 Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the arrival of the official party and remain standing as honors are rendered and for the invocation offered by Chaplain Colonel David Kelly, the Director of Strategic Religious Affairs. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the reviewing official, General Mark A. Milley, the 20th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, accompanied by General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., the 22nd Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and the host for today's ceremony, the Honorable Lloyd J. Austin III, 28th Secretary of Defense. Ladies and gentlemen, the Vice President of the United States. Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States. Ladies and gentlemen, Chaplain Kelly. Let us pray, Almighty God, we seek Your presence in this honored ceremony today as our military and nation honor General Mark Milley upon his retirement after four decades of impeccable service in uniform, and as we celebrate General Charles Brown, Jr., becoming the 21st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Brown and Ms. Shireen have gone the extra mile, pushed beyond where others have only gazed, and climbed to the top of our military all the while, showing responsibility few will ever know. As he leads, I ask you to guide his steps with godly wisdom, direct his path with your holy light, and keep him strong with divine fortitude. Lord, you have expressed in your word that a life lived in service to others is a life well lived. General Milley has lived such a life. Today he adds his name to an elite list of military leaders, including Bradley, Powell, Mullen, Myers, and Dunford, to name a select few. Lord, as General Milley prepares for life beyond the military, I ask you to bless him, Ms. Hollyanne and his family, according to their sacrifice of service. Reward him according to his impeccable character, and bestow upon him the thankfulness of a grateful nation, only and singularly exemplified by the single word honor. Truly this valiant officer's relentless pursuit of service to country over decades bespeaks the right and privilege to dawn for all time, a mantle woven and bound together by unbreakable and courageous strands of honor. In your holy name I pray, Amen. Please be seated. It's the United States Army Band, Pershing's Own. The United States Army Band is under the direction of Colonel Bruce Poehler and led by John Major Rob Moore. Next on line are soldiers from the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment, the Old Guard, commanded by Lieutenant Jacob Trollstra, and led by Staff Sergeant Rashad Kelly. Next are Marines from Marine Barracks, Washington, A.T.I., commanded by Captain Greg Jones, and led by Staff Sergeant Tyler Tolman. In the center of our formation is the Joint Armed Forces Color Guard, led by Sergeant First Class Ryan Morse. Next on line is sailors of the United States Navy Ceremonial Guard, commanded by Lieutenant Stephen Acevedo, and led by AT-2 Matthew Coriano. Next are airmen and guardians from the United States Air Force Honor Guard, commanded by First Lieutenant Jacob Hale, and led by Technical Sergeant Matthew Cox. Next on line are guardsmen from the Coast Guard Ceremonial Honor Guard, commanded by Lieutenant Cody Mitchell, and led by Petty Officer First Class Troy Lupamak. The last element on line, dressed in the Continental Musicians' uniform, is the United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps. The Corps is led today by Drum Major John Parks. To the right is the Presidential Salute Battery, commanded by Captain Nicholas Lamey, and led by Sergeant First Class Alan Karo. Next to the rear of the formation are the 56 state and territorial flags of the United States of America. They are commanded by Lieutenant Thomas Mech, and led by Sergeant First Class Mark Franz. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the advancing of the colors, and remain standing for the playing of the United States National Anthem. Please be seated. Ready to do this, General? I am. Please raise your right hand, or repeat after me. Aye. State your full name. Aye. John Jr. Having been appointed the Chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, having been appointed the Chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, do solemnly swear, do solemnly swear, that I will support and defend, the Constitution of the United States of America, against all enemies, against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. you take this obligation freely without mental reservation or purpose of evasion and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter. So help me God. So help me God. Congratulations Chairman. Thank you Chairman. Secretary Austin and Mrs. Austin are now moving to the field to honor General Milley and Mrs. Milley. Prior to today's ceremony, General Milley was presented the Distinguished Service Medal from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard. He was also presented the Defense Distinguished Service Medal by Secretary of Defense Austin. Headquarters, Department of the Army Special Orders. By order of the Secretary of the Army, the following General Officer is retired. General Mark A. Milley, the Secretary of Defense has awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service to Mrs. Holly Ann H. Milley. Mrs. Holly Ann H. Milley is recognized for Distinguished Public Service in support of members of the United States Armed Forces from October 2019 to July 2023. As a devoted ambassador of Goodwill and a model example for the spouses of all soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, guardians and Coast Guardsmen, Mrs. Milley was an untiring advocate for the improvement of the quality of life of our men and women in uniform. For more than 38 years, she was a fervent ambassador for the needs of the military community. At every level of command, Mrs. Milley served as a family readiness group leader with a mission to listen to and advocate for military spouses. A career nurse