Speaker 1 (00:00):
At ease. Harshing zone, attention.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
Instruments.
(00:00)
Standby. Step.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Attention. [inaudible 00:02:41], rest. Honor guard, colors. Attention. [inaudible 00:02:41]. At ease. Colors. Stand at ease. Step, ceremonial. At ease. Harshing zone, attention.
(02:41)
Stand by. Step. Attention. Honor guard, colors. Attention. Colors, right shoulder arms. Colors, right [inaudible 00:07:04]
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Distinguished guests, please stand for the arrival of the official party and remain standing as honors are rendered, and for the invocation given by Chief of Chaplains, Major General William Green Jr. Taking their positions on the reviewing stand is the reviewing official for today's ceremony, the Honorable Lloyd J. Austin III, the 28th Secretary of Defense, accompanied by the host, General Charles Q. Brown Jr., the 21st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Reset. March.
(10:16)
Staff, order. Order. Order, order. Colors, ready. Colors, ready, rest. Staff, colors, rest.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Ladies and gentlemen, Chaplain Green.
Speaker 4 (10:38):
Ladies and gentlemen, please bow with me as I pray God's blessings upon this ceremony to farewell our 28th Secretary of Defense, the Honorable Lloyd J. Austin III. Let us pray. Almighty God, our help and ages pass and our enduring hope for the future. We come together today in humble thanksgiving to celebrate and acknowledge the fateful, dedicated and honorable service and sacrifice of a soldier and a statesman for our nation. Father, you have guided our Secretary of Defense through decades of challenges and tests, sustaining and prospering him all along the way, ordering his steps to prepare him for every job he was called upon to do. We thank you heavenly Father for Secretary Austin's success in leading the Department of Defense and for the unwavering commitment and sacrifice this extraordinary leader has exhibited in devoting his life to our country in support and defense of the Constitution of the United States.
(11:55)
Lord God, as Secretary Austin moves to the next chapter of your plan for him, may your goodness and mercy follow him all the days of his life as you bless him and his cherished family. And now Lord, we commend our nation and our armed forces to your merciful care and bless each one of us here today as we remain firmly committed and unyielding in support of the cherished freedoms we enjoy as Americans. In your most holy name, I pray. Amen.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Please be seated.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Attention. Honor guard, attention. Colors, right shoulder forward. Colors, right.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
The services representing America's armed forces and participating in today's review from left to right are the United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, the United States Army Band, the Presidential Marching Platoon from the Army's 3rd United States Infantry Regiment, the Old Guard, the United States Marine Honor Guard from Marine Barracks 8th & I Washington D.C. The colors have always been one of the most important elements of a military unit. At the center of our formation is an armed forces color guard bearing the national color and the service flags of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. Following is an element from the United States Navy Honor Guard from Navy Yard, Washington D.C. The next element online is comprised of a flight from the United States Air Force Honor Guard from Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling. And finally, is an element of the United States Coast Guard Honor Guard from Coast Guard Station, Alexandria.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Troop, in review. Post staff. Staff, right face.
Speaker 3 (17:52):
Distinguished guests, please stand for the advancing of the colors and remain standing for the playing of the National Anthem.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Color, forward march. Staff, left face. Sir, colors are present to command. Reset. Arms. Detachment, present arms.
Speaker 5 (20:29):
Please be seated.
Speaker 6 (20:29):
[inaudible 00:20:31].
Speaker 5 (21:38):
The Distinguished Public Service Medal is presented to Lloyd J. Austin III. Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III distinguished himself by exceptional public service to the Department of Defense while serving as a Secretary of Defense from January 2021 through January 2025. Secretary Austin's exceptional strategic leadership and steadfast stewardship strengthened the joint force during a period of unprecedented challenges in the global security environment and major transitions of United States military modernization and personnel programs to address future national security challenges. Throughout his tenure, Secretary Austin reinforced a principled sustainable role for the military instrument of power in the security of the United States and its allies and partners, while strengthening a ready, adaptable joint force for countering emerging trans-regional threats across the globe. Secretary Austin led global responses to authoritarianism, violence, and instability, uniting and guiding coalitions of nations committed to democracy and international law.
