 Good morning. I'm Vice Admiral Robin Braun, Chief of Navy Reserve. I want to welcome you to this Returning Warrior workshop, and I think you'll enjoy the events and the speakers we have planned for this weekend. I also want to thank you for your service. Whether you returned last month or a year ago, it's great to have you home. This is our opportunity to thank you and your loved ones for your shared sacrifice during your deployment. We hope that your experiences this weekend will be positive and will help you to reintegrate back home. This workshop is designed for both returning warriors and family or friends because for the spouses or loved ones at home, you may have faced challenges too, carrying the burden of extra responsibilities while your service member was deployed. So my hope for this weekend is that you'll take time to relax, reconnect, and realize that others may share the same experiences you do, that others face some of the same challenges, expectations, and thoughts during deployment or upon returning home. I also hope you'll become more aware of the resources that are available to you, and I hope you'll share your stories with others and talk about what you've learned. Most of all, I hope you'll enjoy the weekend, make new friendships, and come away refreshed. Opening up and sharing experiences with others isn't always easy. Sailors and Marines are taught to focus on the mission and get the job done. And those who stay behind are encouraged to be strong for their loved ones while balancing the many demands back home. Through your discussions this weekend, I believe your relationships with your loved ones have the potential to grow even stronger. It's important that we develop resilience, the ability to deal with stress and to adapt. Resilience is not something you were born with, nor does it mean that you're immune from sadness or fear. Resilience is developed as you gain knowledge and experience, and it grows from supportive relationships, moral beliefs, and traditions that help you through life's ups and downs. You all are on a journey, a journey that has taken you places that you may have never thought you'd be, both physically and emotionally. Rest assured that many are on the same journey, and you're not alone. And always know that we honor your service and sacrifice. Without your dedication, both at home and in harm's way, our country would not be as strong as it is today. We enjoy our exceptional American way of life due to men and women like you who have given so much of yourselves. Thanks to each of you, those who served on a deployment, and those who sacrificed at home to support our employers. I'm proud of you and your family's sacrifice. And I'm proud of your efforts to persevere, to grow from your experiences, and to be resilient. Above all, I'm proud to call you my shipmates. Thank you for your patriotism, your sacrifices, and your service. Have a great weekend.