that the younger generation really is looking to to understand that they weren't welcome home the same way and there's a lot of issues. glad he threw that welcome home and there. thinking of all the generations of veterans now. host: nancy in nebraska. welcome to the conversation. caller: thank you for taking my call. -- >> we are live at madison square park in new york city, present troublemaking remarks here for veterans day and participating in a wreathlaying before the parade begins. father, a leader in the veterans community, working tirelessly on behalf of the united war veterans council. ladies and gentlemen, our leader, our friend, our chairman , doug mccowan. >> how are you today?

good morning, new york city and good morning america. today is a centennial new york city veterans day parade. for 100 years, americans of come together on this day to honor america's veterans and their families. on veterans day, we start the conversation with thank you for your service. we continue the conversation with a friendly how can i help? how are you doing? tell me about yourself. today is not about charity, it's about honoring the best and brightest talent has to offer. veterans have a proven ability to lead. we are highly trained and skilled workers. we know how to collaborate with our peers and deliver positive outcomes. as chairman of the united war veterans council and the producer of today centennial parade, i welcome you. they say freedom is not free, well it is not.

80's hard to achieve and it's even harder to maintain. today, youaudience know this is you've lived at. on behalf of the city of new york, the united war veterans council, are assembled via sows and corporate sponsors. thank you for your service and we are ready to listen. that's chairman i would like to thank our commander-in-chief, president trump for your continuous support about parade and -- in the typical 1980's, you stood fast in support of our efforts as others work hard to suppress us. mid-1990's, the parade was having difficulty and you were there. again the late 90's into the early to thousands and now today on our centennial. mr. president, first lady melania trump, commandant burger, sergeant major the marine corps, senator schumer,

governor cuomo, mayor de blasio, representative's of the department of defense and secret service, are grand marshal's, are cochairs of the centennial new york city veterans day parade committee, commissioner james hendon and mr. bruce mosley or, new york city law board,ment, dod, the operations team and volunteers, guests and all of our families and specifically my wife paula, daughters claudia and olivia, mother brenda, father vince and brothers matt and zach, we are indeed a fortunate country with much to be grateful for. so heavy is the way to freedom, all around us are men and women willing to carry it. it is now my distinct pleasure to introduce to the podium, the chairman of the commander-in-chief host committee and the lead benefactor of our centennial parade, the ceo and chairman of

brown acquisitions at a great american patriot, please join me in welcoming mr. stanley scherrer. [applause] >> will they always say, be careful what you wish for. and i'm careful. good morning. it is my pleasure to be here with you today at this very special event, the 100th annual veterans day parade in new york city. thank you to the chairman of the united war veterans council and to my friend bill for introducing me to the united war veterans council and for all he's done for the nation's veterans. at this historic centennial ,elebration of veterans day we've chosen to honor five grand

marshal's. who represent the world war ii generation to the 9/11 generation and every generation of soldier, sailor, marine and coast guard and airmen in between. woody williams, her shimmy a maura, rob kerry, teddy roy and zach. thank you for being here on behalf of your brothers and sisters in arms. the commandant of the marine corps general david berger is also joining us as honorary grand marshal. fiveank him and all of the grand marshal for being here today. i would also like to sincerely thank all of my fellow patriots who are supporting this great event, especially best-selling author and patriot -- navy seal eric brents. fedex ceo and marine veteran fred smith and a great anonymous -- made ourmade out event such a great success today

for the united war veterans council. we are fortunate to be joined today by our commander-in-chief, president donald j. trump. and the first lady, melania trump. the first sitting president to attend the veterans day parade, which speaks volumes to his commitment to you, our veterans, and active duty military. there is truly no greater supporter of the united states armed forces then our 45th president. always had ahas special relationship with the military. and specifically with the new york city veterans day parade. over 25 years ago, donald trump he is continued that special relationship by making veterans affairs a priority since the moment he was sworn in as president of the united states. the men and women of our military put their lives on the line every day while on aft --

while on active duty. billy their own family and friends at home. understands the sacrifice you, our warriors, make to this country. since day one of his ministration he has made every effort to ensure that when you return home, you are protected, supported, and given the resources you need in order to thrive and prosper. affairs veterans accountability and the whistleblower protection act to the v.a. mission act, president trump has worked tirelessly to certified a better way of life for our service members once they return to private life. here is the best part. to the veterans of the united states army, navy, marine corps, air force and coast guard, thank you for your service. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, it is now

my great honor and indeed a privilege to introduce our commander-in-chief. he is accompanied by the commandant and the sergeant major of marine corps's and an extraordinary first lady, melania trump. please join me in welcoming the president of the united states, my dear friend, donald j. trump. [applause] ♪

pres. trump: thank you very much and thank you for your tremendous support of this wonderful parade. today we come together as one nation to salute the veterans of the united states armed forces, the greatest warriors to ever walk the face of the earth. our veterans risked everything for us, now it is our duty to serve and protect them every single day of our lives. it is truly an honor to come back to new york city right here at madison square park to be the first president ever to attend america's parade. [applause] pres. trump: to every veteran

with us for the thousands bearing to martin fifth avenue, it will be something into the 18 million veterans across our country, the first lady and i have come to express the everlasting love and loyalty of 327 million americans. i want to recognize the department of veterans affairs deputy secretary james byrne for joining us. thank you james. great job. pleased to report that our administration and all of the work we've done, the veteran satisfaction with the v.a. is it 90%, the highest rate ever recorded in the history of this particular program and that is awfully good and we are proud of you and the secretary, thank. great job. [applause] also with us as new york city mayor bill de blasio.

