WEBVTT 00:00.550 --> 00:04.489 Mayor Reed secretary and Mrs uh 00:04.500 --> 00:07.420 Austin , Doctor Judith Mor and our 00:07.429 --> 00:10.159 distinguished guest , ladies and 00:10.170 --> 00:12.420 gentlemen , as the installation 00:12.430 --> 00:15.140 commander for Maxwell Air Force Base 00:15.149 --> 00:18.360 and Gunner annex . It is truly an honor 00:18.450 --> 00:20.920 to represent the service members and 00:20.930 --> 00:23.479 families that serve our great nation . 00:24.530 --> 00:26.870 It is my pleasure to introduce a 00:26.879 --> 00:29.270 remarkable individual who has been a 00:29.280 --> 00:31.850 steadfast advocate for veterans , 00:32.119 --> 00:35.060 military members and their families and 00:35.069 --> 00:37.770 a tireless champion for education . 00:38.180 --> 00:42.000 Doctor Jill Biden at Maxwell Air Force 00:42.009 --> 00:43.787 Base . We understand the unique 00:43.787 --> 00:46.590 challenges that services and our 00:46.599 --> 00:49.779 country brings our military members and 00:49.790 --> 00:52.409 their families endure high operations , 00:52.419 --> 00:56.200 tempos , family separations , frequent 00:56.209 --> 00:59.689 relocations and oftentimes a weight of 00:59.700 --> 01:03.270 uncertainty with great partnerships in 01:03.279 --> 01:05.501 our local community , with the state of 01:05.501 --> 01:08.480 Alabama , the River region and the 01:08.489 --> 01:11.000 Department of Education Activity . We 01:11.010 --> 01:13.379 have continuously worked together to 01:13.389 --> 01:15.959 provide educational opportunities and 01:15.970 --> 01:18.360 resources to our military families . 01:19.019 --> 01:21.680 Doctor Biden has shown that she deeply 01:21.690 --> 01:23.760 understands the challenges faced by 01:23.769 --> 01:26.400 military families . She has made it her 01:26.410 --> 01:28.949 mission to shine a light on the needs 01:28.959 --> 01:31.419 of service members and their loved ones 01:31.889 --> 01:35.680 through her leadership in 01:35.690 --> 01:38.160 joining forces , a nationwide 01:38.169 --> 01:41.500 initiative that she co-founded in 2011 . 01:41.760 --> 01:44.309 Doctor Biden has focused on improving 01:44.319 --> 01:47.790 education , employment and wellness for 01:47.800 --> 01:50.540 our military families . She serves our 01:50.550 --> 01:54.010 veterans and our caregivers . Her work 01:54.019 --> 01:56.959 directly impacted countless lives , 01:56.970 --> 01:59.610 reminding us that families behind the 01:59.620 --> 02:02.459 uniform are an essential part of our 02:02.470 --> 02:06.250 nation's defense . Beyond her advocacy 02:06.260 --> 02:08.750 for military families , Doctor Biden's 02:08.759 --> 02:11.220 commitment to education is truly 02:11.229 --> 02:14.699 inspiring a lifelong educator with a 02:14.710 --> 02:17.380 passion for teaching . She believes 02:17.389 --> 02:20.000 that education is the foundation of a 02:20.009 --> 02:23.250 strong and empowered society , whether 02:23.259 --> 02:25.679 she's in the classroom or working on 02:25.690 --> 02:28.089 her national initiatives . Doctor 02:28.100 --> 02:30.399 Biden's dedication to students and 02:30.410 --> 02:33.919 teachers has remained unwaver . She has 02:33.929 --> 02:36.440 consistently used her platform to 02:36.449 --> 02:39.250 ensure that everyone has access to the 02:39.259 --> 02:42.100 education that they deserve . Doctor 02:42.110 --> 02:44.320 Biden has bought her compassion , 02:44.490 --> 02:47.419 leadership and vision to every role 02:47.429 --> 02:50.119 that she has undertaken her ability to 02:50.130 --> 02:52.000 balance the demands of being an 02:52.009 --> 02:55.410 educator . The first lady and a staunch 02:55.419 --> 02:57.910 advocate for military families is 02:57.919 --> 03:01.110 nothing short of extraordinary . She 03:01.119 --> 03:04.740 reminds us all the power of service to 03:04.750 --> 03:08.339 our country , our community and in our 03:08.350 --> 03:11.229 classrooms . Ladies and gentlemen , it 03:11.240 --> 03:13.910 is my privilege to introduce to you , 03:14.130 --> 03:16.830 the first lady of the United States of 03:16.839 --> 03:19.380 America . Doctor Jill Biden . 