IT IS BEGINNING IN THE CALFIRE HANGER.
PRES. TRUMP: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
IT’S A GREAT HONOR.
LOOK AT THAT BEAUTIFUL,.
EXPENSIVE PLANE.
TODAY IT IS MY PROFOUND HONOR TO AWARDED SEVEN EXTRAORDINARY SOLDIERS WITH THE DISTANT FLYING CROSS FOR THE REMARKABLE COURAGE TO RESCUE THEIR FELLOW CITIZENS.
I WANT TO VERY MUCH THINK MAJOR GENERAL MATTHEW BEAVER’S FOR BEING WITH US TODAY.
THANK YOU, GENERAL.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
IT IS A GREAT HONOR TO SEE YOU.
I WANT TO WELCOME -- PLEASE SIT DOWN.
FAMILIES, PLEASE SIT DOWN.
YOU ARE ALL VERY PROUD OF THESE GENTLEMEN, I THINK.
IS ANYBODY NOT PROUD OF THEIR HUSBAND?
DOES ANYBODY NOT PROUD?
NO.
THEN WE WILL PROCEED.
WELCOME TO CHIEF FORD OFFICERS -- WARRANT OFFICERS JOSEPH PAST KIP GODDING, IRVIN HERNANDEZ, BRADY LABINE, GEE JEUNG, AND SERGEANTS GEORGE ESQUIVEL AND CAMERON POWELL.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND I WILL SAY IT IS SUCH AN HONOR TO BE IN YOUR PRESENCE.
YOU WILL HEAR STORIES SHORTLY THAT WERE VERY INSPIRING TO ME AND EVERYBODY ELSE.
THAT IS WHY THESE ARE VERY IMPORTANT MEDALS.
IT IS GREAT TO BE WITH YOU.
JOINING US ARE ALSO WARRIORS BUT WARRIORS OF A DIFFERENT TYPE.
THEY ARE CALLED GREAT CONGRESSMAN.
THEY ARE FROM YOUR AREA.
DOUG LAMALFA, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
TOM MCCLINTOCK.
THANKS, DOING A GREAT JOB.
GREG WALDEN.
WE WILL MISS YOU, GREAT.
HE IS RETIRING, UNDEFEATED.
NOBODY WOULD DEFEAT HIM.
IT IS A GREAT HONOR.
IT HAS REALLY BEEN FANTASTIC WORKING WITH GREG.
WE WORKED ON SOMETHING AND PARTICULAR.
WE GOT IT DONE AFTER 44 YEARS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
JUST OVER ONE WEEK AGO, THESE BRAVE PILOTS AND CREW MEMBERS EMBARKED ON A HARROWING MISSION AS THE SUNSET ON SEPTEMBER 5.
THEY BOARDED TWO HELICOPTERS BEHIND ME.
THEN THEY FLEW INTO BLAZING FLAMES, PREACHING WHITE, AND IT WAS RAGING, AND LIGHTNING SMOKE TO RESCUE FAMILIES TRAPPED BY THE MASSIVE QUICK FIRE AT THE MAMMOTH POOL CAMPGROUND.
WHILE ON THEIR WAY TO THE CAMPGROUND, THEY RECEIVED WORD FROM THE STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS AND HAD IT WAS -- HEADQUARTERS IT WAS FAR TOO DANGEROUS TO CONTINUE THE
MISSION.
THEY DECIDED TO CONTINUE ANYWAY KNOWING THEY MIGHT NOT RETURN.
THEY KNEW PEOPLE WERE IN DANGER, GREAT DANGER.
AS NIGHT SET, THEY CAN SEE HIM WAS NOTHING THROUGH THE MILES OF DENSE SMOKE.
USING THEIR NIGHT GOGGLES AND THEIR EXPERT NAVIGATION SKILLS THEY REACHED THE CAMP.
THEY FOUND THE STRANDED FAMILIES, MANY OF WHOM WERE BADLY BURNED AND INJURED.
THEY LOADED AS MANY AS THEY COULD ONTO THE HELICOPTERS.
THEN THEY MADE THE PERILOUS FIGHT BACK TO THE BASE.
AS SOON AS THEY UNLOADED THE PASSENGERS, THEY AGAIN WRIST THEIR LIVES AND FLEW BACK INTO THE BLAZING FIRE TO RESCUE MORE VICTIMS.
THEIR SUPERIORS SET YOU CANNOT DO IT AGAIN.
THEY DID IT.
THE SMOKE WAS EVEN MORE OVERPOWERING BUT THE RETURN A THIRD TIME.