thank you very much mr. mayor. [applause] pres. trump: along with many other distinguished guests. thanks as well to everyone at the united war veterans council for putting on this incredible event, including bill white, doug mccowan and a very special acknowledgment to someone who has devoted his life to this parade, marine vietnam veteran vince mccowan, thank you very much. [applause] >> thank -- pres. trump: thank you. thanks to each of you and all the supporters whose generosity will make this possible. tremendous amount of work have been done and tremendous frankly amounts of money has been donated and we appreciate it and stanley. we are very glad to be joined as well by the honorary grand marshal of the parade, marine corps commandant general david berger and the sergeant major of the marine corps, troy black. thank you. [applause]

let us also show our profound appreciation to the 2019 grand marshal's of the parade who have served in world war ii, korea, vietnam, the gulf war and iraq. this morning is more than 30,000 patriotic americans lined the streets of manhattan, we carry on a noble tradition that began one century ago. in 1919, the people of this city filled block after block to welcome home general pershing and is 25,000 american soldiers after victory in world war i. before, many of those soldiers had boarded ships not far from here at hoboken port, more than 4 million americans boarded -- supported the great war and more than 116,000 made the ultimate sacrifice. dayhe 11th hour of the 11th

of the 11th month in 1918, the armistice was declared and the war had come to an end and the allies achieved a great victory. every year -- every year since on november 11, we have shared our nation's deepest praise and gratitude to every citizen who is worn the uniform of the american army, navy, air force, coast guard, and marines. we are profoundly moved to have with us veterans of world war ii, including one of the grand marshal's, woody williams. thank you. [applause] pres. trump: thank you very much. war, the gloryhe of your needs will only grow greater with -- deeds will only grow greater. this nation is forever in your

debt and we thank you all. we are also pleased to be joined by veterans of the korean war, the vietnam war, the gulf war, the war on terror, you are the reason our hearts swell with pride, our foes tremble with fear, and our nation thrives. will you please stand so that we can honor your heroic service please. [applause] pres. trump: thank you very much. thank you all. highlightshis parade one branch of our military. this year we honor the elite masters of their, land, and see, the legendary leathernecks. the feared devil dogs. the first to flight, the united

states marines. let's hear it. that's good. yesterday we celebrated the to 44 birthday. that's pretty good. -- 244 birthday. the few and the proud are always faithful. and they always win. i also want to thank the marine corps law enforcement foundation which provides scholarships to children of our fallen heroes. to every goldstar family, we will stand by your side forever, it is very fitting that the veterans day parade begins right here in new york city since the earliest days of our nation, new york has exemplified the american spirit and has been at the heart of our nation's story. of daring and defiance.

1776, the british armada sailed into new york harbor numbering more than 400 ships and carrying more than 30,000 men. the british came here to snub out what they thought was just a minor american revolution. didn't turn out to be that way. , whate redcoats did know they did know was they were going to have a problem but they didn't know the new york would meet them with the fearsome power of american patriots. in world war i, new york, regiments like harlem, the lost 69thlion and the fighting were revered all over the globe. during world war ii, 63 million tons of supplies and more than 3 million service members shipped out of new york harbor.

2001, the whole world saw the horror and responded to america's wicked enemies with unwavering courage, unbreakable spirit, and resolved that is deeper than oceans, fiercer than fires, and stronger than steel. was honored to award the presidential citizens metal to an extraordinary american. rick enlisted at the recruiting center in times square, became a great war hero in vietnam and then became head of security at morgan stanley in the world trade center. on september 11, he saved 2700 lives before giving his own. today we are immensely grateful ,o be joined by his son trevor thank you, trevor.

thank you very much. [applause] pres. trump: thank you. ,o trevor and every 9/11 family we pledge to never, ever forget. the towering spirit of strength we see in this city lives within the heart of every american warrior. forge tosnow of valley the jungles of vietnam. --m the forest abella would from the mounds of afghanistan to the deserts of iraq, that spirit has helped our fighters fascism,rants, conquer vanquish communism and face down terrorism. ago, americanks special forces raided the isis compound and brought the world's number one terrorist leader to justice.

warriors, herican is dead, his second in charge is dead, we have eyes on number three, his reign of terror is over and our enemies are running very, very, scared. thank you. those who threaten our people don't stand a chance against the righteous might of the american military. mark theweeks, we will 75th anniversary of the battle of the bulge, our nation's bloodiest battle of world war ii. more than 47,000 americans were wounded and 19,000 gave their last breath. today by adly joined veteran of the battle of the bulge, a native new yorker who is 94 years old and still going very strong corporal jack fully

