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Nov. 11, 2021 - Bannon's War Room
51:14
Episode 1,406 – Veterans Day: Tomb Of The Unknown @ 100Episode 1,406 – Veterans Day: Tomb Of The Unknown @ 100
Participants
Main voices
p
patrick k odonnel
11:27
s
steve bannon
21:32
Appearances
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eric greitens
03:09
s
sonny borelli
03:43
| Copy link to current segment

Speaker Time Text
unidentified
So, let's get started. Let's go.
So,
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
It's our special Veterans Day coverage, the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month when the guns fell.
Still in World War I, Armistice Day back then, Veterans Day today, very special Veterans Day.
It's the 100th commemoration of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
We have Patrick K. O'Donnell joining us, a combat historian.
We're going to go Momentarily, we're right next, we're doing live coverage today, right next to Arlington National Cemetery, where there'll be a service that will start in a few moments.
We'll go live to at least pick up, I believe there's going to be a wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknown.
We will pick that up.
You know, as sure as the turning of the earth, you know, today's news about the bankruptcies in China, these massive real estate companies, President Xi over there is, Chairman Xi is consolidating power like Mao Zedong.
Joe Manchin is saying that they shouldn't go forward anymore while spending because of inflation.
Donald Trump is actually confronting Liz Cheney for things that she said about.
We're going to pick up that service as soon as it starts.
as sure as the turning of the earth, there's activity all over the financial markets, geopolitics and the politics, but the still point in the turning world is our basic civic institutions of which Arlington National Cemetery and our military and our veterans is key.
I wanna bring in Patrick K. O'Donnell before we go over to Arlington.
We're gonna pick up that service as soon as it starts.
Patrick, I wanna talk about the importance of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in way it is today when people see the old guard, that unit of the military.
And I think Tom Cotton, actually, Senator Tom Cotton may have been a part of the old guard, if I'm correct.
But talk to us about the old guard, this continual observation, the continual guarding of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
It's never unguarded, no matter what the weather is, what time of night, what time of day.
Talk to us about the old guard.
Talk about the The individuals, the unit that protects the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
patrick k odonnel ▲ ● ▼
Just really some of the most extraordinary Americans, Steve.
The Old Guard guards the tomb every day of the year, every minute of the year.
And initially, the tomb was unguarded shortly after it was built.
And what happened was there was some desecration on the tomb, and then they basically installed the Old Guard to guard the tomb 24-7.
Every day of the year, which they do.
And you know, this is my first experience with the, the Tomb Guard STEM goes back to when I was five or six years old.
And my parents brought me to Washington DC to witness the changing of the guard and in the guards activities.
And for me, um, it was such a great honor to actually, they are so highly trained that they, uh, in terms of the minute detail of every one of their movements, They also know the history of the tomb, and I found out that, I mean, they've actually brought me there.
Part of the curriculum is the unknowns.
There's a lot of detail that I unearthed in that book, and they brought me to the bottom of the underground area of the tomb, which is where they get ready and they drill and prepare every day.
It's really extraordinary.
Extraordinary group of Americans.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
As soon as, by the way, as soon as the program is live over there with the wreath laying, I want to make sure Real America's Voice cuts to that and we will cut to that coverage.
So that's going to come up, I think, in a moment.
You know, it's interesting you say that.
One of the very first memories I think I have is my dad took my brother and I, my older brother and I, we had moved to D.C.
briefly.
In, I think it was 1958, we went to the Tomb of the Unknown.
We went for the interment of the Korean War veteran.
I think it was in 1958.
I just remember the thing that was so powerful was the guns.
When they took the casket from the Capitol to the Arlington National Cemetery, they had howitzers lined up.
And for the entire, I think it was 45 minutes, the guns just went off one after the other.
It was incredible for a young boy.
And I think we stayed at the Navy Marine Corps Monument.
It was the closest we could get.
It was a brutally hot day.
I think it was Memorial Day, 1958.
Would that have been the Korean War or World War II?