(22:53)
Secretary Austin's unwavering commitment to the men and women of the armed forces and their family members enhanced the all-volunteer force and reinvigorated a collective national commitment to our nation's veterans. The singularly distinctive accomplishments of Secretary Austin are in keeping with the finest traditions of public service and reflect great credit upon himself, the joint staff, the Department of Defense, and the United States of America. The Distinguished Public Service Medal is presented to Mrs. Charlene D. Austin. Mrs. Charlene D. Austin distinguished herself by exceptional public service to the Department of Defense while serving in support of the men and women of the United States military as the spouse of the Secretary of Defense from January 2021 through January 2025. Following 40 years of service as a military spouse, Mrs. Austin continued her work with community, military, and professional organizations that directly benefited military members and their families.
(25:56)
Serving as an ambassador around the world, she continually supported, sponsored, and attended events that highlighted the importance of service to the country and strength of the family. Mrs. Austin's specific efforts on the advisory boards for the Purdue Military Family Institute and the Military Child Education Coalition in conjunction with her role as a senior spouse facilitator for the National Defense University forged a legacy of strategic leadership and steadfast stewardship that strengthened the armed forces during a period of unprecedented change in the global security environment and major transitions of United States military modernization and personnel programs to address future national security challenges. The singularly distinctive accomplishments of Mrs. Austin are in keeping with the finest traditions of public service and reflect great credit upon herself, the joint staff, the Department of Defense, and the United States of America.
Speaker 6 (26:59):
Well done, team. Stand by. [inaudible 00:28:40]. Attention.
Speaker 5 (29:01):
Distinguished guests, please stand for the posting of the colors.
Speaker 6 (29:08):
Post the colors. Step right face. [inaudible 00:30:23].
Speaker 5 (29:09):
Please, be seated.
Speaker 6 (29:09):
Step left face. [inaudible 00:30:44]. At ease. [inaudible 00:30:56]. At ease.
Speaker 5 (29:09):
Distinguished guests, General Brown.
General Brown (31:24):
Well, good morning. What another great day for our United States military. As a well-known Greek proverb states, society grows great when leaders plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. Secretary Austin and Charlene are both such leaders, who, over four and a half decades, have planted many trees for future generations. It's not our [inaudible 00:31:56] ceremony to both bid farewell to Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Mrs. Charlene Austin, and say thank you for your decades of service to our nation. I'd like to welcome everyone to today's ceremony. To our elected and government officials, Department of Defense leadership, general flag officers, senior listed leaders, diplomatic corps, defense attaches, members of the defense industry, welcome and thank you for being here.
(32:32)
Whether you're here in person or watching online, you honor this tremendous couple with your presence. I'd also like to recognize our joint forces honor guard, the band, protocol team, and all those that work behind the scenes to pull off another great ceremony to say farewell to a great leadership team. Secretary Austin spent his life serving our nation, leading military teams for 45 years. 41 years in the Army, and four years as our 28th Secretary of Defense. I suspect on some days, the last four years felt much longer than the first 41. As I like to say, every day is a good day, just some days are better than others. Secretary Austin almost didn't attend the US Military Academy. Inspired by his father's and uncle's service uniform, he knew he wanted to serve, but he had his heart set on going to Notre Dame. His father's heart and his wallet were set more on a more affordable West Point. His father's choice was our gain and Notre Dame's loss. Every day since, both in uniform and out, Secretary Austin employed the values instilled in him at West Point. Duty, honor, country. He repeatedly answered the call of duty and fulfilled his responsibilities to his fellow soldiers and [inaudible 00:34:21] teammates. He was guided by honor, acted with character, and always treated people with dignity and respect. And he placed fidelity to his country, our democracy in the Constitution above all else. His time at West Point was just the beginning of what would become a lifetime of service. From his early days as a lieutenant, Secretary Austin was a leader of the highest caliber. He's a builder of teams and he got the very best out of those under his command. Like so many, I have benefited from Secretary Austin's leadership and mentorship. Our paths crossed several times over the years. I served as his deputy air component commander at CENTCOM. He selected me to be his air component commander and pin on my third star where I thought it reached a pinnacle of my career, and then he played a key role in my becoming the Chairman.
