TO LEARN MORE.
YOU CAN NOMINATE YOURSELF, SO
KNOW YOUR VALUE.
RANDALL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>>> WE CLOSE THIS MORNING WITH A
BIG THANK YOU TO OUR COLLEAGUE
TOM BROKAW WHO, AFTER MORE THAN
HALF A CENTURY OF AWARD WINNING
REPORTING, IS RETIRING FROM NBC
NEWS.
TOM HAS BEEN A FIXTURE HERE ON
"MORNING JOE" FOR YEARS AND WE
HAVE BENEFITTED.
FIRSTHAND, FROM HIS WISDOM,
EXPERIENCE AND STEADFAST
APPROACH TO JOURNALISM.
TOM KICKED OFF HIS CAREER AT THE
NBC NEWS LOS ANGELES BUREAU.
AND LATER LED THE NETWORK’S
COVERAGE AT THE WHITE HOUSE ON
THE "TODAY" SHOW, AT NIGHTLY
NEWS, AND ON "MEET THE PRESS,"
OVER FIVE DECADES HE COVERED
EVERYTHING FROM THE
ASSASSINATION OF ROBERT F.
KENNEDY TO THE FALL OF THE
BERLIN WALL, TO 9/11.
BUT PERHAPS HIS PROUDEST
ACCOMPLISHMENT WAS HIS WORK WITH
THE GREATEST GENERATION,
SOMETHING THAT BEGAN FOR HIM
WHEN HE VISITED THE BEACHES OF
NORMANDY ON THE 40th ANNIVERSARY
OF D-DAY.
>> I WALKED DOWN TO THE BEACHES
WITH TWO VETERANS OF THE FIRST
WAVE.
AND THEY WERE MODEST, HARD
WORKING, VERY HUMBLE PEOPLE.
GIVE ME A WORD PICTURE OF WHAT
THIS BEACH LOOKED LIKE.
>> WELL, AS FAR AS YOU COULD SEE
THERE WERE MEN, THERE WERE
TANKS, THERE WERE TRUCKS, THERE
WAS JEEPS.
ALL OVER THE BEACH.
>> YOU COULD HEAR THE SHELLS
SCREAMING OVERHEAD.
AND THEN YOU COULD SEE THE
ASSAULT CRAFT COMING IN, ALL
ALONG THE EDGE OF THE BEACH.
>> I THOUGHT OH MY GOD, THESE
ARE THE PEOPLE WHO RAISED ME.
THESE ARE THE PEOPLE IN MY
HOMETOWN, MY PARENTS’ BEST
FRIENDS, THE PEOPLE I CARE THE
MOST ABOUT, THEY’VE BEEN OUT
THERE ALL THIS TIME -- DID YOU
THINK TO YOURSELF WHEN YOU HIT
THE SAND, WHAT AM I DOING HERE?
WHY CAN’T I BE BACK HOME IN
PENNSYLVANIA?
>> HOW TRUE, HOW TRUE.
BUT THERE WAS AN OBJECTIVE TO BE
DONE.
AMERICA NEEDED US.
>> THEY WERE YOUNG MEN FROM
PENNSYLVANIA, 19 AND 20.
AND I SAID TO THEM, WHAT DO YOU
REMEMBER?
IT WENT DOWN, WHAT’S THE FIRST
THING YOU SAW?
>> WE SAW A DEAD MEDIC FLOATING
IN THE WATER.
AND BELIEVE YOU ME, I WAS
PETRIFIED.
I COULDN’T TALK.
I COULDN’T MOVE.
UNTIL THE SERGEANT GAVE THE
ORDERS, MOVE OUT.
>> I THINK I WAS JUST PRAYING TO
STAY ALIVE THAT DAY.
I DIDN’T EVEN THINK ABOUT GOING
HOME.
I JUST WANTED TO STAY ALIVE.
>> I BELIEVE THAT THE LANDING
HERE ON D-DAY CASE HARDENED ME
TO A POINT IN A MATTER OF TEN
MINUTES THAT I WAS READY TO DO
BATTLE WITH ANYTHING THAT CAME
ALONG MY WAY.
WOULD YOU DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN?
MY ANSWER IS ABSOLUTELY HAD THE
DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN TO LET YOU
HERE IN AMERICA STAY FREE.
>> I CAME OUT OF THERE SHAKEN,
QUITE FRANKLY, HOW MUCH WE
DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED
TO THEM ONCE THE WAR WAS OVER.
LET’S TAKE A BREATH.
AND I THOUGHT I’VE GOT TO WRITE
ABOUT THIS.
IT WAS LIKE A EUREKA MOMENT FOR
ME WHEN I REALIZED THIS COUNTRY
WAS BUILT ON THE BACKS OF THOSE
PEOPLE WHO CAME OUT OF THE
DEPRESSION AND FOUGHT THE
GREATEST WAR IN HISTORY OF
MANKIND WITH CAME HOME AND WERE
ONLY EAGER TO GET ON WITH THEIR
LIVES.
AND ONE DAY ON THE "TODAY" SHOW
WITH KATY COURIC, I THOUGHT
ABOUT WHAT I WANTED TO SAY, I
TOOK THROUGH ALL OF THAT
GENERATION HAD DONE.
THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, WHAT
WE’RE CELEBRATING IT’S MORE THAN
A MILITARY SUCCESS IT’S THE
PASSAGE OF A GENERATION OF
PEOPLE WHO WERE AT THE HEART OF
THE AMERICAN CENTURY, THEY WON
THE WAR, CAME BACK TO AMERICA
AND THEY BUILT THE GREATEST
POLITICAL AND INDUSTRIAL ECONOMY
EVER KNOWN AND THEY COME BACK
HERE NOW WE NOR MOUSE HUMILITY
AND DIGNITY.
I JUST CAN’T IMAGINE THERE’S
BEEN A FINER GROUP OF MEN AND
WOMEN ANYWHERE.
AND I SAID AT THE END OF IT I
THINK IT’S THE GREATEST
GENERATION THAT ANY SOCIETY HAS
EVER PRODUCED.
>> WOW, AND TOM BROKAW WILL