It must have been Korea, right?
unidentified
1958?
patrick k odonnel ▲ ● ▼
It was both the Korean War and World War II, and I had the honor of interviewing the last body bearer from that day, Steve, that you were there.
His name was Ron Rozier, and Ron was a Medal of Honor recipient at Korea, and he took out several machine gun nests, hand-to-hand combat.
I posted his oral history that I did, On Getter at Combat Historian, if anybody wants to listen to that, it's an incredible story of fighting the Chinese in the frozen hills of North Korea in 1951.
And Ron Rozier was there.
He was the body, but then he was the body bearer at the ceremony that you attended and the Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, like most of the other men that were selected to be body bearers that day.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
Talk to us about the bodybearers, because they have these amazing stories in your book, The Unknowns.
Walk us through, because they were specifically selected, correct?
They were very specifically selected.
patrick k odonnel ▲ ● ▼
Walk our audience through about the bodybearers of the first unknown soldier from World War I. The book I wrote, The Unknowns, a portion of that book is about the ceremony itself and how it comes about.
But the reality is this is a hardcore combat history of World War I. It's a narrative history of the men that brought home the unknown soldier.
And these were the most decorated heroes of the war.
They were selected by General Pershing personally to tell the story, to tell the story of World War I through their eyes and what they saw and did.
And it's exceptionally incredible.
These were Medal of Honor recipients, Navy Cross recipients, The highest decorations that our nation provides, these men received them.
And their stories in and of themselves are just extraordinary, Steve.
Beginning with the first story of Ernest A. Janssen, the first Medal of Honor recipient of the Marine Corps in World War I, who goes across fields of wheat under machine gun fire to seize Hill 142.
Much of the 49th Company of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, die in that assault.
They take the hill and they brace themselves for an immediate counterattack, which they know the Germans are going to do because it's the most key hill in the area.
And Jansen saves the hill by taking out five machine guns that are being laid down with his bayonet and his rifle.
It's a really extraordinary story.
And he is wounded nearly mortally from that attack.
And receives, this is really interesting, receives two Medals of Honor.
He receives the Medal of Honor from the Army and the Medal of Honor from the Navy or the Marine Corps for his actions.
But not only does he have two Medals of Honor, but he also has two names.
And his name there was Charles Hoffman, but he changed his name, because his name was Ernest Janssen, because he went AWOL from the Army shortly before World War I, and then joined the Marine Corps as Charles Hoffman.
You know, prior to the ceremony, obviously, the name has changed back, but it's really quite an interesting story.
He had a girlfriend, went AWOL from the service, and then becomes a model Marine, and really one of the great heroes of World War I.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
I want to go back.
We're seeing live footage right now.
If we can go back to the footage at Arlington.
We don't need to see my lovely façade.
Okay, there we are.
We're at Arlington National Cemetery.
That's the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Today is the commemoration of the 100th anniversary.
Patrick, I want to just make sure for people maybe who haven't been with us the entire time, there was a lot of dissension about this at the end of World War I, about the direction of the country, about our involvement in future foreign wars, that the slaughter had been so horrific and And quite frankly, the use of gas, the use of different techniques of the high explosives, people just weren't used to this.
And I guess memories of the Civil War and the brutality of that had faded so much that the country wasn't ready for some of the horrific combat casualties.
The country was really quite divided.
Why was there a grassroots movement?
I want to make sure I go back to this.
Why was this grassroots movement to try to bring the country together in honoring one of the unknowns of the war in France?
patrick k odonnel ▲ ● ▼
The grassroots movement initially stems from a woman who was a very powerful editor of a magazine called The Delineator, and she had her own community.
You know, in some ways, much like the War Room.
And she pushed out the message that we need to honor our veterans and we need to have a war memorial like France and Britain has.
And her movement really grew and gained traction and steam.
And she was able to change history through reaching out to the American people.
And they then were able to change the War Department's direction, but it was also in Congress that she was able to touch a very influential congressman, Hamilton Fish, a Republican from New York, great Republican from New York, who served in World War I as an officer in the Harlem Hellfighters.