03:24.309 --> 03:26.649 Hi , how are you ? 03:28.429 --> 03:31.289 Thank you . Good afternoon . You know , 03:31.300 --> 03:33.880 I've never taught early education and 03:33.889 --> 03:36.139 God bless all those who work with the 03:36.149 --> 03:39.330 littlest learners . Uh because when I 03:39.339 --> 03:41.395 saw in the classroom , my God , they 03:41.395 --> 03:43.617 have those kids have so much energy . I 03:43.617 --> 03:45.672 don't think I would have made it all 03:45.672 --> 03:47.728 this time with all the little ones . 03:47.728 --> 03:49.783 But many years ago , I was a reading 03:49.783 --> 03:51.839 specialist in , uh , for high school 03:51.839 --> 03:54.006 students . And even though they worked 03:54.006 --> 03:56.117 hard and they wanted to learn many of 03:56.117 --> 03:58.500 my students , uh , could barely read a 03:58.509 --> 04:01.649 sentence and they faced enormous 04:01.660 --> 04:04.130 obstacles all because they didn't have 04:04.139 --> 04:07.789 a strong foundation to build upon . So , 04:07.800 --> 04:10.089 if we want kids to succeed in school 04:10.100 --> 04:12.320 and their careers , if we wanna set 04:12.330 --> 04:14.660 them on a lifelong path for learning , 04:14.720 --> 04:17.470 we need to invest in them from the very 04:17.480 --> 04:19.750 beginning throughout Joe's 04:19.760 --> 04:22.589 administration , he has pushed for free 04:22.600 --> 04:26.350 high quality preschool across America 04:26.690 --> 04:29.109 and he and the Department of Defense 04:29.119 --> 04:31.290 have gotten it done for military 04:31.299 --> 04:34.059 students . We're here today to 04:34.070 --> 04:37.720 celebrate something big military kids 04:37.730 --> 04:40.589 at Maxwell Air Force Base and at 80 04:40.600 --> 04:43.890 military schools across the country and 04:43.899 --> 04:47.640 abroad now have access to full 04:47.890 --> 04:51.480 day pre-kindergarten . Thank you . 04:57.350 --> 04:59.730 So thank you , Colonel Tolliver for the 04:59.739 --> 05:03.179 warm welcome to Maxwell . Uh It's great 05:03.190 --> 05:05.649 to be here with Mayor Reed and Mrs Reed 05:05.660 --> 05:07.940 and Mayor Reed . I appreciate your 05:07.950 --> 05:11.260 leadership in Montgomery to Charlene 05:11.269 --> 05:14.260 Austin and Secretary Austin . Thank you 05:14.269 --> 05:17.070 for your service to our nation and it 05:17.079 --> 05:19.779 was wonderful to he to tour the school 05:19.790 --> 05:23.160 with you and see students learning . So , 05:23.170 --> 05:25.839 providing universal pre K is among the 05:25.850 --> 05:29.459 defining issues of our time . And 05:29.470 --> 05:31.820 what's happening at Maxwell is part of 05:31.829 --> 05:34.279 the blueprint for making high quality 05:34.290 --> 05:38.130 preschool available to every three 05:38.140 --> 05:42.049 and four year old in America . Now , 05:42.059 --> 05:44.660 one of the ways we lift up students is 05:44.670 --> 05:48.369 by supporting our educators and making 05:48.380 --> 05:51.040 sure that they have the resources they 05:51.049 --> 05:53.579 need and that their voices are heard . 05:54.269 --> 05:56.649 I know that Maxwell is only about a 05:56.660 --> 06:00.549 month into this new pre K program . How 06:00.559 --> 06:04.220 many of you have kids here ? Oh , most 06:04.230 --> 06:06.341 of you . Oh , that's great . So you , 06:06.341 --> 06:08.452 you've seen the program , we've lived 06:08.452 --> 06:10.809 it and implementing anything new , 06:10.820 --> 06:13.450 takes hard work and that's why we have 06:13.459 --> 06:17.130 come together to get this right . So , 06:17.140 --> 06:19.429 uh , as the colonel said , I created my 06:19.440 --> 06:21.820 White House initiative , joining forces 06:21.950 --> 06:24.230 to support military and veteran 06:24.239 --> 06:26.630 families , caregivers and survivors . 