 It's a symbol of a valuing of something greater than self. It's a tremendous honor to be able to hold something like this and wear it. From the moment you get in the military, you fight as a unit, not as individuals. How many pilots were in Vietnam? Thousands? How many did what I did and got shot down and died? No one saw it. Hundreds? I know that. I was recognized. My father was an exceptional man. He believed in fellowship with other personnel and that's what he always pushed us, kids, was if you don't help your fellow employee or your fellow person in life, you're not going to be much in life as you go through life. My dad owned a printing company and the family still owns a printing company. During the Depression, he never laid off any of the employees. One of the few companies in America that never laid off an employee. Things were tough but strong father and mother set our compasses for life and service was a common message. I remember the motto of my first unit, the first division. No mission too difficult, no sacrifice too great, duty first. And I believe that I felt that. When I heard President Kennedy's inaugural speech, that's not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country, that was motivating to me. It made sense. So that's why I tried to join service because I was doing something for my country. A lot of Japanese American boys were interned in camps, but many of them volunteered for service. I felt I was an American like anyone else. They said, no, you have to prove yourself. You have to prove that we're loyal to this country. So young people today, I think any sacrifice teaches all of us that there is something more important than yourself. Through all the wars we fought, through the difficult periods when we have not had wars, until today when we have young people at four corners of the world defending us and other people who want to have freedom, that's still alive. That's why I think the Medal of Honor Society's mission of educating the country on what the Medal of Honor means, who its recipients were, the kind of character and commitment that they have to their country is such an important mission. Whether it's in the military or in the private sector or in school, you don't let your buddies on the left and the right down. You just do what's right and they'll do it for you. The day at the White House when the President put around my neck, in the front row I had my family, I had my wife and my mom and dad and brother and sister. But the road behind my family was Brennan's family. And next to them was Mendoza's family. As I felt this light silk ribbon go around my neck, I felt the weight of the sacrifices of those two men and the sacrifices of several of the people in that audience. This is not mine. This is not for me. This represents not just my boys, not just Brennan, not just Mendoza, not all the guys who have been wounded, not all the people who have suffered, not the families that will pay the price for this country. It's not for any one of those people. It's for all of those people. And if I got to do it, I'm going to do it for them. And there's nothing they wouldn't do for me, so how could I not do this for them?