00:00In this special year, I'll celebrate the 4th of July in Sicily, from where my great-grandparents immigrated to America
00:09more than 130 years ago.
00:13Those ties remain strong today, with more than 45,000 American students and 8 million visitors coming to Italy each
00:26year.
00:27Our partnership also reaches space.
00:32NASA's recent announcement that Italian astronaut Luco Pernambiato will participate and be the pilot in next year's Artemis III mission
00:42and continues more than 60 years of U.S.-Italian cooperation.
00:50But it also brings back a personal memory for me.
00:55Here at Villa Taverna, I was proud to be a part of the American delegation that welcomed the crew of
01:05Space Shuttle Endeavor in 2011
01:09and honored Italian astronauts, Colonel Roberto Vittorio and Paolo Nespaldi.
01:16I've seen firsthand the Sicily Rome American Cemetery in Nutondo and how deeply Italians honor the 11,000 Americans
01:32who were approximately 19.8 years old, who gave their lives for Italy's freedom.
01:43And every single week and month, an Italian brings this up to me.
01:49And there is nothing more touching than visiting that cemetery.
01:56There's nothing more touching than visiting that cemetery.
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