06:26.989 --> 06:29.045 And over the years I've sat down , I 06:29.045 --> 06:32.089 think with hundreds of men and women in 06:32.100 --> 06:35.570 uniform and their loved ones to listen . 06:36.059 --> 06:38.820 And then I took all of your stories 06:38.829 --> 06:41.589 back to my husband Joe and he got to 06:41.600 --> 06:45.000 work and he's had a great partner in 06:45.010 --> 06:48.040 Secretary Austin . And over the last 06:48.049 --> 06:50.329 four years , the Biden administration 06:50.399 --> 06:53.609 has lowered the cost of childcare for 06:53.619 --> 06:57.350 military families , expend expanded 06:57.359 --> 07:00.329 parental leave and made it easier for 07:00.339 --> 07:03.609 military spouses to keep their 07:03.619 --> 07:05.760 jobs when they move . 07:11.329 --> 07:13.600 So , making life a little easy for ma 07:13.619 --> 07:15.880 little easier for military families is 07:15.890 --> 07:18.959 not only the right thing to do . It's a 07:18.970 --> 07:22.040 national security imperative to the 07:22.049 --> 07:25.200 military families here today , Joe and 07:25.209 --> 07:27.359 I know that your commitment to this 07:27.369 --> 07:31.119 country never wavers and you deserve 07:31.130 --> 07:33.519 that same devotion from your commander 07:33.529 --> 07:36.589 in chief , the president and I stand 07:36.600 --> 07:39.839 with you today . And all the days ahead , 07:40.929 --> 07:44.209 the late Frances Hesselbein was a 07:44.220 --> 07:46.880 trailblazing leader . And for many 07:46.890 --> 07:49.350 years , she was the CEO of the girl 07:49.359 --> 07:52.549 scouts , opening up new education 07:52.559 --> 07:55.529 opportunities to young girls . What you 07:55.540 --> 07:59.269 may not know is that she advised many 07:59.279 --> 08:02.929 us military officers on what it meant 08:02.940 --> 08:06.540 to be a leader . And so she was one of 08:06.549 --> 08:10.399 secretary Austin's mentors and they may 08:10.410 --> 08:13.609 have looked like an odd pair . Francis 08:13.619 --> 08:16.390 was even shorter than I am and so 08:16.399 --> 08:20.239 standing . How tall was she ? Oh , that 08:20.250 --> 08:23.529 big . Ok . So it's one of the things 08:23.540 --> 08:26.339 that I admire most about the secretary 08:26.600 --> 08:28.809 that willingness to seek out fresh 08:28.820 --> 08:31.369 perspectives and bring new depth to 08:31.380 --> 08:34.450 everything that he does . Francis loved 08:34.460 --> 08:38.080 to say to serve is to live well , 08:38.090 --> 08:41.500 Secretary Austin over your four decade 08:41.510 --> 08:44.200 career in the army and as your time as 08:44.210 --> 08:47.119 secretary of Defense , you have lived 08:47.130 --> 08:50.159 the truth in those words , many times 08:50.169 --> 08:53.380 over Joe and I are grateful for the way 08:53.390 --> 08:57.369 that you and Charlene always take 08:57.380 --> 09:00.640 care of people . So now I'd like to 09:00.650 --> 09:03.190 give you Secretary Austin . Thank you . 09:14.570 --> 09:16.570 Well , thank you , Doctor Biden for 09:16.570 --> 09:19.969 those inspiring words . And it's 09:19.979 --> 09:22.070 wonderful to be here at Maxwell 09:22.080 --> 09:25.909 Elementary Middle School , Go Eagles . 09:31.080 --> 09:34.530 It felt pretty good , you know , I was 09:34.539 --> 09:37.590 born in Alabama and it's good to be 09:37.599 --> 09:41.349 back , especially at such a great time 09:41.359 --> 09:43.690 of year because we all know that there 09:43.700 --> 09:47.549 are four seasons , right . Winter , 09:47.559 --> 09:51.479 spring , summer and football . That's 09:51.489 --> 09:54.669 right . That's right . Thank you , 09:54.679 --> 09:57.539 Colonel Toliver , Doctor Hyde . Uh , 09:57.549 --> 10:00.690 thanks for hosting us and 10:01.109 --> 10:03.570 thanks to the , the teachers and the 10:03.580 --> 10:06.460 staff , we really appreciate all that 10:06.469 --> 10:09.950 you do . I hope that everyone is off to 10:09.960 --> 10:13.000 a fantastic start uh to the school year . 