A Thank You To The Armed Services

Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you, everybody. How's it going, Jacksonville? (Applause.) Let me begin by thanking Secretary Mabus for the introduction, for your service, Ray. I know we've got a lot of naval aviators here, and Ray is a former surface warfare officer. But don't hold that against him. Don't hold that against him, now. (Laughter.) Because Ray Mabus is doing an outstanding job as Secretary of the Navy. I also want to thank all your outstanding local leaders for welcoming me here today: Admiral Tim Alexander; your CO, Captain Jack Scorby; and your Command Master Chief, Jeff Hudson. To Chris Scorby and all the spouses who are with us -- you hold our military families together. We honor you and we are grateful to you. (Applause.) Now, it is great to be here at one of America's finest naval air stations. But we also have folks from Mayport and Kings Bay. (Applause.) And we have every service represented -- Navy, Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, and United States Marines from Blount Island. (Applause.) Now, military communities like this one take care of their own -- your people, your families. But keeping you strong also takes the civilian community beyond the gate. (Applause.) So we want to thank Mayor John Peyton and all your great neighbors, the people of Jacksonville, for their incredible support. Give them a big round of applause. (Applause.) Keeping you strong also takes leaders in Congress, like those here today: two great friends of yours, Representatives Ander Crenshaw and Corrine Brown, who are here. Give them a big round of applause right here. (Applause.) And a leader who fights for you as a member of the Armed Services Committee, Senator -- and Army veteran -- Bill Nelson is in the house. (Applause.) Keeping you strong takes something else -- a country that never forgets this simple truth. It's not the remarkable platforms that give the United States our military superiority -- although you've got ...