with multiple military moves, she was a passionate supporter of military spouse employment opportunities, licensure reciprocity, health care quality and availability and mental health education for service members and their families. Mrs. Milley's presence on numerous trips to visit both stateside bases and overseas areas served as a constant reminder of her steadfast commitment to our military personnel and reflected a total devotion and unconditional commitment to the values cherished within the military community. This dedication was further displayed in her support of the Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, Easter Seals and United Through Reading. Mrs. Milley gave freely of her time to many other worthy community causes that significantly benefited our military members. The distinctive accomplishments of Mrs. Milley reflect great credit upon herself and the Department of Defense, signed Lloyd J. Austin III, Secretary of Defense. On the occasion of retirement of this distinguished soldier, we also recognize the outstanding service of his wife, Holly Ann, who was presented with the Department of the Army Certificate of Appreciation for her faithful and devoted service. It is her dedicated support which made possible such a lasting contribution to our nation. By order of the Secretary of the Army, signed General James C. McConville, Chief of Staff, United States Army. At this time, a bouquet of red roses is being presented to Mrs. Milley on behalf of General Milley, signifying his love and her unwavering support for over 40 years of military service. Also at this time, a bouquet of flowers is being presented to General Milley's daughter Mary, and a gift is being presented to his son Peter. A bouquet of yellow roses is also being presented to Mrs. Brown. We are proud to recognize General Milley's devotion to our country, and we wish him happiness and prosperity in his well-earned retirement. Ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the posting of the colors. Please be seated. Ladies and gentlemen, the honorable Lloyd Austin. Troops and the band, you look magnificent this morning. Thanks for what you continue to do for our country. Good morning, everyone. President Biden, Vice President Harris, it is an absolute honor to have both of you here with us today. And we also thank the members of Congress, ambassadors, and foreign leaders who are joining us, as well as the former senior military leaders and former secretaries of defense. I'm glad to be here with so many of our senior leaders at the department, including our service secretaries, our service chiefs, the joint staff, and our combatant commanders. And again, thanks to you all for joining us today as we salute General Mark Milley for his distinguished tenure as the 20th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. And I'm absolutely honored to welcome General Charles Q. Brown Jr. as the 21st Chairman. Now, the service members on the field today represent our joint force, the troops who General Milley led with such passion and skill as chairman. Every day, that force defends our country and supports our allies and partners, advances our interests, and upholds our founding values. So today is a celebration of every American who volunteers to wear the cloth of our nation, and it's a celebration of the distinguished career of General Mark Milley. Now you may not know this, but he grew up in Boston. It's a little-known fact, unless you've ever met the guy. He calls Boston the Holy Land. So to him, Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins is a patron saint. And Bobby Orr once said that hockey teams win because of hard work and sacrifice. Without that, he said, skill is just potential. But General Milley has never let his skill languish as just potential. He's always been eager to get into the fight. And I've seen that firsthand over our long history of working together, including one time when he got me blown up, literally. You see, during the Iraq War, I was commanding the 10th Mountain Division, and he was one of my brigade commanders. And during one of my visits, one of his troops was wounded. And Mark said, hey, sir, let's go into town to the hospital to see our soldier. We'll do it at night when it's easier and there's not much activity. And so as we prepare to depart following detailed rehearsals, I said to General Milley, you know, Mark, this just doesn't feel right. But Mark said, hey, don't worry, sir, we do this all the time. So we took route Irish in Baghdad, which was known as the most dangerous road in the world. And we promptly got hit by an IED. It hit my door and shredded the tires on our Humvee. And it was pitch black and smoky. And Mark said, hey, sir, are you OK? I said, Mark, we've just been hit. I'm angry because we can't return fire because the guy ran away. The vehicle is damaged. I recommend we get the hell out of here. And we finally did. And afterwards I asked, hey, General, has this happened to you before? And Mark said, oh, yes, sir, I've been blown up about five times now. Like I said, he was always eager to get into the fight. And he's never hesitated to charge into danger for his troops or for his country. This goes back to his earliest days as an infantryman and a green beret, including his time commanding a battalion in the famed 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment. And during his brigade command, what I saw was what so many others have also seen, his vigor, his grit, and his tremendous leadership potential. So following brigade command, I encouraged him to serve on the joint staff. And there he learned a ton of skills that would help him later in his career. He continued to rapidly climb. And in 2015, he went on to spend four years for demanding years as the chief of staff of the Army. And he loved absolutely every minute of it. And then General Milley agreed to serve another four years in an even tougher job. Now think of everything that our military has done during his tenure as chairman. We've taken on the pacing challenge of the