 Ladies and gentlemen we gather here to honor the memory the young heroes that gave their lives over 103 years ago. While the events of the last century have transformed our nations, their deeds still resonate. Their devotion to duty, their sacrifice, their courage to continue serve as a stark reminder that freedom must be paid for and must be protected. To walk Wazen in Einmar today and look out at the headstones of those brave Marines, sailors and soldiers, how can you not be humble? Humanity has never seen such destruction it was wrought by the First World War. Yet here on this ground they face the worst of it. I find it quite fitting that in the same place it is so peaceful. The alliance between France and the United States is and will remain strong and it serves as a bedrock for a greater alliance built on nations that once fought as enemies. For the first time in the 99th we brought the Germans in there and there's a lot of skepticism just because they were on the other side of the the line during that time but now they're a great ally of ours and I think it helps us learn from our past, move forward to our future and celebrate the alliances we do have with all of our key allies and partners and just seeing that shared history bonds us together even greater as we go towards the future. As we reflect upon the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform the true testament to their valor is not only in monuments and in peaceful cemeteries we have erected in their honor it is in the security of freedom that followed. Our way of life is worth defending and it's worth defending forward. We must never forget this.