10:14.119 --> 10:16.729 And while I'm at it , let me give a 10:16.739 --> 10:19.659 special shout out to Mrs Quinn's 10:19.669 --> 10:23.650 kindergarten home room because they've 10:23.659 --> 10:25.659 checked out the most books from the 10:25.659 --> 10:29.369 library , you know , so 10:29.380 --> 10:32.090 keep it up , keep it up . 10:34.840 --> 10:36.840 It's also great to be here with our 10:36.840 --> 10:40.679 first lady America knows Doctor 10:40.690 --> 10:43.010 Biden as a great educator and role 10:43.020 --> 10:46.000 model . But in the Department of 10:46.010 --> 10:48.159 Defense , we are also grateful to her 10:49.849 --> 10:52.409 as a long time champion of our military 10:52.419 --> 10:56.409 families and our veterans . Her joining 10:56.419 --> 10:59.950 forces initiative has made a real 10:59.960 --> 11:02.127 difference for our service members and 11:02.127 --> 11:06.080 their families . She's a military mom 11:07.140 --> 11:09.140 and the daughter of a World War Two 11:09.140 --> 11:12.630 veteran . So she has always 11:12.640 --> 11:16.109 known that our military families serve 11:16.119 --> 11:18.119 right alongside their loved ones in 11:18.119 --> 11:21.619 uniform and no one , 11:22.450 --> 11:25.549 it's more dedicated to our military in 11:25.559 --> 11:29.070 our veterans than President Biden and 11:29.080 --> 11:32.580 Dr Biden because our first 11:32.590 --> 11:36.109 family is also a military 11:36.119 --> 11:38.979 family . So Doctor Biden , 11:40.130 --> 11:41.852 thanks for all that you do for 11:41.852 --> 11:45.229 America's troops , veterans and 11:45.239 --> 11:47.869 military families . Thank you very much . 11:54.559 --> 11:56.670 You know , the United States military 11:56.670 --> 11:58.781 is , has the strongest and the finest 11:58.781 --> 12:01.969 fighting force on earth because 12:03.479 --> 12:07.409 we have the best team . And that means 12:08.830 --> 12:10.663 not just our outstanding service 12:10.663 --> 12:13.909 members , but also your 12:13.919 --> 12:16.580 spouses , your Children and your loved 12:16.590 --> 12:20.479 ones . And the Department of Defense 12:21.809 --> 12:25.450 owes you our full support . That you 12:25.460 --> 12:29.219 heard Dr Biden say I had a brief 41 12:29.229 --> 12:32.210 year career in the United States Army . 12:34.059 --> 12:37.830 So this is personal for me . And I 12:37.840 --> 12:39.951 know firsthand how much we ask of our 12:39.951 --> 12:43.650 troops and all your families . And I 12:43.659 --> 12:45.770 wanna thank my wife Charlene , who is 12:45.770 --> 12:48.609 here with us today and believe me , she 12:48.619 --> 12:52.109 knows how much we ask of our military 12:52.119 --> 12:55.469 families . So when I became Secretary 12:55.479 --> 12:57.960 of Defense , I made taking care of 12:57.969 --> 13:01.369 people , one of my top priorities , my 13:01.380 --> 13:04.609 team and I started by just listening 13:05.700 --> 13:09.390 and we asked at all levels and 13:09.400 --> 13:11.789 across all services , 13:13.130 --> 13:17.039 what can we do better ? What would make 13:17.049 --> 13:20.919 your lives easier ? And we had 13:21.289 --> 13:23.210 an outpouring of ideas , 13:24.809 --> 13:26.698 suggestions directly from service 13:26.698 --> 13:28.753 members and their families just like 13:28.753 --> 13:31.429 you . And over the past 13:32.140 --> 13:36.010 3.5 years , my team has listened 13:36.020 --> 13:39.440 to you and we rolled up our sleeves 13:40.580 --> 13:43.960 and turn your ideas into real progress . 13:45.640 --> 13:49.340 For starters . We raised our troops 13:49.349 --> 13:51.950 pay by nearly 10% . Over the past two 13:51.960 --> 13:55.900 years , we cut prices 13:55.909 --> 13:58.076 at our commissary , saving you as much 13:58.080 --> 14:00.770 as 25% over local grocery stores . 14:02.880 --> 14:06.239 And we increased basic allowance for 14:06.250 --> 14:09.630 housing rates . And so we heard loud 14:09.640 --> 14:12.770 and clear that the families juggling 14:12.780 --> 14:15.159 work and raising kids need affordable 14:15.169 --> 14:18.109 childcare and and and quality early 14:18.119 --> 14:22.039 childhood education . So 14:22.049 --> 14:25.510 we cut costs and we added dependent 14:25.830 --> 14:29.729 care , flexible spending accounts and 14:29.739 --> 14:33.500 we started universal pre K programs at 14:33.510 --> 14:36.049 our Outstanding Dodea schools like 14:36.479 --> 14:38.423 Maxwell Elementary Middle School . 