 It is a privilege to introduce DAV National Commander Ron Hope. A combat wounded Vietnam veteran, Commander Hope was unanimously elected by you, his fellow DAV members, at our 2014 National Convention to lead the organization for the year. Commander Hope is recognized as an expert in veteran benefits and Department of Veterans Affairs programs for injured and ill veterans. A U.S. Army veteran, he served 31 years as DAV National Service Officer. Born in Texan, Texas, Commander Hope received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Tarleton State University with a major in marketing. After serving in the Army from January 1968 to April 1970 when he was medically retired. As member of the 227th Assault Helicopter Battalion of the 1st Air Cavalry, he was wounded in 1969 when his helicopter was shot down during a combat assault, resulting in the amputation of his left arm at the shoulder and numerous other injuries. Among his military decorations, Commander Hope received the Purple Heart, multiple air medals, Army Aviation Badge, and Vietnam Service and Campaign medals. He began his professional career with DAV as the National Service Officer in Waco, Texas. In 1979, Commander Hope was promoted to National Service Office Supervisor in Oklahoma City in 1983 and Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1987, before serving as an area supervisor for Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee until his retirement in 2010. Our commander resides in Clemens, North Carolina. He is a life member of DAV Department of North Carolina and Texas. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome DAV National Commander Ron Hope. Good morning, DAV. Thank you very much for having me. It's a pleasure to be here with all of you this morning for the State Commanders and Agents Association meeting. As many of you recall, we had one of the most successful and memorable midwinter conferences to date last year. And I think you'll find this one is shaping up to have the same kind of impact. It's my honor to welcome Secretary Bob McDonald. It's been a year of sweeping change, the VA, since we last met here. I know you're all looking forward to hearing from you regarding the continued improvements to the Department and, of course, the impact I have on veterans. Bob, since your confirmation, you have demonstrated a willingness to listen to veterans and have been continuously engaged with the Veterans Service Organizations, DAV among them. There's no replacement for a leader who is able to invest himself personally in the needs of those in his charge. The past year has been fraught with challenges and that has put our healthcare and benefits system under the microscope. We believe the intrinsic value of the VA is irreplaceable. They specialize in veterans and have long been a leader in many forms of treatment, therapy, and research unique to this community. You're among a group of people who have had the utmost respect for the VA's charge. Every all of us, myself included, have directly or indirectly benefited from what your department does. At DAV, we talk a lot about keeping the promise to our nation's veterans. America has a contract with those who served and the Department of Veterans Affairs holds a significant piece of that contract. But a contract is a two-way agreement and we must uphold our end as well. For our part, we will continue to provide you with the feedback and honest insight that we receive from our members. There's much to be learned about the operations of the VA system from the men and women right here in this room and I'm confident that VA leaders, including Bob, are listening. The VA has been an invaluable resource for many veterans despite issues that surfaced in the past year. And its surfaces are an important part of the promise to the men and women who served to their families and caregivers and to those currently in harm's way as part of our nation's military. This is a system that they will inherit just as we did and we must fight to make sure it's a good one, the best one available for veterans. This week and throughout the year, we will be addressing some very critical topics. This includes two that I believe have both the urgency and the momentum to inspire real change and impact, caregivers and women veterans. The forefront of the line is safeguarding and improving the VA so that we can ensure all veterans today and tomorrow have a system accountable to them for the injuries and illnesses sustained in service to this nation. This, we believe, is an integral part of America keeping its promise. This week, we will once again launch into operation, keep the promise with our eyes fixed on realistic, actionable goals that we know with the right amount of effort and persuasion they can be met this year. Last year we saw our members rally together, both here in Washington and across the country, to fight for a common goal, advanced appropriations for veterans benefits payments. By the close of 2014, we have achieved our goal. Working in concert, I am confident we can also take our 215 goals to task. But it will take that same passion on your part to get us to the finish line. As you fill the halls of Congress on Tuesday and meet with your representatives and senators throughout the week, your message must be clear. We are veterans. We take care of veterans and we expect the government to do the same for those who sacrificed and for their families and survivors. No matter the era, the branch we served in, man or woman, young or old, we have sacrificed for this nation. We have upheld our end of the contract and now Congress has to ensure that they stay true to it as well. Remember, this isn't about getting more. It's about securing what was earned and was promised. As a DA life member that I know of, a young woman who was horrifically injured as a result of an accident aboard the Coast Guard cutter that she served on. It was one of the shining examples of all we're fighting for this year. Alexis was injured just shy of the