People's Republic of China, confronted a once-in-a-generation pandemic, and led the world to help Ukraine fight back after Russia's imperial invasion. General Milley has a deep sense of history. And he knows that future generations would judge us harshly if we fail to defend the post-war order built by American leadership. And so he hasn't just studied history. He has made history. Now his sense of calling grew out of the proud military family heritage of military service. And General Milley's own life of service would not have been possible without his outstanding family. His wife, Hollyanne, is an accomplished critical care nurse. And she is also the real deal. At a ceremony a few years ago at Arlington National Cemetery, someone collapsed in the crowd. And Hollyanne didn't hesitate. She started CPR and directed someone to call the paramedics. And after a couple of sets of chest compressions, the man finally took a deep breath. And that's not the first time that she saved a life at an event. One time in an Army gala, she performed CPR on someone else in trouble. While wearing an evening gown, and for too many times to count, she's been a lifesaver for Mark and their family. While he was away on deployments, Hollyanne cared for their beloved kids, Peter and Mary. In over the years, the Milley family has moved more than 20 times. Hollyanne has had to transfer her nursing license to nine different states. And she has helped countless military spouses to do the same. And that's made her a strong advocate for military families. So Hollyanne, thank you for your phenomenal service to our country. We're also grateful for Mark and Hollyanne's son, Peter, and his wife, Meredith. And for their daughter, Mary, and her husband, Andrew, and their kids, Alice, Ben, and Clark. And Andrew, thank you for your eight years of service in the US Army, including as a company commander and a troop commander in the 82nd Airborne Division. This is an extraordinary military family. Now, General Milley is a scholar and a warrior. We respect him for his wits, but we love him for his heart. And he's thrown his whole heart into leading this tremendous joint force of soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, guardians. And in retirement, he'll have more time for his second favorite joint force. The Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, and the Bruins. Mark, I know that most of all, you're looking forward to spending more time with your grandkids. After a lifetime devoted to the common defense, you have more than earned some time for the pursuit of happiness. So at this bittersweet moment, let me simply say thank you, General. Thank you for all that you have done and for all that you have given. We wish you Godspeed in the chapters still to come. Congratulations, soldier. Now, General Milley is a tough act to follow, but we are fortunate to have a tremendous leader in General Brown. He will guide our brave troops without fail and defend our democracy without flinching. And I'm honored to have the chance to say a few words about our great new chairman of the Joint Chiefs. But before I do, I want to mention some other outstanding American military leaders. I'm truly pleased that the United States Senate recently confirmed General Brown as our next chairman. I'm also glad to welcome General Randy George as our next chief of staff of the army. And General Eric Smith is our next coming out of the Marine Corps. But 367 of our outstanding general and flag officers are now grappling with the uncertainty of a blanket hold. So I urge the Senate to swiftly confirm all of our distinguished military nominees. And that brings me back to our next chairman. That brings me back to our next chairman. You know, I'm told that when General Brown meets with troops, he often asks them, what's your superpower? And that's because CQ knows that each of our service members has something exceptional to contribute. And General Brown is blessed with superpowers himself. I've seen his talents firsthand. When I was commander of Central Command, General Brown was the commander of my air component. And he led forces in combat during the air campaign against ISIS and rallied our allies and partners to help destroy its terrorist caliphate in Iraq and Syria. Now, General Brown also has a superpower for teaching. He did two stints at the fighter weapons school where he taught the air forces most elite airmen. And wherever he goes, he sets a powerful example with his quiet confidence and his deep integrity and his constant compassion. Now, General Brown would not be where he is today without his wife, Shereen, and their sons, Sean and Ross. Shereen has served right alongside CQ through 20 moves. She has helped shape DOD's exceptional family member program so that more families with special needs can get better resources and support. So to Shereen and the entire Brown family, thank you for all that you do to strengthen our military community and for supporting General Brown as he takes the helm of our joint force. General Brown, I know that you'll make us all proud as a chairman. And to our entire joint force, to our entire joint force, today and every day, America is counting on you. We're counting on you to deter aggression wherever we can, to stand ready to fight and to win wherever we must, and to work with our partners for a more secure and peaceful world, and to defend the republic that we love. The watch is changing, but the mission goes on. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to that mighty cause. May God bless you and your families, and may God continue to bless the United States of America. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States. Thank you very much. Before I began, I want to say a brief word about Senator Iron Finestine who passed away this morning. She was a historic figure, a trailblazer for women and a great friend. Iron made her mark on everything from national security to the environment, gun safety to protecting civil liberties. The country is going to miss her dearly, and so will Jill and I. I have more to say about her later today. Vice President Harris, our second gentleman, Secretary Austin, members of Congress, leaders of the Department of Defense, both current and former friends and officials from around the world. Thank you for being here today to mark the change of responsibility and to celebrate the service of General Mark Milley. A combat infantryman, a master parachute, a green beret, a warrior who served a total of five years in war zones. From Panama to Haiti to Bosnia to Afghanistan to Iraq, with a chest full of medals to show for it. A leader who once ran across a bridge booby-trapped with mines to stop two battle tanks evacuating wounded troops from driving across it. A patriot uncompromising in his duty, unflinching in the face of danger, and unwavering in the service for the country. In Hollyanne, none of us can say as much enough about you. You served right alongside him every step of the way, and that's not hyperbole. You served alongside him every step of the way. You pulled double in triple duty to make sure you and Mark were always doing right by your family, supporting the military community while maintaining your own career as a nurse. It's incredible what you've achieved, Hollyanne. The work you've done to increase support for military spouse employment is going to keep improving the lives of military families for a long time. And Peter and Mary, thank you for sharing your dad with us. I know it wasn't easy. All those moves, all those schools, all those months when your dad was deployed, you couldn't be together. Thank you for all, all you've given to our country. And Mark, I know one of the best parts of your time of review is already mentioned by our secretary. You're going to spend more time with your kids. That's going to be fun, man. I'll tell you what, I love my kids. I'm crazy about my grandkids. My grandkids. Now, everyone who has spent time with Mark knows three things about him. Several were already mentioned. One, he's from Boston. He foxes con-cogerizers. He likes maps. And he loves the Constitution. But each of these three things points to something deeper about Mark's character. His Boston heritage isn't just about pride of place. It's pride in what shaped him, the values that have guided his whole life. It's about the father and mother, both veterans of World War II, who set the example of nobility, of the nobility, of serving your country. It's about knowing that his dad was among those who landed in Iwo Jima and that if those young men, his father served alongside, could raise a flag on Mount Surabachi then there's nothing, nothing, nothing America cannot accomplish when we work together. It's about how his parents strived to sacrifice so their children would have every opportunity to chart their own future. It's knowing that everyone who served under his command had their own story. And his view is just as important as his. And this, to this day, whenever Mark's attended events, I've watched him, we've attended many events together. I've watched him. He'll talk to every young person, every veteran, every gold star family who wants to speak to him no matter how long it takes so he can hear their story as well and show his respect. The Boston pride is about knowing where you come from. The maps are about knowing where you are and where you're going. Mark wants to make sure he has the necessary facts to inform his decisions as a leader and his advice to others. As commander-in-chief, I've relied on Mark's counsel because I know he always gives it to me straight no matter what. He always gives it to me straight. He's working with the best information possible and he doesn't hold anything back. During his tenure as chairman, Mark has been a steady hand guiding our military. As we navigate, what I would argue is one of the most complex security environments our world has faced in a long time. He's been critical to strengthening America's existing alliances from NATO to the Indo-Pacific to building new strategic partnerships like AUKUS and keeping our force at a cutting edge in the fields of cyber and space and in America's longest war and continuing to take terrorists off the battlefield. Standing with the brave people of Ukraine and making sure they have the equipment and support they need when they need it to defend their freedom and letting them know how much he respects them. Mark, your partnership has been invaluable to me and I've given my word to that and I think it's been invaluable to Secretary Austin as well. I want to thank you for always seeing, always sharing the whole map with me, the whole map. When we come to the Constitution, that is and always has been, Mark's North Star. I'm so damn proud to serve with him. He's made it the central image on his challenge coin. Those three little words that mean so much to every American but especially to those who stand in the service of our nation, the middle of his challenge coin says, we the people, we the people, to remind all of us what makes us a strong nation, who we are as a democracy and how the United States for more than two centuries has always managed to keep moving forward. Not field to any one person or to a political party but to the idea of America. Idea unlike any other in human history. The idea that we're all created equal. That is what the Constitution saved cards. That's what we swear an oath to and that is why generations of young women and men, Americans of every background and creed have stepped forward to be part of the greatest fighting force in the history of the world and that's not hyperbole. You're the greatest fighting force in the history of the world. I've seen you in Afghanistan, Iraq, but I don't want to get started. And our military is going to keep growing stronger, keep growing stronger with General C.Q. Brown, Charles Q. Brown Jr. as our 24th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Congratulations little buddy. As Mark will tell you, I'll be meeting a lot with you. That said, when I nominated General Brown as a