AFTER 10 HOURS THEY COMPLETED THEIR MISSION HAVING SAVED THE LIVES OF AN ASTOUNDING 242 PEOPLE.
WE ARE PROUD OF THEM.
WOW.
[APPLAUSE] PRES. TRUMP: THAT IS AN INCREDIBLE STORY.
I SPOKE TO SOME PEOPLE THAT DID NOT WANT YOU TO DO IT.
THEY DID NOT WANT YOU TO GO BACK ON THE SLIDES.
TWO EACH OF YOU, YOUR UNDYING DETERMINATION LIFTS OUR NATION.
YOU ARE WHAT MAKES OUR NATION GREAT.
WE THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
INCREDIBLE JOB.
THESE DEVOTED SOLDIERS HAVE CONTINUED TO RESCUE MORE STRANDED INDIVIDUALS FROM DANGER.
LESS THAN 48 HOURS AFTER THE RESCUE AT MAMMOTH POOL, THEY FLEW TO ANOTHER TREACHEROUS MISSION.
ON THE FIRST ATTEMPTS THEY WERE FORCED TO TURN AROUND.
THEY WERE ADVISED TO ABORT THE MISSION.
YOU MUST ABORT THE MISSION.
THEY CHOSE TO TRY A THIRD TIME AT GREAT TO THEIR OWN LIVES.
THROUGH TREMENDOUS SKILL THEY SAVE 50 PEOPLE FROM ABSOLUTE IMMINENT DANGER.
OUR NATION IS STRONG BECAUSE OF REMARKABLE INDIVIDUALS LIKE THE SERVICE MEMBERS IN THE MIDST OF OUR GREATEST TRIALS AND BIGGEST CHALLENGES AMERICA PREVAILS BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE AND
SELFLESS PATRIOTS WHO RISK EVERYTHING SO THEY MAY SAVE LIVES OF PEOPLE IN MANY CASES THEY DON’T KNOW.
THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHO THEY ARE.
IT IS LIKE LAW ENFORCEMENT.
THEY SAVE THE LIVES OF PEOPLE WHO THEY HAVE NO IDEA THEY ARE, BUT THEY ARE SO DETERMINED TO DO IT.
TODAY OUR COUNTRY HONORS THEIR COURAGE.
WE ARE INSPIRED BY THEIR EXAMPLE AND WE THANK GOD FOR THE BLESSING AND ALL OF OUR BLESSINGS.
OUR NATION HAS REALLY BENEFITED BY YOUR BRAVERY.
ON BEHALF OF OUR GREAT NATION, I THINK YOU VERY MUCH.
MR. PRESIDENT, I THINK -- AS YOUR PRESIDENT, I THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
NOW I WOULD LIKE TO ASK THE MILITARY AID TO COME FORWARD AND READ THE CITATION.
PLEASE.
>> ATTENTION.
ATTENTION TO ORDERS.
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES HEREBY AWARDS THE DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS TO CHIEF FORD OFFICER FIVE JOSEPH ROSEMAN, CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER FIVE CAP GUIDING, CHIEF FORD
OFFICER TWO BRADY LAKE VINE, CHIEF OFFICER TWO IRVIN HERNANDEZ, AND SERGEANT CAMERON POWELL OF THE CALIFORNIA ARMY NATIONAL GUARD FOR DISTINGUISHED ACTS OF HEROISM AND
EXTRAORDINARY ACHIEVEMENT AND AERIAL FLIGHT ON SEPTEMBER 5, 2020.
THE BRAVE ACTIONS AND SUPERIOR AIRMAN SHIP RESULTED IN A SUCCESSFUL RESCUE OF 242 ADULTS AND CHILDREN IN THE RAPIDLY DEVELOPING CREEK FIRE IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA.
THEIR ACTIONS ARE IN KEEPING WITH THE HIGHEST MILITARY TRADITIONS OF SELF-SERVICE, HONOR, AND PERSONAL COURAGE THAT REFLECTS GREAT CREDIT UPON NATIONAL GUARD, CAN UNITED
STATES ARMY.
-- AND THE UNITED STATES ARMY.
DIERDRE: THAT VIDEO YOU ARE WATCHING, THAT IS FROM LAST WEEK FROM THE PEOPLE WHO WERE RESCUED.
THE HIKERS AND CAMPERS WHO WERE RESCUED BY THE CREW HONORED TODAY BY THE PRESIDENT.
TEO: HE IS BESTOWING SEVEN MEDALS R