terrorist attacks on September the 11th, 2001. She has lived with the effects of that accident. Brain damage, motor function impairment and nerve damage every day since it happened and she will likely live with it the remaining days of her lives. Alexis is only in her mid-30s. She is, by all accounts, a very young woman with a lot of life ahead of her. She's had two young children since the accident and she struggles to do a lot of the daily normal functions a parent typically handles with ease. The VA initially struggled to diagnose Alexis. Condition in her medical care could have been greatly enhanced with better comprehension and better access to gender specific treatment within the system. Additionally, because she was injured prior to 9-11, she and her husband, her caregiver Jason, are considered ineligible for VA's comprehensive assistance for family caregivers program. At 35, with many years ahead of her, that assistance would greatly support the well-being of Alexis and her family. It's simply unacceptable. As DAV leaders, you know that you play a critical role in making sure that our nation's ill and injured veterans do not find themselves in positions like this. Men or women young or old, no matter the branch of service, we stand up for our fellow veterans because it's the right thing to do. Our national service officers and transition service officers are out there every day, face-to-face with veterans, making an incredible impact on the men and women who served, as well as their families. So too are the DAV's department and chapter service officers. They stand ready to assure every veteran has access to free professional representation. I'd like to ask our national service officers, transition service officers, department and chapter service officers to please stand and be recognized. Thank you very much. The men and women accredited or certified by DAV as service officers over 3,800 strong in the face of the DAV is often the first impression a veteran has of our organization. Thank you all for your dedication to your fellow veterans. Service work is truly the bread and butter at DAV. It's what we do best and what we're known for. But between DAV and the auxiliary, we're also fortunate to have nearly 16,000 volunteers serving in VA facilities across the country including more than 8,800 volunteers who donate their time as drivers for our DAV transportation network. As part of this, DAV has now purchased 2,852 vans specifically to transport veterans to and from VA medical appointments covering every state and congressional district in the country. Since beginning in 1987, our drivers have totaled more than 601 million miles and donated more than 33 million hours of their time to this program. More than 16 million veterans have benefited from the DAV transportation network. While these are impressive numbers, this calls to attention to need for increased volunteer services. All of the fundraising that we do can't replace the presence of our volunteer forces. We need to be sure that we're accurately reporting our LVAP activity. Volunteerism across the country as you may know is in decline. It's a trend we look to reverse. Many service injured and ill veterans depend on and count on the spirit of hardworking volunteers. I think that kind of dedication from our volunteers and hospital service coordinators deserve a little recognition. So for those of you with us today, drivers and volunteers, please stand for a much deserved round of applause. I'm always inspired by the giving nature of volunteers. Those men and women truly stand a standout group. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I would also like to take a moment to recognize the work of our professional staff in both Cold Springs Kentucky and Washington DC. They're constantly working to improve the programs and services that we offer and to ensure DAV is doing everything possible to better serve veterans. Mark Burgess, Barry Jezanowski, Gary Augustine, you have assembled a phenomenal team of professionals within the veterans' avaskees arena and the work you do is second to none. As veterans and members, we sincerely appreciate all of the work that these teams do in order to further the DAV mission. Thank you very much. I would be remiss if I didn't also thank our counterparts in the auxiliary. DAV has no better friend or closer ally than the DAV auxiliary. Under the capable leadership of auxiliary national commander Leanne Card and national adjunct Pat Kemper, your support is invaluable and we're blessed to have such a devoted partner. For nearly a century, DAV has stood as a champion of veterans' causes and I can assure you this year and in the years ahead we will face many new challenges including challenges to our compensation and health care programs. Your attention to these issues and your support in our advocacy campaigns and your voices lend lending depth to our message have never been more important than they are now. We need you to be DAV's ambassadors and take what you learned and experience here this week with you at home and spread the message and invite your fellow veterans to join you by our side. It is through our ranks nationwide that we move closer to achieving our goals. Never forget the men and women we're fighting for. The veterans here in this room, the veterans in long-term care and nursing facilities, the veterans coming home each and every day making the difficult transition back to civilian life. Let these men and women guide your daily efforts. The mission of service is never complete and we are our fellow wounded, injured, and ill veterans the best DAV has to offer. More than anything I have enormous confidence in what incredible talents that you all, everyone in this room, bring to this organization. Thank you most truly for everything that you do. May God continue to bless the United States of America, the men and women who continue to stand in harm's way and defender. God bless their families and may God bless DAV. Thank you and keep up the good work.