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- This Memorial Day,

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take time to reflect on
the Marines and Sailors

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that have paved the way for us.

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(gentle piano music)

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This year's an especially noteworthy one

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as we commemorate the 75th anniversary

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of our victory in World War II.

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The stories of the battle
of the World War II

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are old stories,

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but their glory is forever.

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As we celebrate this Memorial Day,

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75 years earlier,

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Marines, Sailors and Soldiers
were mired in mud on Okinawa.

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Preparations for the mainland
invasion were well underway

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with catastrophic casualty estimates.

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But within a few short months,

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the war was over with an allied victory.

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That is the legacy that
we have been passed.

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The legacy came to us at
great cost of human life,

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and our warriors today honor their actions

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with sacrifices of their own.

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- Today, we honor the men and women

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who made the ultimate sacrifice

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for the freedom and safety of us all.

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Whether they served in
the forests of Europe,

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the islands of the Pacific,

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the frozen mountains of Korea,

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the jungles of Southeast Asia,

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or the deserts of the Middle East,

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their memories live on in our Corps.

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- [Berger] Although present conditions

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do not allow us to
attend memorial services

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with our military communities

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or to gather and place
flags or flowers on graves,

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we can still take a moment
to remember the fallen.

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(solemn music)

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Today, I encourage you to share a photo,

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make a post or recite
a memory of a loved one

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who served and is no longer with us.

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Although time may
separate us from the past

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and social distancing

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separates us physically in the present,

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on 25 May

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we are united by reverence
to the warrior spirit that lives on.

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Semper fidelis.