It sure is good to see you.
♪.
PETE: MEMORIAL DAY IS A TIME TO
REMEMBER THOSE WHO MADE THE
ULTIMATE SACRIFICE WHILE
PROTECTING OUR FREEDOMS AND OUR
COUNTRY.
HEROS LIKE, U.S. NAVY SEAL
CHARLES KEATING.
ARMY SPECIALIST, CHRISTOPHER
HORTON.
AND U.S. NAVY SEAL AARON CARSON
VAUGHN.
FOR FAMILIES THAT LOST LOVED
ONES IN SERVICE, THIS WEEKEND
HOLDS MUCH SIGNIFICANCE.
IT’S A TIME TO KEEP THEIR
MEMORIES ALIVE.
TODAY WE HONOR THEM.
LET’S BRING IN GOLD FAR PAN
PELL.
GOLD STAR MOM, KRISTIN KEATING
JOSEPH.
DAVID HORTON AND GOLD STAR
PARENTS, DAVID AND BILLIE
VAUGHN.
THANKS FOR BEING WITH US.
>> THANK YOU.
PETE: ABSOLUTELY.
GOING INTO MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
OBVIOUSLY HAS SPECIAL
SIGNIFICANCE FOR YOU.
HOW DO YOU APPROACH THE WEEKEND?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I THINK
IT’S GREAT YOU GUYS ARE
REMEMBERING OUR KIDS.
THEY’RE ALL AMERICAN KIDS, BOYS
AND GIRLS THAT HAVE GROWN UP,
AND SACRIFICED FOR OUR COUNTRY.
WHEN I WAS RUNNING YESTERDAY I
SAW FLAGS OUT IN THE STREETS.
MORE YOU CAN DO THAT, GO TO THE
GENTLEMAN’S BAR THAT YOU HAD,
TOAST THESE KIDS, MORE YOU
REMEMBER IT FOR US, HONESTLY.
PETE: ABSOLUTELY.
DAVID, SAME QUESTION, AS YOU GO
INTO THIS WEEKEND WHAT ARE YOU
THINKING ABOUT?
>> WELL YOU KNOW THIS PARTICULAR
MEMORIAL DAY IS VERY SPECIAL TO
ME AND MY FAMILY, TO CHRIS’S
WIDOW, JANE HORTON, WE’RE
HEADING TO THE 10-YEAR MARK OF
CHRISTOPHER’S DEATH IN
AFGHANISTAN AND SO IT IS JUST
AMAZING THAT MUCH TIME HAS
PASSED AND ONCE AGAIN I ALSO
JOIN THE THANK YOU FOR YOUR
SPOTLIGHT AND EMPHASIS ON OUR
CHILDREN AND, THERE WAS A
SACRIFICE TO DO AND THIS, THIS
WEEKEND, MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND IS
ALWAYS BITTERSWEET FOR US.
WE’RE VERY PROUD.
I’M VERY PROUD OF CHRIS AND WHAT
HE SACRIFICED, WHAT HE HAS DONE
FOR ME, FOR THE NATION, FOR WHAT
HE BELIEVED IN AND AT THE SAME,
AT THE SAME TIME THE STING OF
THE LOSS JUST, YOU JUST LIVE
WITH IT.
IT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT GOES
AWAY.
YOU LITERALLY CAN’T MOVE ON AS
IF IT DIDN’T HAPPEN.
PETE: YEAH.
DAVID, WE THANK YOU.
CAN’T THANK YOU ENOUGH.
BILLIE AND KAREN, GOOD TO SEE
YOU BOTH.
DEAR FRIENDS OF MINE.
HAD A CHANCE TO SPEND A LOT OF
TIME WITH YOU TO HEAR ABOUT
AARON’S LIFE.
TELL ME WHAT YOU’RE THINKING
ABOUT THIS WEEKEND.
