WEBVTT 00:07.889 --> 00:10.760 Good morning everybody . Please stand 00:10.760 --> 00:13.659 at ease , please . What a pleasure it 00:13.659 --> 00:17.149 is to be here . standing in front of 00:18.149 --> 00:20.260 Turn that mic off . I don't need it . 00:20.790 --> 00:22.670 Standing in front of some of the 00:22.670 --> 00:24.837 greatest Americans . I , I , I'll tell 00:24.837 --> 00:27.114 you this , coming up here , I saw this , 00:27.159 --> 00:29.360 uh , strip mall here , and it reminded 00:29.360 --> 00:33.200 me of where I went to visit a recruiter 00:33.200 --> 00:35.144 when I was thinking about military 00:35.144 --> 00:37.478 service . In my hometown of Forest Lake , 00:37.478 --> 00:39.478 Minnesota . I'm not from a military 00:39.478 --> 00:41.422 family . I've not had anyone in my 00:41.422 --> 00:43.644 immediate family who served , so I went 00:43.644 --> 00:45.250 to a recruiter . To get an 00:45.250 --> 00:47.472 understanding of what my options were . 00:47.472 --> 00:49.810 And then later on , did ROTC . I'm 00:49.810 --> 00:52.360 looking at a group of Americans here 00:52.740 --> 00:55.240 who did the very same thing . Because 00:55.250 --> 00:57.250 they want to be a part of something 00:57.250 --> 00:59.417 special . to raise their right hand to 00:59.417 --> 01:01.750 defend the Constitution and the country . 01:01.909 --> 01:04.309 You are about to enter a fraternity , a 01:04.309 --> 01:07.449 brotherhood . Brotherhood of arms of 01:07.449 --> 01:09.940 American warriors willing to serve our 01:09.940 --> 01:12.500 country , serve other Americans to do 01:12.500 --> 01:15.220 something great , do something special , 01:15.580 --> 01:17.691 do something exceptional , you know , 01:17.691 --> 01:19.858 our , our culture loves to celebrate , 01:19.858 --> 01:23.180 uh , vapid clickbait social on social 01:23.180 --> 01:26.160 media or celebrities and gossip . You 01:26.160 --> 01:28.216 know , what we care about at the War 01:28.216 --> 01:30.327 Department are the real men and women 01:30.327 --> 01:32.870 who do the real work in uniform for the 01:32.870 --> 01:35.830 American people . The real 1% . 01:37.230 --> 01:39.341 Less than 1% of Americans qualify for 01:39.341 --> 01:41.397 this , less than 1% of that actually 01:41.397 --> 01:43.508 step up and do it . And I look behind 01:43.508 --> 01:45.730 you at the faces of your families , and 01:45.730 --> 01:47.849 I see proud Americans who are looking 01:47.849 --> 01:49.960 out at their sons and daughters . The 01:49.960 --> 01:53.139 greatest gift they can give . is their 01:53.139 --> 01:55.569 sons and daughters to our country . And 01:55.569 --> 01:58.400 my job is to ensure we do right by you . 01:58.779 --> 02:00.723 From the very highest level of the 02:00.723 --> 02:04.000 Department of War , we serve you . Your 02:04.440 --> 02:06.718 enlisted leaders , your uniform , your , 02:06.718 --> 02:08.662 your officers , every part of your 02:08.662 --> 02:10.773 chain of command , our job is to have 02:10.773 --> 02:12.884 your back . And that's my message for 02:12.884 --> 02:15.107 President Trump , to all of you , every 02:15.107 --> 02:17.162 time we talk to Marines and soldiers 02:17.162 --> 02:19.384 and everyone in between and prospective 02:19.384 --> 02:21.740 recruits , is to say , we have your 02:21.740 --> 02:24.240 back . You're about to do a tough job . 02:25.240 --> 02:27.407 You're about to go do some tough basic 02:27.407 --> 02:29.296 training . It's got , we hope , a 02:29.296 --> 02:31.110 little bit tougher under this 02:31.110 --> 02:33.054 administration to prepare you , to 02:33.054 --> 02:35.277 forge you , to be the warriors that our 02:35.277 --> 02:37.277 nation requires . To do the kind of 02:37.277 --> 02:39.600 things that happened over downtown 02:39.600 --> 02:41.656 Caracas , Venezuela in the middle of 02:41.656 --> 02:43.989 the night . Just a couple of nights ago , 02:44.250 --> 02:46.194 extending the long arm of American 02:46.194 --> 02:48.669 power and justice . In a way that only 02:48.669 --> 02:50.780 the United States of America can do . 02:51.080 --> 02:53.302 Only we can do what was done two nights 02:53.302 --> 02:55.779 ago . Only the United States military . 