seasoned warrior with deep combat experience, experienced commander of the Joint Force, top flight strategist, a leader known throughout the force for his unmatched judgment and unflappable demeanor. Like General Milley, General Brown is a patriot through and through sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution. He and his wife, Sherene, have dedicated themselves to keeping our military and their families healthy and vibrant. I thank you both and your sons, Sean and Ross, for everything you've given to our country over the years. I look forward to working even more closely with you, C.Q. as we take on the challenges ahead to ensure that our force can continue to deter and defeat any potential threat to the American people. As Secretary Austin noted, I'm glad that General Brown was confirmed by the Senate, along with the new Commandant of the Marine Corps and Army Chief of Staff. But I must be careful here how I say this, but it's thoroughly, totally unacceptable that more than 300 other highly qualified military members are still in limbo. I've been here a long time. I've never seen anything like this. It's outrageous and it must stop. Their promotions, their careers, their families, their future held hostage by the political agenda of one senator in a silence of another 47 of them. To drag on our force, it impacts everything from readiness, to morale, to retention, and to an insult, an insult to the officers, years of dedicated service. Our troops deserve so much better and the House fails to fulfill its most basic function that fails to fund government by tomorrow. We'll have failed all our troops. Our service members will keep up holding their oaths, showing up for work, standing sentinel around the world, keeping our country secure, but they won't get paid to disgrace. Thousands of Defense Department civilians and civilian servants will be sent home. And the longer they shut down last, the harder it will be to become, the harder it will become for military families to pay their bills. We can't be playing politics while our troops stand in the breach. It's an absolute dereliction of duty. As leaders, we must never lose sight of the direct impacts of the decisions we make and the impact they have on the lives and families around the world. General Milley, General Brown, Secretary Austin, and all the many great leaders across every branch of our military, you've got to where you are by demonstrating extraordinary care and concern for the troops you command. It's a lived leadership of being in the field alongside your troops, sharing their hardships, holding each other together when times are hard, never forgetting the humanity beneath the uniform. It's an enormous credit to each of them personally and an enormous asset for our country. Secretary Austin told the story of how he and General Milley got blown up together by an IED in Iraq. But the part of the story that stands out to me is the reason they were on root Irish that night to begin with, the reason they were there. They were going to see these soldiers who had been wounded. In fact, during that tour in Iraq you'd often find then Colonel Milley down at that hospital sitting with the wounded so they wouldn't be alone rounding up his troops for an impromptu blood drive if the docks let him know they were running low on units. Putting an arm around his team, gathering them together, seeing to their injuries both physical and mental when war extracts the greatest of tolls. That's leadership. That's patriotism. That's strength. That's Mark Milley. Mark, you know how strongly I feel about you. You've given remarkable service to our country. You've done honor, you've done honor to the uniform of our nation. You upheld your oath. Thank you. Thank you, my friend. Thank you for being my friend. May God bless you all and may God protect our troops. Ladies and gentlemen, General Brown to our congressional leaders our Department of Defense leadership both past and present. Our many distinguished guests, family, friends, joint teammates, allies and partners, service members and families of the United States Armed Forces. Good morning. Before going any further Shree and I would like to express our gratitude to the many that have played a role in our journey thus far. To the Air Force leadership Airmen and families we had the opportunity to work with and for the past three years with the opportunity to continue serving and to go all we had a role in making today possible. We very much appreciate all of you done and will continue to do and we're grateful for your presence to witness today's ceremony with each leadership opportunity I've had during my career I've been honored, blessed and focused on the task ahead. Today is no exception. President Biden Vice President Harris thank you for your trust and confidence that you placed in me and for your leadership and commitment to our service members and their families. Secretary Austin thank you for your guidance your mentorship and your faith in my abilities. Mr. President and Vice President, Mr. Secretary I'm honored to have the opportunity to continue serving our nation to the millies more in the end thank you for your years of dedication for an exceptional job well done and thank you for your leadership it's an honor for me and Sherene to follow in your footsteps and the footsteps of all the chairman and spouses before us God has smiled on me one more time and blessed me with another opportunity well beyond my own expectations I'm blessed with a tremendous family my commissioning officer and my most influential mentor my father Charles he told me in high school that four years in the military wouldn't hurt me my mother Kay who didn't object to the idea has been my most vocal supporter all along the way I'm blessed by the unwavering support and the influence and memory of my younger brother Kevin I owe my success to the sacrifice, love and support of Sherene and our sons, Sean and Ross Sherene has not only committed so much to our family but she has become such a strong advocate for our