 about on the drive over here, where we're going to have two Colonel O'Rhoads. It's only going to be a moment, so get it, you know, get it while you got it. It's going to be truly unique. Right up front, I hope for all the dignitaries that you'll indulge us, we'll be here all afternoon if Will Williams and I get up here and say thanks to all of you for coming and the role that you've played and Dave and Natasha will come up and Natasha's going to come up and we'll do what would normally be one promotion ceremony and we'll get through the pinning of it all and the re-affirming of the oath and then Dave and Niall come up here and we'll do it again. But at that time we'll switch it around and, you know, family will play a different role in pinning folks on and then we'll get a chance to hear from the other ladies in Tampa that they're doing a promotion. Let's see the level of star power that's here today. You could say intimidating, but really, really amazing to see yours. It is my role to be the promoting official for Natasha. It is my great honor to be here promoting official. We have acknowledged all the distinguished guests, but in the role as we look at brain officers and we thought she had all the attributes, the physical fitness, the moral fortitude to character, the leadership attributes to being a marine officer, she didn't necessarily agree with that at the time, but it was because of great leadership that at the time the Connaught Bishop in General Island, another cadre that we were a portion of to get her home to our Marine Corps family and boy did we get it right. If you look at her biography, she's done absolutely everything the Marine Corps has to do and she's done it with professionalism. This officer will therefore carefully, and diligently discharge the duties of the office to wish appointed by doing and performing all manner of things there and to belong. And I do strictly charge and require those officers and other personnel of lesser grade to render such obedience as is due to an officer of this grade and position. And this officer is to observe and follow orders and directions from time to time, as may be given by the President of the United States of America or other superior officers acting in accordance with the laws of the United States of America. This commission is to continue in force during the pleasure of the President of the United States of America under the provisions of those public laws relating to officers of the armed forces of the United States of America and the component thereof in which this appointment is made. Done at the City of Washington this 30th day in November and the year of our Lord, 2023 and of the independence of the United States of America the 247. By the President, Eric M. Smith, Connaught of the Marine Corps, Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Navy. Hey, will please be seated. I speak your name. I, Natasha McCahan-Everly. Do solemnly swear. Do solemnly swear. To support and defend. To support and defend. The Constitution of the United States. The Constitution of the United States. Against all enemies. Against all enemies. Foreign and domestic. Foreign and domestic. I take this obligation freely. I take this obligation freely. Without any mental reservation. Without any mental reservation. Or purpose of evasion. Or purpose of evasion. I will well and faithfully. And that I will well and faithfully. Discharge the duties. Discharge the duties. Discharge the duties. Of the office on which. Of the office on which. I'm about to enter. I'm about to enter. So help me God. So help me God. Ladies and gentlemen. I'm together in the last 10 years than David and I do. But I'm blessed to have the opportunity to be part of this ceremony. So congratulations. And a great call. A great audible capture at the moment. Just for a moment. You should have said something. It's like that moment when you realize somebody and they're out and you can be like, you know, nine years later in David's case. Right. Family. I started to highlight some of them. Not everybody made the trip. We know mom's watching. Right. Very proud of what was a skeptical decision some 29 years ago. Like, is this the way to go? And dad, brother Aaron, you know, sharing a room, growing up, knocking them around, making sure he had the rough and tumble issues. Thank you. Right. For ensuring that. Yep. Apparently. And dad, I think it's all worked out now. We're pretty confident that this is all born its way. And, you know, family plays a big role. And was rightfully highlighted is hard enough. And many of you in this room, our military families have come from military families. You know what I'm talking about? Imagine having two parents that are military leaders, not just members, have their own responsibilities. And then look at these four. Right? If that wasn't the cutest thing you've seen all week, right? You're going to get to see it again. If that doesn't give you faith in our future, right? I'm going to conclude in the future. I mean, I'm going to look at you and not call you Colonel Everly for a minute. I'm going to say Natasha. I'm going to say to the four of you, thank you. Thank you for supporting your dad. Thank you for supporting him and allowing him to do the things that I'm going to very quickly capture here in just a small moment. But without all of you, behind him, behind them, I guarantee you this couldn't have happened. Come on up, baby. Let's do this one more time. Sergeant Major, please post the order. Attention to order. Do by with the consent of the Senate. Appoint this officer a Brigadier General in the United States Marine Corps to rank as such from the first day of March, 2024. This officer will therefore carefully and diligently discharge the duties of the office to which appointed by doing and performing all manner of things there and through belonging. And how you strictly charge require those officers and other personnel of lesser rank to render such obedience as to do an officer of this grade and position. And this officer is to observe and follow orders and directions from time to time, as may be given by the President of the United States of America or other superior officers acting in accordance with the laws of the United States of America. This commission is to continue and force during the pleasure of the President of the United States of America under the provisions of those public laws related to officers and the armed forces of the United States of America and the component thereof in which this appointment is made. Done at the City of Washington this first day of March in the year of our Lord, 2024, and of the independence of the United States of America, the 247. By the President, Eric and Smith, coming up for the Marine Corps, Carlos del Toro, Secretary of the Navy. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. Without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. Now I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I'm about to enter. So help me God. Congratulations. On the left or right. There was this one moment, it was a lunch hall, it was his birthday. Um, and I walked up and I said, hey what are you doing for your birthday this weekend? And all of his friends looked at him as wise to see the baseball know it's your birthday. Part of what shaped who I am today is watching my mom and my dad, mostly my mom, but both open up our home to all of that family. It didn't matter if it was a first cousin, a play cousin, most of you know who that is, what that means. It didn't have to be blood family. It could just be someone who needed a hot meal or some love and some laughter. And my mom opened up our home to so many people and that example of kindness has stuck with me and that example of understanding that family is what we make it is a part of who I am and how I see life today. So thank you so much, mom. Up note, every time we go home I meet a new cousin and she doesn't know who they are. That's a fact. 70, 80, second, third cousins a lot. Jero knows my dad who couldn't fly. My dad and my uncle are both Vietnam vets. So just wanted to recognize them. Dustin. And I think over the past 10 years this bucket here probably represents something that's been the most important to us as we've grown our family and met so many wonderful people and so we have a couple different smaller buckets here. I'm going to start with David and I'll say I may be just a tad biased but I want to make sure that you all remember one thing. Don't let his rank or the rank fool you. David's married up. If we had rank I'd let you all kind of think about who would wear a rank. Over 15, 16 years ago now in the building that many of you know of, Daily Hall, we were both working for T-Con in different sections. And after about several months of waiting for him to stop hitting on me he finally asked me out which he never did. I went ahead and took that initiative something I learned here at the base of school. I asked him out and I'll say it painfully. We've been together ever since. She did ask me out. That part is true. That's the only part true. But Lord knows David and I had our ups and downs. I will tell you whoever says that marriage is easy we all know in here if you've been married that they were definitely not married. They say it's a walk in the park they were referring to in our case probably something like Jurassic Park. It has been challenging. And thank God we've had so many more ups than we've had downs. And as much as this man can get on my last very last one if you want I will tell you there's no one here who is more proud of you than I am. Just I can see how hard this man works and I can tell you he deserves it today. Colonel Joe, which is what I was going to do right now she said it all which is, you know, it's never easy and there's one, the one best Marine with the last name Everly is right here I work at Manpower. I've seen a rabbit. I was in time and we love the rank but mom and why the most important things here that I can tell you nobody does it better. We have four little people here that know how she does it but gets their time they get her time and the Marine Corps gets their time and a bunch of other folks get a lot of time and she does it with a happy heart. This is the woman who makes me a better Marine, a better dad I often get asked how do you do it so I'm going to give you the secret weapon today I swear you the secrecy you have a core of God some are here, there are a few not here that are our secret weapon and I want them to stand up that's the easiest way because they're spread out so if you're a God parent and there's the rules and they're God parent to one child you get all four acted that morning my answer might be I don't feel like I'm doing it well at all but other times I feel like I've finally gotten ahead and as a mom we all know that that's a rare moment it's also a fleeting moment because then you realize that you forgot to pack your kid lunch they get cheesed they're big so they're 60 percentile they'll be fine but those who know us well who know our family well know that the secret weapon for our chaotic life that I absolutely love because I love serving I love being in the Marine Corps I love working with the Marines daily the secret weapon to both of our ability to do that is called a Miss Peggy right Miss Peggy is someone who teaches your kids how to pray who does their hair because Lord knows their mama did not get that ability she kisses their boo-boos when they're having troubles at school she gives them godly advice or sometimes good advice depends on what the situation goes but she can do that too she drives them to everything that David and I just can't be home for and so much more and I'll tell you it's hard to do like you know not everybody can be someone like Miss Peggy here and it takes just loads of wisdom it takes a lot of Jesus a ton of patience it takes some street credibility as well it takes the willingness to travel to a small city in North Carolina with one main road and still do that with a happy heart and smile every single day and I'll tell you I don't think that that exists anywhere else other than in this road here with this woman that I love thank you for everything when I was gonna I was thinking strongly about getting out after my fourth child baby Grace there and she looked at me and said I got you I know you love what you do I got you and that's what I needed to be able to continue to do what I love to do and so I appreciate you dearly thank you so much and the kids I know that they can be difficult at times but just know that you know how much they love you and they appreciate me and just look forward to continue to see how much you help us raise these beautiful children and what they grow into so thank you baby it's almost done so first we are super overwhelmed by the support and by everyone here in attendance and can't thank you enough okay go ahead let me do that pretend like I didn't miss anything we've seen the kids up here twice doing what we rehearsed we actually rehearsed that part it went nothing like we rehearsed it so to our four you know humans who are an open door an open ear every single opportunity to change somebody's life in a positive manner and you'll continue to get jokes but more importantly you'll continue to have a family who loves what they do the folks that are around and loves being a Marine being Marines and you will continue to get that from us so thank you for being here Simper Fidelis and God Bless God Bless machinery God Parents endurance is extended by periodic lubrication the tokens presented to the God Parents here today aim to provide sustained support of the God Parents moving forward you can bring the God Parents our token those are for the kids but the Tokyo bring those too but the things that have little bottles in them are for the God Parents we're essentially continuing to buy their service through those are for the kids friendships their leadership their work contributions and thank you God for the next level May the great