02:56.080 --> 02:58.302 And yes , we're rebuilding that arsenal 02:58.302 --> 03:00.302 of freedom . I'm doing a month-long 03:00.302 --> 03:02.136 tour about restoring our defense 03:02.136 --> 03:04.302 industrial base , so you have the best 03:04.302 --> 03:06.469 ships and planes and subs , everything 03:06.469 --> 03:08.636 you would need . But ultimately , it's 03:08.636 --> 03:10.969 not about platforms . It's about people . 03:10.969 --> 03:12.919 It's about those American warriors 03:12.919 --> 03:15.759 stepping up to answer the call . You're 03:15.759 --> 03:17.926 about to go to basic where you will be 03:17.926 --> 03:19.870 forged . You will be torn down and 03:19.870 --> 03:21.870 built back up . And our job is that 03:21.870 --> 03:24.037 when you come out of that process , to 03:24.037 --> 03:25.990 ensure you are trained , ready , 03:26.440 --> 03:28.720 accountable , disciplined , and lethal 03:28.720 --> 03:31.490 in the service of your job . So when we 03:31.490 --> 03:33.657 launched this tour , I said everywhere 03:33.657 --> 03:35.823 we go , I wanna stop and swear in some 03:35.823 --> 03:37.860 recruits who are doing something I 03:37.860 --> 03:39.971 think is about as exceptional you can 03:39.971 --> 03:42.138 do as a young American . I , I'll tell 03:42.138 --> 03:44.249 you this , I've got 7 little kiddos , 03:44.249 --> 03:46.582 none of them are your age yet . But man , 03:46.582 --> 03:48.693 I'd be proud . If one of them stepped 03:48.693 --> 03:50.749 up and was wearing a sweatshirt or a 03:50.749 --> 03:52.804 shirt like this someday , willing to 03:52.804 --> 03:54.971 serve their nation . Putting something 03:54.971 --> 03:57.350 Ahead of themselves , an oath about 03:57.350 --> 03:59.294 something bigger than themselves , 03:59.294 --> 04:01.589 joining a lineage of Americans . There 04:01.589 --> 04:03.811 were Americans that enforced the Monroe 04:03.811 --> 04:06.970 Doctrine all the way back to 1823 . Now , 04:06.979 --> 04:10.259 here we are in 2026 , and President 04:10.259 --> 04:13.179 Trump is re-establishing dominance and 04:13.179 --> 04:15.539 deterrence in our own hemisphere . You 04:15.539 --> 04:18.479 will be a part of that lineage . That's 04:18.479 --> 04:21.290 pretty cool . I , I get chills saying 04:21.290 --> 04:23.234 it and thinking about it . And I'm 04:23.234 --> 04:25.568 grateful for all of you and what you do . 04:25.929 --> 04:28.151 And our job is to make sure we give you 04:28.151 --> 04:30.318 everything you need in service of your 04:30.318 --> 04:32.485 country . So God bless you , God bless 04:32.485 --> 04:34.596 your families that raised you right . 04:34.596 --> 04:36.429 To give you the perspective that 04:36.429 --> 04:39.220 brought you here today . And on behalf 04:39.220 --> 04:41.390 of the president , On behalf of the 04:41.390 --> 04:43.501 entire department , congratulations . 04:44.160 --> 04:46.216 Thank you very much , and I'll say , 04:46.380 --> 04:48.213 What President Trump said to our 04:48.213 --> 04:50.324 warriors when he authorized that raid 04:50.324 --> 04:52.436 to capture Nicolas Maduro , he said , 04:53.049 --> 04:55.660 Godspeed and good luck . And that's my 04:55.660 --> 04:57.820 message to you today . Godspeed and 04:57.820 --> 04:59.764 good luck . I know you'll make our 04:59.764 --> 05:01.987 nation proud . I'm honored to swear all 05:01.987 --> 05:04.042 of you in today . So how about we do 05:04.042 --> 05:06.380 that ? All right , let's start with the 05:06.380 --> 05:08.547 National Guard over here . We got 5 on 05:08.547 --> 05:10.491 the National Guard side , and then 05:10.491 --> 05:12.547 we'll do the , the whole group . How 05:12.547 --> 05:14.713 about that ? All right . Can you stand 05:14.713 --> 05:18.309 at attention for me ? Raise your right 05:18.309 --> 05:20.230 hand . Repeat after me . 