-- corporal jack. [applause] pres. trump: you look good, jack. you look good. jack enlisted right out of high school. he fought through brutal months of the campaign in northern france. on christmas eve after marching nearly 100 miles in the snow in subzero temperatures, he arrived outside the town of bastogne. for two weeks he fought under cecil's artillery fire and helped push the enemy back from a critical road. at one point, a mine blew up and it destroyed his vehicle, badly hurting many. he was wounded three times, but he kept on fighting. after the allied victory at the battle of the bulge, jack fought for the remaining nine months of the war across the siegfried

line, up the mosul river through the rhineland and all the way across german elite until he reached -- across germany until he reached the concentration camp. the first nazi camp to be liberated. that was number one. that was a big event. as jack has said about the battle of the bulge, when the chips were down, the situation was desperate. the american soldiers stood up to be counted. for a brief moment in history, these men held our nation's destiny in their hands. we did not fail. thank you very much. [applause] pres. trump: corporal, we will forever be proud of what you and your fellow soldiers achieved for all of humanity. also here with us today is

lauren matthews, the granddaughter of a battle of the bulge veteran who has since passed away. his name was master sergeant ronnie edmonds. like so many of our veterans, he never talked about the war, laura never knew her grandfather's story until she embarked on a school project about 10 years ago. 422nd regiment which was overwhelmed when they -- when the nazis launched a surprise assault. he and his men fought for three treacherous days before being taken as prisoners of war and after they arrived at a prison camp, the german commander sent ,n order over the loudspeaker the jewish-american soldiers were all told to step out of line during roll call the next day. knowing the terrible fate that would come to his jewish comrades, roddy immediately said

we are not doing that. he sent orders to have every american step out of line with their jewish brothers in arms. ,1290 americanng step forward. german commander stepped forward and said they cannot all be jews. roddy stared right back and said we are all jews here. german put a, the gun to roddy's head and demanded, you will order the jews to step forward immediately or i will shoot you right now through the head. major, you can shoot me, but you will have to kill us all. [applause] pres. trump: the german turned

red, got very angry, but put his .un down and walked away master sergeant edmonds saved 200 jewish americans soldiers that day. so proud to be jewish and so proud of our country. lauren, thank you for being here today as we remember your grandfather's unbelievable and exceptional valor. lauren, please stand up, thank you very much. [applause] pres. trump: one of the 200 jewish-american soldiers who was saved that fateful day is staff sergeant lester tannen. he is now 96 years old. [applause] pres. trump: he joins us here. you guys are looking very good.

96. you are really 96? i don't believe it. you are looking good. thank you very much. thank you also for your very noble service for sharing this incredible story with the world. women who have donned our nation's uniforms are the bravest, toughest, strongest and most virtuous warriors to walk on earth. you left your families and fallen faraway lands. you came face-to-face with people and you did not back down. he returned home from war and you never forgot your friends, who didn't return, including prisoners of war and those missing in action. every day you think of them and pray for them. but your greatest review of all is the way you live your lives in the years since. you raise your families, you

endured the wounds of war and you endured the pains of that memory. yet, you keep going, you keep serving, you keep giving and you keep loving. you volunteer at your local veterans post and you keep in touch with your battle comrades, you support our goldstar families, you take care of our wounded warriors and you stand alongside our service members when they return from war. on veterans day, our nation re-dedicates itself to our most solemn duty. while we can never repay their warriors for the boundless services and sacrifice, we must uphold with supreme vigilance our sacred obligation to care for those who have borne the battle. in just a minute we will have a moment of silence and we will lay a wreath at the eternal light monument.

as we do. with god is our witness, we pledge to always honor our toerans and pay a tribute those who have laid down their lives so that we might be free. safeguard whatst generations of fearless patriots gave everything to secure. we will protect our liberty, uphold our values, and defend our home. we will ensure that righteous legacy of america's veterans stands as a testament to this nation from now until the end of time. today andeteran here all across our land, you are america's greatest living heroes and we will cherish you now, always, and forever. thank you, god bless our

veterans, and god bless america. thank you very much. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, at this time, the marine corps honor guard will carry the centennial wreath of the eternal light memorial. after it is placed, there will be a moment of silence. followed by a rifle salute and a playing of taps. please rise if you are able and remain standing throughout the ceremony.

♪ ♪

♪

>> ladies and gentlemen, this concludes the centennial wreathlaying and the visit by the commander-in-chief. please remain standing until the official party departs, after which the opening ceremonies will continue. [applause]

♪ >> and from new york city, with ticket to arlington, national sarah -- arlington national cemetery for the veterans day commemoration. officials with the department of defense and veterans affairs are marking the day with a wreathlaying here at the tomb of the unknown followed by a ceremony. vice president pence will be speaking along with defense secretary mark esper and defense -- and secretary mark will --