14:45.479 --> 14:47.500 I'm especially proud of our Dodea 14:47.559 --> 14:50.780 schools . Our tremendous teachers and 14:50.789 --> 14:52.845 administrators understand the unique 14:52.845 --> 14:54.900 needs of military Children and their 14:54.900 --> 14:58.479 families in our schools consistently 14:58.489 --> 15:01.750 rank well above average on national 15:01.760 --> 15:05.419 standards . So to our Dodea 15:05.429 --> 15:08.950 teammates , thanks for all that you do 15:09.989 --> 15:13.979 for our military Children , you 15:13.989 --> 15:16.211 know . Yeah , let's give him a round of 15:16.211 --> 15:16.059 applause . 15:21.710 --> 15:24.330 This department wants all of our people 15:24.340 --> 15:28.119 to succeed . So we're doing more to 15:28.130 --> 15:30.479 improve your quality of life in , in 15:30.489 --> 15:32.433 many areas , other areas as well . 15:33.960 --> 15:35.960 We're beefing up the amount that we 15:35.960 --> 15:38.960 spend on barracks . We're speeding up 15:38.969 --> 15:42.859 maintenance projects . We're offering 15:42.869 --> 15:45.210 more digital health health tools and 15:45.219 --> 15:48.020 including telemedicine . So you can 15:48.030 --> 15:51.650 access care in ways that work for your 15:51.659 --> 15:54.950 family and to make moves 15:55.659 --> 15:57.849 a little easier and we know you move a 15:57.859 --> 16:00.919 lot , but to make moves a little easier , 16:01.710 --> 16:03.766 the department has extended the time 16:03.766 --> 16:06.609 frame for temporary lodging expenses 16:07.979 --> 16:10.257 and increase the dislocation allowance . 16:11.789 --> 16:15.580 We also heard over and over again how 16:15.590 --> 16:17.979 hard it can be for military spouses to 16:17.989 --> 16:21.750 keep finding good jobs , especially 16:21.760 --> 16:23.816 when you're having to move from duty 16:23.816 --> 16:27.369 station to duty station . So we 16:27.380 --> 16:30.340 expanded spouse employment programs 16:31.340 --> 16:33.507 and we're helping to make professional 16:33.507 --> 16:37.059 licenses , portable and opening more 16:37.070 --> 16:40.979 paths to remote work . And so those 16:40.989 --> 16:43.150 are just some of the ways that we're 16:43.559 --> 16:46.010 making life a little easier for service 16:46.020 --> 16:47.631 members and their families . 16:50.130 --> 16:52.669 But I also wanna talk about the 16:52.679 --> 16:54.790 important work that the department is 16:54.790 --> 16:56.919 doing to help keep our people healthy 16:56.929 --> 16:59.739 and safe all of our people . 17:01.309 --> 17:03.031 We've implemented the approved 17:03.031 --> 17:06.310 recommendations of the Independent 17:06.319 --> 17:08.599 Review Commission on , on sexual 17:08.609 --> 17:12.030 assault in the military and we took the 17:12.040 --> 17:14.262 prosecution of sexual assault and other 17:14.262 --> 17:16.429 serious crimes outside of the chain of 17:16.429 --> 17:20.270 command . Now , that is the most 17:20.280 --> 17:23.250 important reform to our military 17:23.260 --> 17:26.510 justice system since the creation of 17:26.520 --> 17:28.742 the uniform code of military justice in 17:28.742 --> 17:32.199 1950 and make no 17:32.209 --> 17:35.859 mistake . There is no place 17:36.060 --> 17:39.589 for sexual assault , harassment 17:39.939 --> 17:43.030 or abuse in the United States military . 