>> THIS MORNING, PETE, WE’VE
BEEN FRIENDS FOR A LONG TIME, AS
YOU CAN IMAGINE THIS IS THE
TOUGHEST MEMORIAL DAY SO FAR
BECAUSE OF THE CONDITION OF OUR
NATION.
I WATCHED WHAT HAPPENED THROUGH
THE PAST YEAR I FEEL, I
LITERALLY FEEL LIKE I’VE BEEN
GUT PUNCHED JUST ABOUT EVERY
DAY, PETE.
I JUST HAD TO TURN THE NEWS OFF.
BECAUSE AS A MOM WHO GAVE HER
LIFE FOR PEOPLE SAYING THEY
DON’T LOVE EACH OTHER, A MOM OF
A MAN THAT SACRIFICED HIS LIFE
OUT OF LOVE FOR EVERY SINGLE
PERSON IN THIS NATION, IT IS A
GUT PUNCH.
I CAN BARELY TAKE IT.
WE’RE COMING UP ON OUR 10-YEAR
ANNIVERSARY AS WELL.
AARON WOULD HAVE BEEN 40 THIS
MONTH.
AUGUST 6th WILL BE THE
10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF HIS
DEATH.
I CANNOT BELIEVE WHERE WE’VE
COME AS A NATION IN THESE 10
YEARS.
>> RIGHT.
PETE: BILLY?
>> GOOD MORNING, PETE.
GOOD TO SEE.
PETE: GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> AS THE OTHER PARENTS HAVE
SAID, I THINK THE THING IS WE
ASKED THE NATION IS TO REMEMBER.
JUST REMEMBER WHAT THESE MEN AND
THESE WOMEN, NOT JUST THESE, NOT
JUST OURS, NOT JUST THE CURRENT
ONES, YOU KNOW, LIKE WHO HAVE
SERVED NOW BUT ALWAYS FOR OUR
REPUBLIC, A MILLION 1/2 LEFT IT
ALL THERE SO WE COULD HAVE
HOTDOGS, HAMBURGERS THIS LONG
WEEKEND.
WE SHOULD ENJOY THE FREEDOMS
THIS WEEKEND IN THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA THAT OTHERS
HAVE FOUGHT FOR US.
WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO THEM
AND TO GOD ALMIGHTY TO REMEMBER
WHAT THAT COST.
PRESIDENT CALVIN COOLIDGE SAID,
A NATION WHO FORGETS ITS
WARRIORS WILL ITSELF SOON BE
FORGOTTEN.
YOU KNOW I PRAY THAT WE NOT
BECOME THAT NATION, PETE.
PETE: SO WELL-SAID, BILLY.
CHRISTA, WE COVERED AT THE TOP
OF THE SHOW VICE PRESIDENT
KAMALA HARRIS TWEETED OUT
YESTERDAY, ENJOY THE LONG
WEEKEND WITH, A SELFIE PICTURE.
WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THAT?
>> WELL MY REACTION IS THAT YOU
KNOW, WHEN CHARLIE DROPPED OUT
OF INDIANA UNIVERSITY AFTER
RUNNING AN UNDER FOUR MINUTE
MILE AND WANTED TO JOIN THE NAVY
TO FIGHT FOR OUR COUNTRY, HIS
COACH SAID TO HIM, WHY WOULD YOU
DO THAT.
YOU COULD DIE?
HE SAID IF I DIE IT WOULD BE
HONOR.
I DON’T KNOW HE GAVE HISS ENTIRE
LIFE GOING TO IRAQ, SAVING A
VILLAGE A CATHOLIC VILLAGE, NOW
THEY CAN HAVE MASS AGAIN.
WE ARE A GREAT COUNTRY.
WE DO SO MUCH FOR EVERYONE ELSE.
WE DON’T WANT TO FORGET THAT,
REALLY.
THAT IS WHAT MAKES THIS DAY HARD
BUT SPECIAL FOR THOSE WHO ARE
CELEBRATING FOR OUR KIDS.
YOU GUYS DO WHAT YOU’RE DOING.
