 It's great to see all of you, it's great to see such a special group of leaders at yet another midwinter conference. Even though I have to confess, it feels a little strange to be welcoming you in the afternoon, and in the afternoon after the National Commander's Testimony up on the Hill, and in the middle of the first full week of March instead of the traditional week after President's Day. We put out a memo about this, hopefully you saw that, however, because of the number of questions that I alone received since three o'clock yesterday or so when I got here, I thought I would mention this wasn't our idea and no, we're not going to do it again, not unless we have to. The Congressional Calendar was changed by the Speaker of the House after we had already had our date set, right? So honestly, we were very lucky to be able to find another time that we could both be on the Hill and have our Commander present to a joint session of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees, and to have a place to sleep for a few days. In some ways, things, because of all that, feel out of place for such a long-standing tradition. But I hope you'll all join me in looking at this Congressional Curve Bowl as a reminder of our perseverance, our flexibility, and our readiness to adapt. The dates have changed, but our mission is not. We aim to show our elected leaders and our determination and unwavering commitment to our veteran community. This commitment can be seen across the nation each and every day, and it can be seen in the myriad ways that we look to expand and enhance our services to meet the mission in new and exciting ways. Last fall, we launched our newest program, as you've heard, our DAV caregivers support. This no-cost initiative provides concierge, assistance, and resources to the friends, family members, and other loved ones who care for our veterans. Caregiving is a noble, as you all know, yet often thankless task. But this program helps improve the quality of life for veterans and their caregivers while extending the time veterans can live in their own homes. DAV caregivers support is powered by T-Care, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business founded by one of our DAV Patriot Boot Camp alumnus. The program has already provided direct, life-changing support for hundreds of veteran caregivers, and you never know when something as simple as a referral can change a life. The simple act of telling someone how they can get help can be absolutely transformative. So make sure you let your folks know that DAV caregivers support is there for them, and that they can learn more at DAVcaregiver.org. At DAV, we believe that the phrase, thank you for your service, is more than words. It's action. That's why I'm excited about DAV Community Impact Day next month on April 6th. We see this day as a beacon to unify communities across the country for a day of service and volunteering for veterans. So sign up at volunteerforveterans.org to pledge an hour of your time and to help us spread the word to make an even greater impact. Now, most of you in this room already pledge far more than an hour of your time, so helping to spread the word is key here, and helping to get others involved is what we're really asking you. I look forward to hearing and seeing all the good work supporting veterans and their families because of your efforts. Again, to learn more, go to volunteerforveterans.org to help us get the word out. Our fellow veterans and our supporters trust us because we fight for the issues that matter and we get results. Because of that, people look to us to lead and to advocate now more than ever. While we help veterans and their families achieve personal victories, both great and small, every day your advocacy here this week will stretch far beyond the halls of Congress. Our actions here and back home will have a positive impact on veterans and families for years to come. Listen, I know firsthand that advocacy is challenging. Our legislative team especially knows that. It can test us. Joey thinks that's why I left Washington, D.C., by the way. I don't want to deal with lawmakers. Face-to-face sharing of ideas with often unaware and overwhelmed elected officials and their teams can wear us down. But when I look at all of you, I see our collective strength and know that we can accomplish great things together. We do accomplish great things together. Our DAV predecessors have laid the groundwork for us. We must remain vigilant with our advocacy to honor their legacy and keep our promises to America's veterans, their families, and their survivors. You, all of you, as constituents, put an authentic face on the issues that we advocate for year-round. You're a voter from back home representing many other engaged veterans who put these elected officials in their position. I can think of no more effective way than deploying DAV members to meet with their elected officials and to tell their stories. I encourage you to speak openly and honestly with all of our elected officials and their staffs. Your insight and that of your families helps shape their priorities and influences policies that not only affects millions of veterans but their loved ones as well. And I'd like to emphasize a point that President Robinson made earlier this afternoon. Don't let them off the hook easily or better yet, just don't let them off the hook. Be respectful, be nice, but don't accept those overpracticed, generic answers. We all know those answers when we hear them. Every one of us knows it. Ask certain questions a second time, perhaps. But more directly, consider making them yes or no questions. They probably won't give you a yes or no answer. But they'll know what you're doing. At the same time, they'll know that you know they know what you did. And they'll be at least probably, hopefully, a little less likely to trifle with you. Given this week's unprecedented circumstances, it's understandable that you might not meet with your elected officials or their staff while here in DC this time. So please schedule a meeting with them back home. They are just, those meetings back home are just as valuable as the ones you'd have here in DC. Your assistance is needed to connect with them about issues, some issues which are life and death. The tragedy of veteran suicide is a topic that continues to dominate the news cycle. In the commander's testimony earlier this morning, we heard that the suicide rate among women veterans jumped more than a staggering 24%. More than half of all women veterans suicide involved the use of a firearm, surpassing all other methods combined. The rate of women dying by firearm suicide was nearly three times higher than for non-veteran women. These grim statistics should serve as a wake-up call to our country. Each number is far more than a number. It's a representation of a loss so overwhelming it's nearly impossible to comprehend. But we know some solutions, encouraging safe gun ownership and storage, effective training, and if needed, time and space away from their firearms can all be life-saving, particularly when one is in crisis. We must all work together in an effort with community-based and clinically-based prevention strategies to end this tragic epidemic for men and women veterans. Our nation's veterans and their families deserve nothing less. The veteran community has struggled with this issue for far too long and we must all do better. Everyone here understands that VA mental health care cannot be the only part of the answer on how to end veteran suicide. So please be sure to check in with your friends and with your colleagues. Be sure you make that call or send that text message. That communication can be the connection that person needs to make a difference in their life or to save their life. If a veteran is in crisis, don't hesitate to call the crisis line at 988 to help get them the assistance that they need as soon as possible. Or consider referring them to our partner, Save a Warrior, one of our most prolific life-saving organizations in this country. Visit saveawarrior.org to learn more and apply. Before I conclude, we all know that March is Women's History Month, and so I'd like to first of all take a moment to recognize all of our women veterans in the room. Thank you all for helping to write the story that is DAV. I'd also like to take a moment to recognize our very first woman national commander and my very dear friend, Delphine Metcalf Foster. Good day, Delphine. And we've been standing for her all day, but we're going to do it again. Our first Hispanic woman national commander, Nancy Espinoza. Again, I'd like to thank all of you for attending the nation's leading, what is certainly the nation's leading veteran advocacy event. Remember why you're here and have a wonderful conference. Thank you.