 Please welcome our national adjutant, Mark Burgess. Thank you, Burl, and good morning, everyone. It is great to see so many faces at our 2023 midwinter conference. I want to start us off by acknowledging how wonderful it is to be here in person and what an important event our midwinter conference is in demonstrating our collective strength. Thank you for coming out to take an active role in veterans advocacy. Our objective in being here today is to show our elected leaders our determination and commitment to the veteran community. At last year's midwinter conference, I was excited to announce the acquisition of DAV Patriot Boot Camp, which was formerly an independent 501c3. With this acquisition, DAV absorbed a community of thousands of entrepreneurs, supporters, and mentors who participate in formal and informal training and mentorship. In the program's inaugural year, we hosted two significant in-person training events and provided monthly training and resources to empower founders to succeed. This initiative complements DAV's ongoing efforts to support and advocate on behalf of service disabled veterans on small businesses. In the coming year, DAV plans to host at least three in-person entrepreneurship events and will continue to work with business leaders to make the business world accessible to those who sacrifice to make the American dream possible to us all. As founders achieve their business goals, we know they will hire more of their fellow veterans and spouses and help one another succeed in their careers or as entrepreneurs. There are so many ways DAV touches the lives of veterans and their families, but the work you do this week amplifies our voice and goes as far as anything we do throughout the year in our push to ensure justice for our brothers and sisters. Our federal lawmakers just across the river have the sacred obligation to care for those who have worn our nation's uniform. No matter where their battlefield was, in the mountains of Afghanistan, the deserts of Iraq or Syria, in the skies over Europe, the islands of the pacifists, the jungles of Vietnam or elsewhere, there is a place for everyone and DAV through advocacy. Some of what makes America stand apart for much as the world is the ability to do what we will do here this week and that is to get together, walk into the offices of our elected officials and ensure our voices are heard. It's a hallowed pillar of our democracy and something every veteran has served to protect. Our advocacy isn't just for show nor is it done in vain. Each year DAV advocates like yourself gather on our nation's capital to discuss the issues most important in our community and create impactful change. With plenty of advocacy is done through our team here in Washington DC, there is no more effective method than having all of you here to speak with your elected representatives. They need to hear from you. Over the next few days I encourage you to speak honestly and directly with your elected officials and their staffs. Your experience and that of your families is invaluable in shaping their priorities and influencing policies that will touch the lives of everyone in this room and the millions of our brothers and sisters who are not. To put it another way your presence puts an authentic face on the needs of the veteran community. I can't think of any other group of people who are better equipped to advocate for improvements in veteran health care than those that use the VA regularly. One issue that continues to be paramount in our community is the tragedy of veteran suicide. Last July the Veterans Crisis Line moved to a simpler format where callers now only need to press 1 after calling 988 to reach a crisis counselor. By the end of the year the line had handled a nearly 10 increase compared to 2021. Calls have shown no sign of slowing into this year with counselors answering nearly 4,000 calls on New Year's Eve and the first day of 2023 a 30 increase compared to the previous year's holiday. We applaud efforts to make the hotline number easier to remember by simply dialing 988 and pressing 1. That's 988 and press 1. And while approved access to mental health crisis services is key there is still so much more work to be done. Everyone here is under a firm understanding that the stressors of the pandemic have not subsided and that suicide prevention is more than just having easier access during an emergency. Veterans and their families continue to struggle financially with the rising costs of rent, food and other basic goods. These households continue to face difficult decisions on whether to pay rent, keep the power on or buy groceries. Far too many of our fellow veterans have been impacted by these trying times but so many DAV and auxiliary members are doing wonderful impactful work in communities nationwide to ensure that no veteran is left behind. And for that I am grateful and could not be prouder. In addition to keeping up this important work remember to check on your friends. You never know what someone might be struggling with so remember to make that occasional phone call or buddy check. You can be the difference in that person's life and potentially save it. It's hard to believe that next month marks the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. While the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan may have come to a close lingering ailments from these combat operations remain. We are also marking 15 years since DAV brought the subject of burn pits to the attention of the American people and we've led the way from the very beginning. As a result of our long-term advocacy today we know more about the effects of service-related traumas, adverse health effects from toxic exposures and ramification from blast exposure injuries than we did two decades ago. While the VA has the responsibility to care for our nation's veterans it is our responsibility to ensure that VA has the resources necessary to do it effectively. We at DAV get firsthand experience at protecting the benefits veterans earned during their service. But it is also our duty to make them easier to access. As you engage in important meetings this week I want to keep in mind DAV's critical policy goals and legislative priorities. While hundreds of thousands of disability claims have been submitted to the VA under the PACT Act far too many veterans who have suffered from toxic and environmental exposures still do not qualify or are awaiting benefits. We must ensure these veterans get the care and benefits that they have rightfully earned. DAV is also committed to strengthening benefits for veteran survivors stopping unjust offsets in veterans benefits advancing equity in health care and benefits for women and minority veterans and ensuring the VA delivers timely comprehensive world-class care to all veterans. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time out of your busy lives to come here to advocate for those who defended our freedom and for future generations of veterans. Thank you for your leadership and willingness to step up for our community. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention all of our DAV auxiliary members who serve and advocate alongside their loved ones. All of you are the lifeblood all of you are the lifeblood of DAV and we could not do this work without you. That's why it's so vital important that we have a full room of DAV members on Capitol Hill Tuesday when Commander Parsettich delivers his testimony before Congress. Our lawmakers need to see you because you are our strength. Thank you. Now let's get the work and make a difference in veterans lives. Thank you.