00:00Now, Donald Trump would be under threat, and it was very nearly under threat.
00:09I was very proud to have knocked out the Iran nuclear deal by President Barack Hussein Obama.
00:16That was a horrible, horrible, dangerous document.
00:19They would have had nuclear weapons three years ago, and they would have used them.
00:25But I'll not let that happen.
00:27And for almost 47 years, this regime has been attacking the United States and killing Americans.
00:35Every time you see someone with missing arms and legs or a face that's been absolutely shattered violently,
00:42it was almost certainly caused by an Iran roadside bomb.
00:47They were put there by General Soleimani, who was the father of the roadside bomb,
00:56very proudly, he thought, but I terminated him in my first term.
01:03This was our last best chance to strike what we're doing right now
01:08and eliminate the intolerable threats posed by this sick and sinister regime, and they are indeed sick and sinister.
01:18Our objectives are clear.
01:20First, we're destroying Iran's missile capabilities, and you see that happening on an hourly basis,
01:27and their capacity to produce brand new ones, and pretty good ones they make.
01:32Second, we're annihilating their navy.
01:36We've knocked out already 10 ships.
01:38They're at the bottom of the sea.
01:40Third, we're ensuring that the world's number one sponsor of terror can never obtain a nuclear weapon.
01:48Never going to have a nuclear weapon.
01:49I said that from the beginning.
01:51They're never going to have a nuclear weapon.
01:53They were on the road to getting one legitimately through a deal that was signed foolishly by our country.
02:02And finally, we're ensuring that the Iranian regime cannot continue to arm, fund, and direct terrorist armies outside of their
02:11borders.
02:13And we thought we had a deal, but then they backed out, and they came back, and we thought we
02:18had a deal, and they backed out.
02:19I said, you can't deal with these people.
02:21You've got to do it the right way.
02:24Today, we grieve for the four heroic American service members who have been killed in action
02:29and send our love and support to their families.
02:34In their memory, we continue this mission with ferocious, unyielding resolve to crush the threat this terrorist regime poses to
02:42the American people.
02:43And a threat, indeed, it is.
02:46We have the strongest and most powerful, by far, military in the world, and we will easily prevail.
02:54Well, we're already substantially ahead of our time projections, but whatever the time is, it's okay.
03:03Whatever it takes, we will always, and we have, right from the beginning, we projected four to five weeks.
03:12But we have capability to go far longer than that.
03:16We'll do it.
03:16Whatever somebody said today, they said, oh, well, if the president wants to do it really quickly, after that, he'll
03:23get bored.
03:23I don't get bored.
03:25There's nothing boring about this.
03:26Do you agree with that, Pete?
03:28I don't think there's anything, Mr. General.
03:30I think there's nothing boring about it.
03:32Somebody actually said from the media, I think you'll get bored after about a week or two.
03:37No, we don't get bored.
03:39I never get bored.
03:40If I got bored, I wouldn't be standing here right now.
03:42I guarantee you that, to go through what I had to go through.
03:46We also projected four weeks to terminate the military leadership, and as you know, that was done in about an
03:54hour, so we're ahead of schedule there by a lot.
03:58But please join me in thanking every American service member who bravely is standing in harm's way.
04:05They really are incredible, and I just want to thank you.
04:07We have a lot of them right here.
04:08Thank you very much.
04:23Thank you, everybody.
04:24We have a lot of great service members here with us, too, in this beautiful building.
04:29Isn't it beautiful?
04:30We're adding on to the building a little bit.
04:32We're improving the building.
04:34See that nice drape?
04:36When that comes down right now, you see a very, very deep hole, but in about a year and a
04:42half from now, you're going to see a very, very beautiful building, and there's your entrance to it right there.
04:47In fact, it looks so nice, I don't think I'll even – I think I'll save money on the doors
04:50because it can't get more beautiful than that.
04:53I picked those drapes in my first term.
04:56I always like gold, but I think we can save a lot of money.
05:00I just saved – I just saved curtains, but – and it will be.
05:05It will be spectacular.
05:07It will be the most beautiful ballroom.
05:08I believe it's because I built many a ballroom.
05:10I believe it's going to be the most beautiful ballroom anywhere in the world, and when you hear all that
05:15hammering out there, you know why the first lady is not thrilled exactly.
05:20She said, will the pile drivers ever stop?
05:22You know, they go from 6 in the morning till 11.30 in the evening.
05:26Can you imagine here?
05:30You know what?
05:30To me, that's a beautiful sound.
05:32She doesn't like it.
05:33I love it.
05:33You know what?
05:34To me, other than here, because we're donating it, not a penny to the taxpayer, it'll be under budget, ahead
05:42of schedule.
05:42It'll be 400 million or less.