military families as a result of her commitment and advocacy Sean and Ross are both accomplished in their own right Sherene, Sean and Ross are both globally signing my permission slip each morning pending it to my backpack and allow me to report for duty the three of you never raised your right hand to take an oath but I know your sacrifice is well beyond what I might appreciate your encouragement, love and support for me and each other has been the cornerstone of our family finally I've been blessed by my own brothers who didn't object as far as I know when I asked Sherene to marry me I'm blessed by the aunts, uncles, cousins close friends and mentors many who are here today who have supported me and played a role in my development to make me a better person a better officer and a better leader as we step out together in today's uncertain security landscape honing our war fighting skills as primacy in all we do we must focus on integrating our military power within our services across the joint force and with our allies and partners to deter aggression to fight when called upon and to decisively fulfill our war we must focus on modernizing and aggressively meeting with new concepts and approaches finally trust is the foundation of our profession as chairman every day I will focus on strengthening the bonds of trust across our force ensuring the American people know their military and its service members active, guard, reserve and civilian only as the unwavering defenders of the Constitution and servants of our nation in closing when I became the chief of staff of the Air Force three years ago I expressed a need to accelerate change my conviction to the United States of America the journey of change must continue to strengthen our national security tremendous privilege to serve as the 21st chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff focused on sharpening our war fighting prowess in defense of our national interest thank you for joining us for today's ceremony God bless our service members and their families and God bless the United States of America thank you Mr. General Milley well thank you all for being here and this is the last time you'll ever hear me in uniform so that alone is cause for applause Mr. President Madam Vice President Secretary Austin Distinguished guests and family and friends good morning and thank you all for being here today Mr. President thank you for your unwavering leadership guiding our great nation and the trust when you were inaugurated you didn't have to do that but you did and I appreciate it your steadfast commitment to our troops and their families has strengthened our military making us stronger and more capable than ever before and I've seen you in the breach I've seen you on the watch and I know firsthand that you're a man of incredible integrity so thank you for your leadership and Secretary Austin thank you for leading our department with character and courage and also incredible integrity you served our nation consistently for nearly five decades now in and out of uniform a silver star recipient a man of enormous courage both moral and physical I am personally thankful for your guidance and your vision over the last 30 years that you and I have served together in peace and war the members of Congress I want to take a moment and just acknowledge the tremendous service of Senator Feinstein and may she rest in peace in the eternal embrace of God's comfort and to all of her colleagues on the Hill the Senate and the House and all the elected officials that are here today and those that are not you collectively demonstrate the American will and we are viewed as either unified or divisive that is your choice but everybody watches we in uniform appreciate your current support and we count on your future support and to our allies and partners your presence demonstrates our shared interests and common values and our robust network of allies and partners is a key source of our collective strength since the American Revolution the United States of America has never fought alone I'd also like to thank all the former secretaries of defense and the secretaries of the services and former secretaries of the services that are here today along with the current Joint Chiefs the former Joint Chiefs the current combatant commanders the former combatant commanders and all the generals and dignitaries that are here a special thanks goes to my joint staff and my front office who gave a robust clap out when I left yesterday had double meaning they were exceptional under intense pressure in a fast-paced environment where the costs were high over the last 40 plus years my thanks also goes to all my former commanding officers and non-commissioned officers many of whom are here today my teammates a platoon and company battalion brigade division corps and beyond way too many to mention my name but each of you in your own way provided me with the advice mentorship and support and I am eternally grateful there's also three groups of people here today who deserve special recognition and who represent the very best of our nation we have here today several Medal of Honor recipients who serve with uncommon valor beyond the call of duty they are the epitome of courage in the face of death and second is our wounded warriors who are here today one of whom you saw earlier seeing God bless America they represent the thousands of those wounded in action who sacrifice so much in the defense of liberty and third are gold star families many of them are here today they carry on the legacy of those in uniform who gave the last full measure of devotion so that our nation would remain free the soldiers sailors airmen and coast guards many of whom are standing watch at this very moment and are represented in the field before you thank you thank you for your service thank you for your sacrifice you are in fact the most capable and lethal military force in the world today and in all of human history and let me thank my family my family and friends that are here conclude my classmates