And this was an all-black unit that was an exceptionally good unit, strong unit, but they had a battle of racism and segregation.
And he wanted a way to honor his men, but also honor all veterans.
And this is how he spearheads the movement to get the Unknown Soldier, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, through Congress, which he does.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
There's going to be a wreath laying and you're seeing live coverage of, right now, the video at Arlington Cemetery.
Afterwards, how did, after the first internment of the unknown from World War I, walk us through the process for World War II in Korea and then for Vietnam, which was obviously very controversial.
Walk us through how were others selected and how were others put into the, interred in the tomb?
patrick k odonnel ▲ ● ▼
It's a very similar process where they selected unknown service members that had died in combat, specifically in World War II and Korea, That were unidentifiable, went through a similar selection process, they brought home the remains, and then body bearers were selected.
In the case of the ceremony that you attended, those men were primarily almost all Medal of Honor recipients, and they have an amazing story in and of themselves, like Ron Rozier in his oral history that I captured on that frozen hill in North Korea in 1951.
in that oral history on Getter that I mentioned, an act combat historian.
But those men all had unique stories, just like the men of World War I in the book that I wrote, The Unknowns.
They all have unique and amazing stories.
I think that the, in many ways, Steve, the time and parallels to now and the beginning of in 1914, I think there are some similarities in terms of great powers, and also a big similarity being that America in many ways, I think is unprepared for a potential major conflict.
And that's potentially looming.
And I think that one of the things, the takeaways from World War One is to be prepared.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
Our guest is Patrick K. O'Donnell.
He's probably the finest unit combat historian out there today of his generation.
You're seeing footage.
We're here in War Room.
We've got a special Veterans Day, and normally we honor the veterans who go around.
Veterans tell their stories.
They talk about their units, talk about the camaraderie that comes from a From being in the service, also from the conflicts they fought in.
We usually use Veterans Day about this camaraderie and the wounded and obviously the people with invisible wounds here and what veterans are doing.
We're going to have a couple of veterans groups come on.
Today's a little different and that's because it is the 100th anniversary, the commemoration of the really the beginning of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier here in the United States.
They'd had one in France.
If you've ever been to Paris, it's a it's a very Incredible monument right there at the Arc de Triomphe.
France lost four million men in World War I, really dramatically changed that nation forever.
The scars of World War I, if you've ever gone to Verdun and seen what's there, you understand it.
Also in Great Britain, the United Kingdom, they had one if you ever have gone to the Battle of the Somme and seen that battlefield, you will understand what it did to the United Kingdom.
A grassroots movement here, led by a female editor, actually got a Tomb of the Unknown here, and it's been a place, as Patrick K. O'Donnell said, probably one of the most, in the sacred grounds of Arlington, is the most sacred of all the grounds, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
It's guarded 24 hours a day by the Old Guard.
If you've ever get a chance to go to Arlington, which is very moving in and of itself, You can go to the Tomb of the Unknown.
It's been very special for the last couple days, Patrick.
They've allowed civilians, they've allowed people to actually come up and get close to the tomb and lay flowers.
It's been very moving.
It's been packed, I think, for the last two days.
Particularly young people.
It's been amazing.
Parents bringing their children there.
And, you know, I've heard throughout the country there's been a lot of situations where People are not even commemorating Veterans Day in the schools.
It's just something that people have particularly a lot where the direction of some of this education schools are not even not even commemorating Veterans Day anymore.
Remember Veterans Day came off of Armistice Day.
World War One for this nation and the idealism of America was the war to end all wars.
This is why we came in very late in the conflict and as Patrick said, we were the deciding element to it after the United Kingdom and France were kind of battle-worn by that time.
Germany, when we brought the fresh troops in, the fresh financial resources and really fought like tigers.
I mean, the people don't realize the combat history of World War I for America is quite horrific and very intense.
For the short time we were there, we were really the deciding factor.
The Germans just figured out they couldn't continue an onslaught from America.
So their armistice was done.
