 Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for joining us today and welcome to Naval Surface Warfare Center Corona Divisions commemoration of the 81st anniversary of the World War II Battle of Midway. Welcome guests, shipmates, friends and family, and all of you gathered here this morning to remember America's fallen sailors and Marines during this historic battle. Chief Mills will now start us off with a prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the service men and women in our military, currently serving around the globe. May they know that their service is appreciated by us. We pray that their work and mission would be successful. Hear our prayer of thanks for our veterans who made great sacrifices on our behalf. We ask that you would bless them and meet all their needs. We pray that you would give them peace when they suffer from past trauma. We acknowledge the debt of gratitude that we owe them for the freedoms in our country. Lord, bless them and keep them. May your face shine upon them and give them peace. In your mighty name, we pray. Amen. 81 years ago today, the US Navy was in the middle of one of the most significant naval battles ever fought. The Battle of Midway was a turning point in the Pacific during World War II. Where the campaign of the Pacific had a momentum shift. And our Navy's defensive posture became an insurmountable offensive posture. We commemorate the battle in which the toughness, initiative, integrity and accountability of American sailors and Marines proved essential to the victory that changed the title of war in the Pacific and perhaps the course of world history. Fought between June 4th and 7th of 1942, only six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea. The Battle of Midway was a decisive naval battle in the Pacific, inflicting devastating damage to the Japanese fleet. Forcing them into a defensive posture for the remainder of the Pacific War. The battle marked a technological revolution in many ways, including displacing gunnery with carrier air power as a primary means of delivering ordinance. Additionally, superior naval code breaking gave Admiral Nimitz advanced warning of the Japanese plan of attack. But I want to focus on another key element, the technological advance that our fleet benefited from at Midway. Radio detection and ranging or radar as coined by the United States Navy. The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory had developed the first radar system prototype by 1938. And early radar systems were placed on land and aboard our ships leading up to the Pearl Harbor attack. During the early morning of June 4th, the Midway Island base radar detected the Japanese aircraft inbound at 93 miles and 11,000 feet. This warning ensured that all operational U.S. aircraft based at Midway had time to take off before the Japanese arrived and contest them in the air. Tragically, the U.S. response was fragmented and enabled to gain air superiority, but their resolve and grit would enable the battle to ultimately unfold in our favor. During the battle's engagements, the new radar technology provided U.S. aircraft carriers with a timely, long-range warning of approaching Japanese aircraft and better prepare them for the impending attacks. In contrast, the Japanese aircraft carriers at the Battle of Midway did not possess radar, relying solely on human lookouts, and therefore they did not enjoy the advanced warning of approaching U.S. aircraft. This allowed U.S. dive bombers to remain undetected until the moment they reached their attack positions, enabling the U.S. fleet to sink all four Japanese carriers, numerous support vessels, and aircraft. The critical U.S. victory at the Battle of Midway stopped the Japanese advance in the Pacific, and post-war Japanese analysis concluded that their lack of radar was a critical factor in their defeat. The technological advance we maintained during the battle was created over the years leading up to the war by our military and civilian workforce through hard work, planning, preparedness, innovation, and determination. This must be our attitude and approach today. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt stated in his April 28, 1942 fireside chat just prior to the Battle of Midway, we have stepped up our war production on a scale that is testing our industrial power, our engineering genius, and our economic structure to the utmost. We have had no illusions about the fact that this will be a tough job and a long one. I believe this tough job continues here today at NSWC Corona with our scientists, engineers, and technicians, utilizing their engineering genius to maintain the advantage over our adversaries. Through advancing naval technologies, science and technology support, fleet support for the Navy's ships and systems, and the research, development, testing, and evaluation for our R&D T&E mission that we have here. The U.S. and Japanese fleet engaged in this decisive battle before NSWC Corona was established, yet there is a history and sense of purpose we have here that resonates with the Battle of Midway. The Naval Sea Systems Command and Warfare Centers in NSWC Corona traced our histories back to 1862 when the Navy Department established the Bureau of Ordinance. Leading up to World War II, the National Research Defense Committee was established to coordinate, supervise, and conduct scientific research on the problems underlying the development, production, and use of mechanisms and devices of wartime. This preparation gave our military and intelligence and technological advancements leading up to the war and the Battle of Midway. Throughout World War II and after, the Navy's R&D T&E mission evolved and expanded with the designation of the Missile Development Division, which eventually moved to the area known as Unit 2 of the Naval Hospital at this site, and was formally designated as the National Bureau of Standards Corona Laboratories. Through the years, there have been some changes to the name and mission here, but our function in supporting the warfighters hasn't changed. Just as the work leading up to this pivotal battle enabled us to become victorious, Corona continues this innovative work advancing, assessing, maintaining, and sustaining our warfighting platforms and capabilities. And just as the case for the Battle of Midway, here at Corona, we continue to prepare and enable our Naval Navy for the battles of tomorrow. During the Battle of Midway, the Navy achieved decisive superiority in combat and established itself as a dominant naval force that can outthink and outfight any adversary. The United States has been and remains a naval power. Despite growing challenges and disruptions to the international rules-based order, our global fleet enables us to stand by our commitment to free and open sea lanes. Our remembrance of Midway illustrates how our battle achievements in innovation, intelligence, and courage serve as a model and an inspiration as we face the challenges of the future. Today we honor the veterans of Midway, and we also honor the significance that Midway plays as a part of our Navy's history. We remember and honor our military who fought, defending our freedom, and lost their lives during the critical bad way with the laying of a wreath.