from Princeton so maybe we could hear you shout that was pretty weak actually so not sure what to make of that but I was made an honorary member of the class of 1980 from West Point so all the West Point classmates maybe we could hear from you oh that's even weaker let me go back to Princeton that's all the result of last night so and of course my actual family deserves my greatest and deepest gratitude I was blessed with great parents who taught me what it meant to serve and how lucky we were to be born in America in a country where you will rise or fall based on your merit and where you're going to be judged by the content of your character my mother was a navy wave in a military hospital in Seattle taking care of the wounded returning from the Central Pacific during World War II while my father served with the 4th Marine Division as a navy corpsman in the Central Pacific making the assault landings at Kowajilin Saipan Tinian and Iwo Jima neither one of them ever went to college but they knew what this country was about they were working class Americans who taught me and my siblings the values that truly make this country great my father taught me that you have to plant the flag on Sarabachi that was a lesson he took from Iwo Jima he meant that no matter the challenge no matter how difficult it is no matter the cost you must accomplish your mission you have to drive on you have to be resilient you have to keep moving forward until you complete your mission there is no quitting like most kids we owe our parents everything I also want to recognize my cousins who are here the McCalls and the Murphy's and so many others that are with us today and my older brother Sandy is here with his wife and sons and our sister Mary Catherine who recently passed but I know she along with our parents are here in spirit but most importantly I want to say thanks to my wife for 38 years Hollyanne you have been the anchor of our family essentially a single mom to two wonderful kids during two decades of war like so many other spouses of those of us in uniform you buried our dead you comforted the families in their grief you cared for our wounded in ways not seen by most you were always there for our military families with love and compassion in the darkest of moments I know you never expected the heavy burden of being married to someone like me but the good Lord blessed me to have you walk this path of struggle for the last 40 years I love you more than words can ever express and to Mary and Peter the sacrifice of those of us in the military is always felt by our families but most of all most heavily the burden falls on our children you attended 11 different schools and 24 moves Mary you were just born when I went into Panama and you were 12 and Peter was 10 when terrorists attacked this country on 9-1-1 and you watched your dad deploy year in and year out for the next decade and a half you dealt with struggles that children should never have to be burdened with the fear that your father would never come home some of the fathers and mothers of your friends were in fact killed in action and others were wounded and you saw that trauma you saw that pain you saw that agony through the eyes of a child and you like the children of every soldier sacrifice more than most in this crowd will ever know but through it all you have persevered and you've grown into incredible adults with families of your own you make me and mom so proud of everything you've done and everything you will do I could not have made it through four and a half decades of military service without each of you I'm deeply honored to have worn the cloth of this nation for 43 and a half years and I'm humbled to have served as the 20th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Force as I said is the most lethal and capable military in the world and our enemies know it we are currently standing watch on Freedom Frontier with a a quarter of a million troops deployed in 150 countries in the last four years we've executed countless operations exercises and training around the world we've destroyed ISIS and served justice to beg daddy we've supported Ukraine in their fight for freedom against Putin's war of aggression and strengthened the NATO alliance we maintained stability in Asia we fought terrorists in Africa and the Middle East we defended the homeland provided support and countless disasters protected the American people during COVID and more than 800,000 of us served in Afghanistan and to each of you be proud that you protected this country for 20 consecutive years at great cost with 2,326 killed in action and 20,713 of us wounded alongside your brave colleagues from CIA and FBI and Department of State and USCID and many others from our government and our allies and partners hold your head high you served you did what your country asked and each of you served with honor, courage, skill and dignity and never forget that today our joint force is ready right now as we are here at Fort Mayer on this field there are 60 to 100 United States Navy warships sailing the seven seas to ensure freedom of navigation and our Coast Guard has saved countless lives at sea right now in the last 24 hours we flew over 5,000 sorties and we do that every day to protect our homeland support our allies and keep the skies safe our space force is rapidly expanding into that new domain and our Army and Marines are currently forward deployed to maintain peace and stability throughout the world and simultaneously this joint force is preparing for the future we're investing in capabilities to sustain our military overmatch and modernize the force and our pace forward will not stop General C.Q. Brown is the right leader to accelerate change he's the right man at the right time to carry on the mission of this great military C.Q. knows how to lead a global fighting force he will build combat readiness and there's no doubt you'll meet the challenges of tomorrow and beside him is his wife Serene and their sons who have been pillars of support throughout this journey congratulations