PETE: WELL-SAID.
A LOT OF US TALKED ABOUT ISIS
THE THREAT WE FACE, YOUR SON
STARED THEM DOWN.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
HE WENT TO THE FIGHT, TO SAVE
OTHER SEALS UNDER FIRE AS WELL
AS THE PEOPLE OF THAT VILLAGE.
PETE: DAVID, YOUR MESSAGE TO
THOSE PEOPLE THAT DON’T REALLY
UNDERSTAND WHY THIS WEEKEND IS
SO SPECIAL?
>> I NOTICED A LOT OF SENTIMENTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND SO FORTH,
ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND SO FORTH,
HAVE A GREAT BARBECUE TO, TO
THANKING SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN
IN GENERAL AND OF COURSE ALL
THAT’S FINE.
IT IS JUST THAT THIS ONE DAY IS
SET ASIDE TO REMEMBER THOSE WHO
GAVE ALL OF IT, BATTLEFIELDS OF
THE WORLD.
I’M THINKING CAN WE NOT JUST
HAVE ONE DAY THAT THE NATION
UNDERSTANDS THAT THIS IS THE
MEMORIALIZE THOSE WHO CAN’T BE
WITH US THIS WEEKEND?
WHO CAN’T BE CELEBRATING, AND,
AND, WE’RE ALWAYS GRATEFUL FOR
ALL OF OUR VETERANS.
WE’RE ALWAYS GRATEFUL FOR YOU
KNOW, EVERYONE WHO HAS SERVED IN
ANYWAY BUT THIS WEEKEND IS ABOUT
THOSE WHO HAVE LAID IT ALL DOWN
ON THE BATTLEFIELD.
AND IT WOULD JUST BE GREAT IF WE
COULD JUST PUBLIC SERVICE
ANNOUNCEMENT OUT OR SOMETHING
THAT IS WHAT THIS WEEKEND’S
ABOUT.
I DON’T THINK PEOPLE GENERALLY
KNOW WHAT IT’S FOR.
PETE: I THINK UNFORTUNATELY THAT
IS ALL TOO TRUE.
KAREN, I GIVE YOU THE LAST WORD,
WHEN YOU SEE THE FLIPPANT NATURE
OF SOME OF OUR LEADERS ON THIS,
THE LONG WEEKEND.
>> YEAH, PETE.
YOU KNOW IT JUST SHOWS, FOR A
LACK OF A BETTER WORD STUPIDITY
IS NOT THE SAME THING AS
IGNORANCE.
IGNORANCE IS SOMEBODY WHO
DOESN’T UNDERSTAND SOMETHING WHO
NEVER KNEW.
CLEARLY KAMALA NEVER UNDERSTOOD
WHAT WAS PAID FOR HER TO BE
FREE.
FOR HER TO DECLARE IT A LONG
WEEKEND, YES IT IS INSULTING.
I WILL GIVE HER THE BENEFIT OF
THE DOUBT.
I HOPE SHE IS WATCHING, THAT WE
PARENTS OF SOMEBODY WHO DIED WE
WANT PEOPLE TO CELEBRATE THIS
WEEKEND.
WE WANT THEM TO ENJOY THE LONG
WEEKEND WITH THEIR FAMILY.
THAT IS WHY OUR SONS GAVE THEIR
LIVES.
WE ALSO LIKE CHRISTOPHER’S
FATHER SAID, WE WANT THEM TO
TAKE JUST A MOMENT TO REMEMBER
WHY THEY CAN DO THAT.
>> YES.
PETE: CHRISTA, BILLY, KAREN,
DAVID, WE LOVE YOU ALL.
>> LOVE YOU TOO.
PETE: THANK YOU, GUYS.
THE NAMES OF CHARLES KEATING,
CHRISTOPHER HORTON, AIR RAIN
VAUGHN GAVE THEIR LIVES AND WE
REMEMBER THEIR SELFLESSNESS. WE’LL BE RIGHT BACK.