白宫2012822 Remarks by the First Lady at Joining Forces Veterans Hiring Event.docVIP

Remarks by the First Lady at Joining Forces Veterans Hiring Event Mayport Naval StationMayport, Florida 1:35 P.M. EDT MRS. OBAMA:? Thank you all so much.? Please be seated.? Forgot you all take orders really well.? (Laughter.)? I am beyond thrilled to be here with all of you today at Naval Station Mayport.? And I want to start by thanking Paul for that very kind and, for me, moving introduction.? And I also want to thank Vice Admiral Van Buskirk for his remarks as well today and for his strong leadership in America’s Navy. And I also want to recognize a couple of people who are here -- Representative Brown for her service.? I understand the Mayor is here as well.? But I also want to thank Rear Admiral Sinclair Harris and his wife, Cora; Captain Douglas Cochrane and his wife, Anne; as well as Command Master Chief Robert White and his wife, Lesley.? Thank you for hosting us here today. But most of all, I want to thank all of you, our extraordinary men and women in uniform and veterans, and your extraordinary families.? I know that we’re being broadcast live into every U.S. military base –- here in America and around the world –- and we’ve got folks tuning in from as close by as Tampa and Pensacola, and as far away as Kabul and Seoul.? And on behalf of myself and my husband, I want to start off by saying that we are so proud of your service and so grateful for your sacrifice.? You all -- and I say this time and time again, and I mean it every time I say it -- you all are the very best of America.? You all have given so much to this country.? And I’m here today because I want to talk with you about what this country is doing to give back to all of you.? As you all may know, last August -- I think you saw a video -- my husband issued a challenge to American businesses.? He challenged them to hire or train 100,000 veterans and military spouses by the end of 2013.? And since Jill Biden and I launched Joining Forces, he asked the two of us to take the lead on working with