People don't understand, Patrick, I know you and I have talked about it, the armistice was agreed to and it was a specific time That the guns were going to go silent.
That was on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
People knew that.
Yet 11,000 soldiers and sailors died on the very last day.
They fought right up to the very, very, very last second.
It's just really extraordinary.
You're seeing footage right now.
There is a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknown.
Patrick K. O'Donnell, your thoughts?
patrick k odonnel ▲ ● ▼
Indeed, Steve.
That last day, those last hours were horrific.
I posted an article that I wrote on Breitbart called The Bridge to Hell.
And this is the final hours of World War I, and Pershing orders the American Expeditionary Force to continue to advance.
And specifically, the Marine Corps and elements of the Army have to cross the Meuse River.
And they do it on these little rickety foot bridges that are made out of ladders.
And wood, and the Germans know they're coming.
They shell the river, and they hit it with machine gun fire.
It's extremely horrendous.
It's the final scene in the book that I wrote, The Unknowns, and it's here that many of these body bearers all converge, because it's the field artillery that has to support that crossing.
The combat engineers literally build the bridge that they cross on, and one of those men, the field artillery and the combat engineers, All supply the artillery and the engineering support.
The infantry is there, even Edward Younger who selects the Unknown Soldier.
And then Jansen's platoon is there as they cross those rickety bridges and then somehow they have to survive an onslaught of German counterattacks on the other side of the river.
It's really an extraordinary story.
The guns fall silent at 11am.
And I think what's so amazing is the cacophony of Machine gun fire, artillery, all this stuff just stops.
And there's this silence.
And then what the most bizarre thing happens, there's a eruption of cheers.
And it's not from the American lines.
It's from the German lines.
They feel like they had won the war because they had survived.
And everybody, those Marines that I, that I, that I chronicle in the unknowns are dumbfounded that this is, that that's occurring in the, Patrick, we're going to bring it, we're going to go around the country.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
We've got some veterans groups, etc.
But before we, you're going to stick with us.
As we see the monument there to the, that's the Tomb of the Unknown, known but to God is what's the inscription on the monument itself.
Given what happened a hundred years ago, the grassroots movement to really try to unify the country and bring it together, I'd just like to very quickly go through some of the books about veterans.
You've been embedded with combat units in Fallujah with Marines.
You've written about the Chosin Reservoir.
You've written about World War II.
You've got two books of the combat history of the Revolutionary War.
We're going to put all your books up in your links, but I'd like to I know that you were embedded and got very close to the guys in Fallujah.
Tell us about that.
Tell us what Veterans Day means to you when it's not a special commemoration of the Tomb of the Unknown, of which you've written one of the definitive books about and are such an expert on.
What is Veterans Day without the Tomb of the Unknown and its commemoration mean to you?
patrick k odonnel ▲ ● ▼
Well, for me, 17 years ago, I was in a Marine rifle platoon in the Battle of Fallujah.
Um, clearing houses with that platoon and that platoon suffered some of the highest casualties of the entire battle.
unidentified
The squad I was in alone had five killed.
patrick k odonnel ▲ ● ▼
And in fact, um, we were ambushed by Chechens.
The, the, the entire city of Fallujah was a Star Wars bar than an international terrorist people that were there to just including Al Qaeda to kill us.
And then the origins of ISIS.
In the ambush with the Chechens, the Marine in front of me was shot, and I dragged him out of the firefight.
He was mortally wounded and dead.
You know, it's something that has touched me forever.
Just being alive is a reward, I think.
My experience in Fallujah, just, you know, the fragility of life is there, but I mean, I've just never been... The men that I was there with, Um, they're, they were extraordinary Americans.
I will, I think the finest assault of the earth.
I'll never forget just after that action, they, we, we all lined up and I remember turning back and looking back and every one of those men was ready to clear another house, even though they had lost their best friend.
And, uh, you know, that was just sort of the duty and, uh, respect.
It was extraordinary.
And then like so many of the men that you, Like the Navy SEAL you brought on, you know, these guys had gone back multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan.