(35:25)
I appreciated his calm, collected leadership on more than one occasion. I can personally attest to his openness, his willingness to listen, take on advice, and then share his perspective. I also had the honor of seeing him in his element as a CENTCOM commander, a warrior through and through, and again, most recently, as we sat together at Omaha Beach last year for the 80th anniversary of D-Day. He lit up when there was a paratrooper song that was sung, and then he described to me what the paratroopers commemorating this special day were experiencing. Even with all this, I still don't understand the urge to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. As an army officer, Secretary Austin succeeded through teamwork, leadership quality that contributed to success as our Secretary of Defense. As secretary, he led the Department of Defense through several major crises and set us on a path for the future. His approach reminds me of a quote I use often, success takes help. Failure, you can do alone. Success takes help. Failure, you can do alone.
(36:46)
Secretary Austin knows the value of teamwork to succeed. He helped fortify NATO when Russia invaded Ukraine, exposing Russia's authoritarian aims to the world. Created a coalition of over 50 nations that contributed tens of billions of dollars, providing the critical support Ukraine needed to defend itself. He also led the department's response to the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, bolstering our Israeli allies, countering attacks from proxies and violent extremists on our forces and helping to stabilize the region. He made numerous visits to the Indo-Pacific region, solidifying relationships across a range of allies and partners. He and Deputy Secretary Kath Hicks established a transparent process that engendered teamwork across the department to ensure our budgetary missions aligned with our strategy. For four years, Secretary Austin helped defend the nation, built readiness and resilience among our service members, and strengthen critical alliances and partnerships around the world.
(37:54)
Standing by his side the past 40-plus years has been Mrs. Charlene Austin. Charlene has quietly dedicated 45 years of her life in service to our nation as an educator and counselor. Her passion in life is taking care of others. She has a presence that encourages people to open up to her. She wielded that superpower over the decades to help service members and their families who appreciated her straightforward demeanor, her infectious laugh, and the kindness and compassion she displayed wherever she went. I was told that Secretary Austin usually gets a spring in his step, is in a much better mood whenever Charlene visits the Pentagon. If I'd known that, Charlene, we'd have invited you to the building a lot more often. Thank you, Charlene, for your decades of service to our nation, for your love and support of Secretary Austin over the years and for making Secretary Austin a better man. Now, those are not my words. Those are your words, Mr. Secretary. Secretary Austin and Charlene have spent 45 years planting trees. They left an example of a life lived in service. I believe that those in leadership, no matter what level, have a responsibility to inspire the next generation. Together, the Austin's have been role models. Inspiring us to plant more seeds for the future, to create shade for those that come after us to sit in. On behalf of the 2.1 million men and women in uniform, on behalf of their families, we thank you both for a lifetime of service. But most importantly, sir, Charlene, thanks for your leadership. God bless you and your family, God bless our service
Speaker 7 (40:00):
… And their families, and God bless the United States of America. Thank you.
Speaker 8 (40:25):
[inaudible 00:40:26]. Attention. [inaudible 00:40:37].
Speaker 9 (40:49):
Distinguished guests, Secretary Austin.
Secretary Austin (41:25):
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Troops as usual, you look magnificent and thanks for all that you do to protect our country. Many thanks to the band for what they always do. Make every event that much more special. So thank you, band. Chairman, I got to tell you an image of me that is that size is quite unnerving to me. Now, I actually think this is payback for my staff members who have had to look at an image like that oversized every day.
(42:21)
Well, good morning everybody. It's great to see everyone and I'm deeply grateful to General Brown and everyone else who arranged this wonderful event. Gary, a special thanks to you for another stellar performance. I'm truly grateful for all of you for braving the cold today to be here with us, especially for those who have traveled great distances. Now, this is actually my second ceremony retiring from the Department of Defense, and over the past four years, my wife Charlene has repeatedly pointed out to me that I failed retirement. But this has been a blessing that I never imagined, and it has been an incredible journey, first 41 years in the US Army and then 4 more years as Secretary of Defense.