17:46.000 --> 17:49.369 Meanwhile , we're tracking the urgent 17:49.380 --> 17:52.040 challenge of preventing suicide in our 17:52.050 --> 17:55.410 ranks . We're working to 17:55.459 --> 17:57.300 increase access to mental and 17:57.310 --> 18:00.430 behavioral health care and to support 18:00.439 --> 18:02.709 those with wounds that you can't see on 18:02.719 --> 18:06.660 the outside and to end the tired 18:06.670 --> 18:10.229 old stigma of asking for help . You 18:10.239 --> 18:12.709 know , we've already hired more than 18:12.739 --> 18:16.270 1000 professionals to work full time on 18:16.280 --> 18:18.829 preventing harmful behaviors in the 18:18.839 --> 18:22.729 force . Now , I 18:22.739 --> 18:26.349 am really proud of that progress but 18:26.359 --> 18:29.290 having said that we will not let up . 18:30.530 --> 18:32.770 And today , I'm pleased to announce a 18:32.780 --> 18:34.891 new set of initiatives to do right by 18:34.891 --> 18:38.839 our people . First President 18:38.849 --> 18:42.160 Biden's budget request for 2025 18:42.969 --> 18:45.780 ask for another 18:45.790 --> 18:48.739 4.5% pay raise for our troops 18:50.050 --> 18:52.310 on top of the nearly 10% pay raise over 18:52.319 --> 18:55.770 the past two years , we're setting up 18:55.780 --> 18:57.558 health care , flexible spending 18:57.558 --> 19:00.040 accounts to help cover the co the cost 19:00.050 --> 19:02.630 of other things like deductibles and 19:02.640 --> 19:05.329 co-pays and prescription glasses or 19:05.339 --> 19:08.790 braces and we're 19:08.800 --> 19:12.520 investing and even more in our child 19:12.530 --> 19:16.050 care workforce so that we can 19:16.060 --> 19:18.180 attract and retain the best 19:18.189 --> 19:20.300 professionals to care for your kids . 19:20.520 --> 19:23.290 Now , Doctor Biden and I and Charlene 19:23.300 --> 19:26.660 just saw a classic example of 19:27.400 --> 19:29.939 incredible professionalism and the 19:29.949 --> 19:32.699 people that we witnessed engaging uh 19:32.709 --> 19:34.859 with , with , with your youngsters 19:34.869 --> 19:38.599 today . It is absolutely impressive . 19:40.510 --> 19:42.900 And for our military spouses , I'm 19:42.910 --> 19:46.880 expanding eligibility for the 19:46.890 --> 19:49.500 My Career advancement account program 19:50.770 --> 19:52.829 and that program provides financial 19:52.839 --> 19:55.290 assistance to pursue a professional 19:55.300 --> 19:57.709 license or an associate's degree . 19:59.359 --> 20:01.303 We're also expanding the temporary 20:01.303 --> 20:04.479 lodging expense even more and we're 20:04.489 --> 20:06.267 improving the temporary lodging 20:06.267 --> 20:09.439 allowance for moves , moves from back 20:09.449 --> 20:12.569 overseas and finally 20:13.420 --> 20:17.099 to help our people stay connected and 20:17.109 --> 20:19.329 move toward a Wi Fi connected joint 20:19.339 --> 20:22.500 force . We're rolling out access to 20:22.510 --> 20:24.839 free Wi Fi in selected barracks , 20:25.930 --> 20:28.160 starting with new pilot pro uh projects 20:28.170 --> 20:30.930 and , and building out and in case 20:30.939 --> 20:34.709 you're wondering , yes , you can stream 20:34.719 --> 20:35.719 sports with it . 20:40.160 --> 20:42.216 Those are just some of the ways that 20:42.216 --> 20:44.271 we're making life better for you and 20:44.271 --> 20:48.170 your families . But look , we 20:48.180 --> 20:51.750 can never repay , fully 20:51.760 --> 20:54.709 repay our troops for the 20:54.719 --> 20:57.890 sacrifices that you and your families 20:57.900 --> 21:00.250 make every single day . 21:01.739 --> 21:05.329 But rest assured that we will never 21:05.339 --> 21:08.969 stop trying and as long as you 21:08.979 --> 21:12.920 serve and as long as your families hold 21:12.930 --> 21:15.829 down the home front , the Department of 21:15.839 --> 21:18.829 Defense and the United States will 21:18.839 --> 21:22.780 stand with you . And as the first lady 21:22.790 --> 21:25.660 said , we are working every day 21:27.030 --> 21:29.530 so that you never have to choose 21:29.540 --> 21:32.579 between your love of country 21:33.729 --> 21:37.199 and your love of family . Now , that's 21:37.209 --> 21:40.089 more than a goal . It's more than a 21:40.099 --> 21:43.640 promise . It is our sacred duty . 21:45.939 --> 21:48.170 May God bless all of our troops and 21:48.180 --> 21:51.339 your families . Thank you very much .