:49.010 --> 18:51.650 to bless the United States of America . 18:51.660 --> 18:52.890 Thank you very much . 19:08.750 --> 19:10.861 We're all family members representing 19:10.861 --> 19:12.806 prisoners of war and they're still 19:12.806 --> 19:14.972 missing in action . Please stand to be 19:14.972 --> 19:14.440 honored with a moment of silence . 19:37.810 --> 19:38.440 Thank you 19:41.600 --> 19:43.656 ladies and gentlemen , this includes 19:43.656 --> 19:45.822 the Department of Defense 2022 P . O . 19:45.822 --> 19:48.100 W . M . I . A recognition day ceremony . 19:48.100 --> 19:50.322 Thank you for joining us today . Please 19:50.322 --> 19:52.322 join us in the back of the room for 19:52.322 --> 19:51.860 some refreshments