(43:29)
As I've said, American democracy is not a sprint, but a relay race. And as we pass the baton, I am very proud of what we've achieved over the past four years. In my first message to the force as secretary, I laid out three priorities. Defend the nation, take care of our people, and succeed through teamwork. And we have made huge progress on all three. We have intensely focused the Department of Defense on the pacing challenge from the People's Republic of China. We've made sweeping upgrades to our posture in the Indo-Pacific. We've rallied the free world to help Ukraine fight for its freedom against Putin's imperial aggression. We've led a NATO alliance that is stronger, larger and more united than ever. We've prevented an all-out war in the Middle East. We've seen Iran's proxies gutted across the region and worked tirelessly to save Palestinian civilians in Gaza. We've also secured a ceasefire that will halt the fighting in Gaza and reunite hostages with their families and serve much-needed humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza. We've reinforced our unmatched network of allies and partners around the globe. We've invested deeply in the future of our military, including a defense budget that is set to increase in fiscal year 2025 by more than $100 billion from where we started in 2021. And we've taken huge strides to take care of our people, including raising base pay for our troops by almost 10% since 2021, and making historic reforms to the military justice system and helping military spouses pursue their own careers. And for the past four years, we've stood up to our rivals, we've weakened our foes, strengthened our friends, invested in our future, and done right by our people.
(46:04)
Now that doesn't just happen, and I am incredibly grateful to the exceptional team that has changed the course of history. Above all, thanks to my commander in chief, our commander in chief. I will forever be touched by President Biden's faith in me. Now, I had the chance to talk about our president yesterday at his armed forces farewell. So I will just say again that our first family is also a military family, and the President and First Lady have always understood the worry and the pride that our military families carry. And President Biden has been an extraordinary guardian of America's bipartisan tradition of global leadership.
(46:57)
Let me also thank Kath Hicks. Kath, you have been a fantastic deputy. You've insisted on results, you are a barrier-breaker and a change-maker, and you have made history. So thank you Secretary Hicks, and you deserve another round of applause.
(47:41)
And I'm deeply grateful to our outstanding Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General CQ Brown Jr. He is a legendary war-fighter, brave, wise, and principled, and America's foes could have no worse enemy. America's allies could have no greater friend and a Secretary of Defense could have no better partner. Let's give it up for General CQ Brown.
(48:24)
Cheering, AND I am grateful to our interagency partners on the national security team who have worked so well together for four years. My thanks to Vice President Harris, Secretary Blinken, Secretary Yellen, Secretary McDonough, Jake Sullivan, Director Haynes, Director Burns, Chief of Staff Zients, and many, many more. I'd also like to thank our outstanding service secretaries, Christine Wormuth, Carlos Del Toro, and Frank Kendall. Thanks for your leadership and your vision. I'm grateful to our vice chairman and the joint chiefs, Admiral Chris Grady and our incredible service chiefs, General Randy George, General Eric Smith, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, General David … General Steven Nordhaus. It has been a privilege to work with all of you and it's been an honor to work alongside so many talented leaders and dedicated public servants across the department.
(49:56)
I'd especially like to thank my extraordinary team in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, which I call Team 28. You have been brilliant, creative, and tireless. I've always been grateful for your skill, your dedication, and your integrity. And I am especially grateful to your families and loved ones who made your service possible. I can't name all of you now or we'd never get out of here, but please know how much you all mean to me. I especially want to thank my chiefs of staff, my first Chief of Staff, Kelly Magsamen, her deputy Mela Louise Norman, and they helped me build this team. I'm deeply grateful to my current Chief, Derek Chollet and my Deputy Chief of Staff, Caroline Zier, who have guided us on.
(51:03)
I am also proud to have served with four superb senior military assistants, Generals Brian Fenton, Randy George, Ron Clark, and Jen Short. And for my principal military assistants and junior military assistants, our front office, non-commissioned officers and all their families. And believe me, I know how hard it was and how much you gave. Let's have a round of applause for the best team in the business.
(51:44)
I also want to thank my family. I'm thinking today of my parents, my dad, who did so much to point me in the right direction, including pushing me pretty firmly toward West Point. We lost my mom when I was deployed to Iraq. I have never met a wiser person, and I miss her every day. I'm also deeply grateful for the support and love of my siblings. My brother Morris, my four big sisters, Patricia, Caroline, Serena, and our late sister Lloydette. We miss her so much. I'm incredibly proud of our sons, Reggie and Shane, and the fine men that they have become. When I think of the future, I think of you two.
