The Final State of the Union
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Summary:
President Obama and the First Lady ended Veterans Day aboard the USS Carl Vinson where they watched the University of North Carolina men's basketball team defeat Michigan State University.
The NCAA men's basketball game between the University of North Carolina and Michigan State University tips off on board the USS Carl Vinson, docked at North Island Naval Station in San Diego, Calif., Nov. 11, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
President Obama and the First Lady ended Veterans Day aboard the USS Carl Vinson where they watched the University of North Carolina men's basketball team defeat Michigan State University in the first-ever Carrier Classic.
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama watch the retiring of the colors aboard the USS Carl Vinson, docked at North Island Naval Station in San Diego, Calif., Nov. 11, 2011. University of North Carolina and Michigan State University players paused while sailors on board conducted the ceremony, a nightly tradition carried out at sunset. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
More than 8,000 people were in the stands on the flight deck of the 95,000-ton, Nimitz-class ship -- most of them uniformed military personnel. As much as the President loves a good game of basketball, he made a point to say that the real reason for the event was to celebrate the members of the U.S. armed forces and their families and ensure that our nation does right by its heroes:
This week, throughout the week, we've been celebrating our veterans, but we have to turn our words into action. And so what we've done is make sure that Congress passed legislation that makes it a little bit easier for businesses to hire our veterans. We've put in place a series of reforms to help veterans, make sure they get the counseling and the job placement that they need.
The First Lady along with Dr. Jill Biden have put together something called Joining Forces that has now gotten commitments -- 100,000 jobs for veterans and military spouses all across the country. And we are grateful for them for that effort.
But every American citizen can make a solemn pledge today that they will find some opportunity to provide support to our troops, to those who are still active duty, to our National Guard, to our Reservists, and to our veterans.
Read the President's full remarks from the game here.
Update: Check out a slideshow of photos from Veterans Day events with the President, First Lady, and Vice President.
