WEBVTT

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music

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music

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music

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music

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music, march chant

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national anthem plays

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music fades out

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The table is round, to show our everlasting concern.

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Remember. The cloth is white, symbolizing the purity of

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their motives when answering the call of duty. Remember.

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The single red rose reminds us of those men and women

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and their loved ones and friends who keep the faith, while seeking answers.

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The red ribbon symbolizes our continued determination to

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account for them. Remember. A slice of lemon reminds us of the bitter

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fate of those captured and missing in a foreign land. A pinch of salt symbolizes

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the tears of our missing and their families who long for answers after the

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decades of uncertainty. Remember. The bible represents the strength

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gained through faith in our country, founded as one nation under god,

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to sustain those lost from our midsts. The candle is

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reminiscent of the light of hope which lives in our hearts to illuminate

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the way home. Remember. The glasses are inverted to symbolize their

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inability to share this evening's toast. Remember. The chairs are empty.

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They are missing. Remember. Let us now

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raise our glasses in a toast to honor America's POW/MIA's

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and to the success of our efforts to account for them.

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Remember. -Present arms!

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This is a day that is both a day to honor the fallen in our nation's wars and the

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unofficial start of the Summer season when we fire up the barbecues  

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and enjoy our rivers, lakes, and beaches. Many veterans 

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and military families voice frustration at this dichotomy

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and the dilution of Memorial Day, and we join

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them here tonight in highlighting the true cost of war.

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A cost far beyond dollars and cents.

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In Iraq and Afghanistan alone we have lost almost seven thousand

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of America's best men and women. We owe them

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and their families a debt that can never be repaid.

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trumpet playing

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music ends