(52:56)
And above all, I want to thank my wife, Charlene. Charlene, I was first struck by your warm smile and your wonderful laugh. And all these years I've come to rely on your strength, your spirit, and your love. You made huge sacrifices as a military spouse and then you had to change course again when I uprooted the peaceful retirement that we'd just begun. You are the source of everything good in my life and marrying you was the best decision that I ever made, and it's not even close. Char, I love you.
(53:54)
Above all, I want to speak to the troops today. This business is not just about platforms and procurement. It's about you. We're not just the most lethal fighting force on Earth. We are also the finest fighting force on Earth. And that is down to all of you. Many of you have heard me talk about my first platoon sergeant, Sergeant First Class Fox Ballard, and he taught me that the most important thing you can do is to take care of your people. And that has always been my North Star. Our greatest strategic advantage will always be the talents of the American people. We don't lower our standards for our recruits. We take good people and make them even better. And those and those who want to join us must raise their game. But any military that turns away qualified patriots who were eager to serve is just making itself smaller and weaker.
(55:18)
Ladies and gentlemen, the power of the United States military flows from both our people and our principles. Our capabilities are unrivaled, our platforms are unmatched, but those are expressions of our strength and not its foundation. Every military defends a country, but the United States military also defends a constitution. Now that isn't some side point. It's the oath that I swore when I commissioned, to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That is what we do and that is who we are. And I will never stop saying this.
(56:19)
And we defend not just the American people, but also the American idea. We are not just any military. We are the United States military. We defend government of the people, by the people, and for the people, and we do not bend on matters of honor, integrity, or law. I was taught at West Point to pray that I would choose the harder right instead of the easy or wrong. And I have tried every day as Secretary to live up to that teaching. I know that may sound old-fashioned, but when it comes to flag, country and constitution, I am an old-fashioned guy. Ladies and gentlemen, I leave the Department of Defense with great pride and great confidence, and that's because of you, because of your courage, your character, your strength, your integrity, and your commitment to excellence and your refusal to accept dishonor or defeat.
(57:34)
There's a great tension, even a paradox at the heart of our enterprise. Those of us who spend our lives trying to master war are also the ones who best understand its terrors. If we must use military force to defend our country, we will not flinch and we will not fail. But we have learned in the hardest possible way that we should be modest about what force can achieve and be wary of its unexpected consequences. Now we understand that this mighty department is just one of our tools of national powers. It has been my duty to keep our country from returning to those terrible times of great power [inaudible 00:58:26] war, into the dangerous decades when America abandoned its position of global leadership and came to believe that we could stand alone and apart while freedom itself was in mortal danger.
(58:45)
Over the past five decades, I have seen the United States military change profoundly. We've gone from the limping and demoralized conscript force of Vietnam to the lethal powerhouse of today's all-volunteer force. And because I served three long tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, I've had the privilege of having a front row seat at the greatest stage in the world. I've seen again and again, what our fighting men and women will do for their teammates and for their country. And I've seen American troops do amazing things over and over again. And I know that you will continue to keep us safe and make us proud. Omar Bradley used to keep a cartoon hanging over his desk at home. It showed an infantryman sitting with a rifle across his knees and above him was a list of cutting-edge weapons. Yet the soldier in the cartoon is saying, "But they still haven't found a substitute for me." That's
Secretary Austin (01:00:00):
… That's still true. There is no substitute for American troops, and for men and women of courage and character. There is no substitute for principled leadership. You can't push someone into battle. You've got to lead them into battle. And for troops in every branch who are looking for how to do that, let me again point you toward Omar Bradley, and he declared that leadership means firmness and not harshness; understanding, not weakness; justice and not irresponsible freedom; humaneness, not intolerance; and generosity, not selfishness; and pride, not egotism. I am incredibly proud of our all-volunteer force. You and your families bear an extraordinary burden to keep your fellow citizens safe. And we must always be honest with ourselves about the sacrifice that this enterprise demands.
