 Hello, I'm Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, and I want to thank all of you for being a part of Blue Star Welcome Week. I'm grateful to Blue Star Families for organizing this important event. The work they do is vital to ensuring our military families and veterans are embraced by their local communities and neighborhoods. After all, whether you are from a military family or a civilian family, being a part of a community is crucial to everyone's well-being. Like many of you here today, I come from a military family, a large one where I am one of seven. My father had an over 30-year career in the U.S. Navy. Growing up, I lived all across the United States, from Connecticut to Hawaii. I know firsthand that being in a military family can be extremely rewarding. You're part of something larger than yourself. You travel and learn different local and regional cultures, cuisines and dialects. You selflessly give to our nation and contribute to our national security. But I also know how difficult military family life can be at times. I know how tough it is to PCS every few years. Just as you feel you're getting settled, it's time to pack up again. Schools, jobs, neighborhoods and relationships are dislocated. That's why our military families and veterans benefit so much from supportive and understanding civilian neighbors. To our civilian partners and friends, thank you for joining us today and for all of your support. It enables our military families to thrive. The warm welcome that you offer, not just to our service members, but to our veterans, caregivers, survivors and their families, creates that real foundational community connection that says, you're home. And that is why Blue Star Welcome Week is so important. Each year, hundreds of thousands of military members and their families will PCS throughout the United States and become the newest members of communities all across the country. By raising awareness now, we can work to support not only the military families currently living in our communities, but priming our neighborhoods to ensure we are ready to welcome our military families when they arrive. And the benefits of this engagement go both ways. When a military family or veteran moves into your community, you are rewarded with new neighbors who are resilient, hardworking and service-minded. So thank you to Blue Star Families for helping us all come together to find solutions that strengthen all of us. To the civilians joining us today, I urge you to welcome and get to know the military families and veterans in your neighborhood. And to our military families and veterans, thank you for your service to our country. I wish you all the best.