05:21.980 --> 05:25.670 I state your name . I do solemnly 05:25.670 --> 05:28.190 swear , do solemnly swear that I will 05:28.190 --> 05:30.357 support and defend the Constitution of 05:30.357 --> 05:32.220 the United States , I defend the 05:32.220 --> 05:34.331 Constitution of the United States and 05:34.331 --> 05:36.498 the Commonwealth of Virginia , and the 05:36.498 --> 05:38.553 Commonwealth of Virginia against all 05:38.553 --> 05:40.387 enemies , foreign and domestic , 05:40.387 --> 05:42.498 enemies foreign and domestic , that I 05:42.498 --> 05:44.664 will bear true faith and allegiance to 05:44.664 --> 05:46.831 the same , that I will bear true faith 05:46.831 --> 05:48.998 and allegiance . the same , and that I 05:48.998 --> 05:48.584 will obey the orders of the President 05:48.584 --> 05:50.806 of the United States that the orders of 05:50.806 --> 05:52.973 the President of the United States and 05:52.973 --> 05:54.862 the orders of the Governor of the 05:54.862 --> 05:57.028 Commonwealth of Virginia and orders of 05:57.028 --> 05:59.028 the Governor of the Commonwealth of 05:59.028 --> 06:01.251 Virginia and the orders of the officers 06:01.251 --> 06:03.473 appointed over me and the orders of the 06:03.473 --> 06:03.385 officers appointed over me according to 06:03.385 --> 06:05.552 the law and regulations , according to 06:05.552 --> 06:07.665 the law and regulations . So help me 06:07.665 --> 06:11.225 God . So help me God . Give him a round 06:11.225 --> 06:12.614 of applause , will you . 06:21.429 --> 06:23.540 All right , from the rest of my group 06:23.540 --> 06:25.818 here , if you would stand at attention . 06:29.739 --> 06:31.906 Raise your right hand and repeat after 06:31.906 --> 06:34.839 me . I state your full name . I 06:36.640 --> 06:39.959 do solemnly swear that I will support 06:39.959 --> 06:41.903 and defend the Constitution of the 06:41.903 --> 06:43.970 United States . 06:45.679 --> 06:47.568 Against all enemies , foreign and 06:47.568 --> 06:51.250 domestic . We'll get that one right 06:51.250 --> 06:53.361 next time . And that I will bear true 06:53.361 --> 06:56.149 faith and allegiance to the same faith 06:57.820 --> 06:59.764 that I will obey the orders of the 06:59.764 --> 07:01.487 President of the United States 07:03.739 --> 07:05.461 and the orders of the officers 07:05.461 --> 07:06.572 appointed over me , 07:09.420 --> 07:11.253 according to regulations and the 07:11.253 --> 07:13.198 Uniform Code of Military Justice . 07:16.739 --> 07:19.809 So help me God . Congratulations . Give 07:19.809 --> 07:21.253 him a round of applause . 07:28.450 --> 07:30.394 Congratulations . Thank you very , 07:30.394 --> 07:32.617 we'll take a picture in a moment . Just 07:32.617 --> 07:32.529 one small thing that I'm always 07:32.529 --> 07:34.769 reminded of . I had printed on this 07:34.769 --> 07:36.825 card , the re-enlistment oath that I 07:36.825 --> 07:38.936 used when I was deployed to re-enlist 07:38.936 --> 07:41.102 soldiers when I was a lieutenant . And 07:41.102 --> 07:43.269 I had it recreated and put on a card . 07:43.269 --> 07:45.380 Cause watching those uh men and women 07:45.380 --> 07:47.602 re-enlist on the battlefield was one of 07:47.602 --> 07:46.489 the coolest things that I've seen . 07:46.570 --> 07:48.737 You're in combat , you're re-enlisting 07:48.737 --> 07:50.737 for more . I wanna kind of remember 07:50.737 --> 07:52.959 that right now . And then also , just a 07:52.959 --> 07:55.070 note for our friends in the press and 07:55.070 --> 07:57.348 others . Last year , we had a historic . 07:58.070 --> 08:01.910 Recruiting year . One of the uh far 08:01.910 --> 08:05.029 surpassed from over decades , the 08:05.029 --> 08:08.059 recruiting numbers that we've had . The 08:08.059 --> 08:10.899 spirit in the military is , is . 08:11.540 --> 08:13.762 Exceedingly different today than it was 08:13.762 --> 08:15.540 just a year ago , following the 08:15.540 --> 08:17.540 election of President Trump and the 08:17.540 --> 08:19.318 changes we're making at the War 08:19.318 --> 08:21.373 Department . Uh , recruiting numbers 08:21.373 --> 08:23.484 are historic , but for this year that 08:23.484 --> 08:25.484 we're entering into already , we're 08:25.484 --> 08:27.707 surpassing last year . So we're setting 08:27.707 --> 08:29.984 new records at the War Department , uh , 08:29.984 --> 08:31.929 of historic recruitment of men and 08:31.929 --> 08:34.040 women wanting to join the ranks , and 08:34.040 --> 08:35.540 you're a part of that . So 08:35.540 --> 08:37.762 congratulations . I appreciate it . Now 08:37.762 --> 08:37.530 come on in , let's take a photo . How 08:37.530 --> 08:38.830 about that ? Let's do it .