(01:01:17)
Over the past four years, yellow folders have arrived at my desk again and again, and those yellow folders carry the letters of condolence to the parents of the fallen, to new widows and widowers, and to children who will grow up without their mom and dad. I have sat with those letters and I have thought of them before each decision, and I will hold them in my heart until the day I die. I still mourn for the fallen of Abbey Gate, of Tower 22, of every soldier, sailor, airman, marine, and guardian lost in a training accident, and of every American in uniform who gave in to unseen wounds and took their own life.
(01:02:19)
And I hope that as Lincoln said, "We will all take increased devotion from these honored dead." Serving as Secretary of Defense has been the highest honor of my life and the heaviest responsibility. This job demands calm, judgment and humility. It tests you, it tempers you, and I shouldered it with a deep sense of resolve and duty, and I will set it aside with gratitude and confidence. I am deeply proud of what we have achieved together at this hinge in history. The world continues to look to America and we must stand as a beacon of freedom. We are not just any country. We are the guardians of the revolutionary ideals of our founders. They believe that governments exist to serve their people and not the other way around. They believe that all human beings are created equal, and they believe that we are all endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights. They believe that tyrants and kings have had their day, and they believe in the final reckoning, power belongs to the people.
(01:03:59)
Those beliefs still inspire the world, and they still spur us on. As I said last year in Normandy, 80 years after D-Day, we still seek a world where aggression is a sin and where human rights are sacred, and where all people can live in freedom. Now, I am a proud graduate of the class of 1975 from West Point, and my class motto was courage and drive. Courage and drive. Those are the virtues that our military still needs and still embodies. This final turn of duty has been a time of great pride, because of the extraordinary Americans whom I've had the honor of leading and serving alongside. And that means everyone in this room and everyone in this department, from the greenest cadet to the most decorated generals. And I am more proud to be your teammate than words can ever convey.
(01:05:19)
Now, soldiers tell war stories, especially old soldiers. So let me end with one. And it's the same one that I used to end my speech when I retired from the army in 2016, little knowing that my path would bring me here today. And it's one that at least one member of this audience is very familiar with, because he was there with me. His name is Ted Koppel. In the spring of 2003, I was leading the Third Infantry Division through the Karbala Gap in Southern Iraq. The night before our charge, we were locked in a huge artillery duel with elements of the Iraqi Republican Guard, and we knew that in the morning we would have to execute one of the hardest maneuvers of the Iraq war, and that was to get an entire heavy division through an area only two kilometers wide. That night of fire and thunder finally passed and dawn broke. And as we're about to move out, a Bradley fighting vehicle rode past our position, and on its antenna was an American flag. Now that flag was tattered and torn. It was dirty with desert sand and dust, but it flew proudly amid the winds of war. I will never forget that sight or that moment. And the memory of seeing that flag came back to me as I thought about my remarks today. Francis Scott Key gave America our anthem with his poem about a flag that catches the gleam in the morning's first beam. And I often think about that one flag on the battlefield, snapping in the wind, ripped and battered, but still bold and proud. And I think of the courage of every American soldier, sailor, airman, marine, and guardian, who has carried our flag over the centuries into battle, in defense of the great experiment in democracy that we call the United States of America. That is the flag for which we fight. That is the flag that carries the hopes of our founders, and it is the flag that honors the sacrifice of our fallen. That is the flag of our values, the flag of our vows, and the flag of our vision. It still waves over the land of the free and the home of the brave. And I know that you'll never let it fall, and I know that you will proudly carry forward the flag of the United States of America with courage and drive. Thank you, and may God protect our troops, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.
Speaker 11 (01:08:49):
Stand by. Step. Attention. Honor, go. Attention. Right shoulder, cut. Hard right cut.
Speaker 10 (01:08:49):
Pass in review.
Speaker 11 (01:10:33):
Honor guard, pass in review. Right forward, turn. Right shoulder, right [inaudible 01:10:48]. Forward, march.
Speaker 1 (01:14:23):
Ladies and gentlemen, the Surface Songs of the Armed Forces of the United States.
Speaker 11 (01:14:26):
Sir, this concludes today's ceremony.
Speaker 1 (01:19:11):
Ladies and gentlemen, please remain in your seats and join in giving one final salute to Secretary and Mrs. Austin as they depart.