to you and your family and C.Q. we look forward to your leadership over the next four years you're a man of character and integrity and that is your most important quality so thank you C.Q. for what you're about to do but today it's not about anyone up here on this stage it's not about the president the secretary of defense me, C.Q. it's not about us it's about something much larger than all of us it's about our democracy it's about our republic it's about the colors that are posted behind me it's about the ideas and the values that make up this great experiment in liberty those values and ideas are contained within the Constitution of the United States of America which is the moral north star for all of us who have the privilege of wearing the cloth of our nation it is that document the idea that is America it is that document that gives purpose to our service it is that document that gives purpose to our lives it is that document that all of us in uniform swear to protect and defend against all enemies foreign and domestic that has been true across generations and we in uniform are willing to die to pass that document off to the next generation so it is that document that gives ultimate purpose to our death the motto of our country is from the many come one we are one nation under God we are indivisible with liberty for all and the motto of our army for over 200 years since 14 June 1775 when a company of Pennsylvania riflemen formed it the motto has been this will defend and that this refers to the Constitution the Constitution of the United States that we the people in order to form a more perfect union to protect the liberty of this country you see we in uniform are unique we are unique among the world's armies we are unique among the world's militaries we don't take an oath to a country we don't take an oath to a tribe we don't take an oath to a religion we don't take an oath to a king or a queen or a tyrant or a dictator and we don't take an oath to a wannabe dictator we don't take an oath to an individual we take an oath to the Constitution and we take an oath to the idea that is America and we are willing to die to protect it every soldier, sailor, airman marine, guardian and coast guardman each of us commits our very life to protect and defend that document regardless of personal price and we are not easily intimidated more than 1.1 million in uniform have paid the supreme sacrifice to include the 400,000 that rest in eternal peace at all international cemeteries those who sacrifice themselves on the altar of freedom in the last two and a half centuries of this country must not have done so in vain the millions wounded in our nation's wars did not sacrifice their limbs and shed their blood to see this great experiment in democracy perished from this earth no we in the United States military will always be true to those that came before us we will never under any circumstances turn our back on our duty Thomas Paine famously wrote in his pamphlet the crisis these are the times that try men's souls the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will in this crisis shrink from the service of their country but he that stands by it now deserves the love and thanks of man and women and tyranny like hell is not easily conquered from the earliest days before we were even a nation our military stood there stood on the wall stood in the breach and suffered the crucible of combat and stood the watch and defended liberty for all Americans each of us signs a blank check to this country to protect our freedom the blood we spill pays for our freedom of speech our blood pays for the right to assemble the press, our right to vote and all the other rights and privileges that come with being an American it is the blood of our fallen it is the blood of our wounded that sustains our freedom and we should always be inspired by them we should never forget them and we should always honor them that is why my father's uncle fought and was wounded at the Musargon in 1918 that's why his other uncle fought and was hurt happily in 1916 that's why my uncle my father's brother was at Normandy and while my mother's brother was in the Philippines that is why he had another uncle fought in Korea and my cousins fought in Vietnam that is why my mother treated those returning from the Pacific and that is why my father hit the beach at Ibu Jima so that we the people of our perfect union may enjoy the fruits of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness we the American people we the American military must never turn our back on those that came before us and we will never turn our back on the Constitution that is our North Star that is who we are and that is why we fight thank you and may God bless our military and may God bless the United States of America 44 years this soldier stood and watched while many of us were in our bunk at night this husband stood and watched of us that were in school were in our trade this father stood and watched yes the before us were in this world this army captain stood and watched while the storm war grew back on the horizon of history this green beret stood and watched many times he was deployed to the front of land he cast an eye across the ocean to see Kalyan Lampy Peter and his grandchildren standing on the shore leaving his love, comfort and a hand to hold during those tough times but he still stood the watch for 44 years he stood the watch to ensure our Constitution could be safely passed to the next generation and so his fellow Americans could toil to form a more perfect union and sleep soundly each and every night knowing that warriors like him stood and watched today we are here to say General the watch stands relieved relieved by those you've trained relieved by those you've mentored and relieved by those you have led for 44 years General Mark A. Millan you stand relieved we have the watch standing for the playing of the songs of the armed services the United States Coast Guard please remain in place until the departure of the presidential motorcade