05:45Most people say 400 million or more.
05:48No, it'll be less.
05:48But when I hear that sound, that beautiful sound behind me, it means money, so I like it.
05:55But my wife isn't thrilled.
05:57She said, this is getting crazy.
05:59I said, don't worry about it.
06:01We'll be all finished up in a few months.
06:02But now for the reason that we're gathered this morning to recognize the unsurpassed courage of three really incredible American
06:12heroes, one living and two no longer with us.
06:16So together, we recognize the exceptional valor of Master Sergeant Roderick Edmonds.
06:25And maybe I could ask your families to stand because they're beautiful families.
06:29I got to meet them.
06:29Please.
06:48So Staff Sergeant Michael Ollis and Command Sergeant Major Terry Richardson,
06:55as they receive our nation's highest military award, the Congressional Medal of Honor.
07:02And we're pleased to be joined by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
07:07He's busy.
07:08He's busy.
07:09Very busy guy.
07:09In fact, I said, if you want, Pete, you can avoid it.
07:13General Raisin Cain also.
07:15And they said, we don't avoid this one.
07:17This is one you wouldn't avoid for anything, right?
07:19So we appreciate that you hear Secretary of Veterans Affairs, who's doing an incredible job, Veterans Affairs.
07:27Doug Collins.
07:28Doug, thank you.
07:29You stand up, Doug.
07:30You're doing such a good job.
07:3192 percent approval rating.
07:37Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Cain, who's known as Raisin Cain.
07:43I liked him when I heard that name.
07:45Raisin Cain.
07:45I said, if it's true, you're my guy.
07:48And it's true.
07:49It just turned out.
07:50It's very true.
07:51He's a great guy and a great general.
07:54Secretary of the Army, Dan Driscoll, and Army Chief of Staff, Randy George.
07:59Thank you both, Dan.
08:01As well as Senators Tom Cotton, Bill Haggerty.
08:05You guys were great on television this weekend, I'll tell you what.
08:08Can't have a better representative than both of you.
08:11Thank you very much.
08:12And Representatives Tim Burchett, Jack Bergman, and Nicole Malliotakis.
08:19So we have a few others sitting here, but I'm not going to go through it because we have
08:23far more important people to honor today.
08:26Oh, we have Tom Holman.
08:27I got to at least mention Tom Holman.
08:29I would be a stand-up, Tom.
08:31What a job.
08:32Zero.
08:33Zero.
08:33People coming in.
08:38We had millions and millions of people pouring into our country now that, I mean, I'm not even
08:43sure I can believe this number is zero, but it is given out by Democrats.
08:46Democrats from the last, and they're rated for the last nine months.
08:49We had zero people come illegally through our border.
08:53Right, Tom?
08:53So I want to thank you very much.
08:58And I also want to salute six former Medal of Honor recipients.
09:02William Swenson, Jim McLuhan, Walter Marm, Thomas Payne, Sammy Davis.
09:11That's an interesting guy.
09:12Where is Sammy Davis?
09:14We have a big story here, Sammy.
09:16You've heard that all your life, I'll bet, huh?
09:17And Edward Byer.
09:19Stand up, please.
09:29You all look good.
09:32You all look good.
09:33We remember the ceremonies.
09:35Oh, great.
09:36It's a great honor.
09:38There's no greater.
09:39I tried for myself.
09:41I've tried numerous times to get one by myself.
09:44I keep getting shut down.
09:45They say, you can't do it, sir.
09:47Bad protocol.
09:48Very bad.
09:49I would say the worst.
09:51But I'm only kidding.
09:52You don't have to say I'm only kidding.
09:53Otherwise, the press will come out with it.
09:55Which they actually did once.
09:57Donald.
10:02And I want to thank you all.
10:03In 1941, Roddy Edmonds of Knoxville, Tennessee, enlisted in the U.S. Army and soon rose to one
10:12of the youngest master sergeants in the military.
10:16In 1944, he sailed to Europe to fight in World War II, and he was so enthusiastic and young
10:23and full of vim and vigor.
10:26Roddy soon found himself on the front lines of the Battle of the Balls.
10:31That was a big one, massively outnumbered by enemy forces.
10:35His 1,200 soldier unit fought valiantly until they were completely overrun.
10:43The force was massive on the other side, many times a number.
10:47After a four-day death march, one that was covered very well by the history books through bitter cold,
10:56they were put into a German POW camp.
11:00Roddy was the top-ranking infantryman in the camp.
11:04He was number one, meaning he was responsible for the lives of his fellow service members.
11:10On July 26, 1945, a Nazi SS officer issued an order over the camp loudspeaker, loud and strong.
11:20He said that...
11:22To me...
11:23To me...
11:39To me...
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