And, you know, that's service that pretty much they only understand.
They don't really talk about that service to anyone.
I wrote the book on that experience called We Were One, which is on the Commandant's Professional Reading List, making it required reading for the Marine Corps.
But it's not about me.
It's about eight best friends, and only three would come home to the United States.
unidentified
After the war in Iraq.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
For our audience, the visuals you're seeing, that's Arlington National Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknown.
That's the old guard right there.
The ceremony today to commemorate this.
It's the 100th anniversary of the tomb.
It's Veterans Day or Armistice Day, as it used to be called.
You know, I just wanted for our audience to talk about the modern young generation served.
I was very fortunate.
I produced a film with Michael Pack.
Michael became quite a controversial individual in the Trump administration as the left tried to throw him out of, I think it was Voice of America.
That he went to take over.
Michael's a renowned filmmaker.
And we made a film about Fallujah.
It's called The Last 600 Meters because that's the basic length of what a rifle shot goes.
Michael had started to make a film about high technology in the battlefield and found out in looking at the war in Iraq and Afghanistan that it was the exact opposite.
These were not wars of technology and standoff.
These were really wars of non-commissioned officers, young troops, and young first and second lieutenants.
And so we made this film and I remember Michael was taking it we took it around General Kelly helped us took it around to the Marines and others as we had the finished product about the Battle of Fallujah and Michael one time went to a A group out in the West, and it was a World War II association of Force Recon Marines.
Now, Force Recon Marines, as people know, is kind of the special forces.
The Marines consider themselves all special forces, but they're kind of the elite special forces of the Marines.
And these were the Force Recon for Tarawa and Peleliu and all of those great landings, right, in the Pacific in World War II.
And after the end of the film, These guys are in the eighties and nineties and one of them said, man, you know, I, we couldn't do what those guys did.
And Michael Pack said, well, what are you talking about?
You're the greatest generation and you're the greatest heroes of the Pacific war.
And, uh, and the guy looked at him and said, you just showed a two hour movie where they're going door to door, kicking down those doors and there's civilians everywhere.
He says, just the tension, just the, just the, the, the having to keep all that in mind and, And you had some veins around.
He says, our job was much easier.
We would land, and you would clear cut everything in front of you.
You never backed up an inch.
You never had to look around.
You just went.
He says, our job was dangerous, but it was very simple.
And Michael was blown away by that, and so was I, that the greatest heroes of the greatest generation would sit there and talk about modern combat, and particularly this youngest generation, and say, hey, what these young men and women are doing are so complicated.
So complicated and so dangerous that I don't think you understand, and compared to that, I've never forgotten that, where the veterans of World War II, the greatest generation, really said, I don't think you understand how dangerous and how complex modern warfare is, and particularly, not a war of generals, but a war of non-commissioned officers, junior officers, first and second lieutenants, and of course, the enlisted men.
So it always struck me as very, very powerful.
You're seeing footage of the Tomb of the Unknown that's been the 100th commemoration of the monument.
We're going to go now, we're going to go around the country, we're going to bring in Commander Eric Greitens.
Commander Greitens, former Navy SEAL, tell us, give me your perception, what does Veterans Day mean to you and your buddies?
eric greitens ▲ ● ▼
Well, you know, thanks so much, Steve, for having me on.
And let me also just say thanks to the whole Real America's Voice team, from Rob Sigg on down.
You guys have always, not just on Veterans Day, but every day, made a really special effort to honor uh... every veteran and i i certainly appreciate that uh... you know steve for me veterans day is about recognizing all of these americans from every generation who stood up who've been willing to put their life on the line to defend freedom who've been willing in every generation we've had americans
who've been willing to step forward been willing to make and some of them have made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of their fellow citizens and i think one of the things that we should do on veterans day is not only to honor that commitment and that sacrifice but also to recognize how much our veterans have to offer here at home That every veteran who comes home is an asset.
That every veteran who comes home can continue to make their communities stronger, to make their neighborhoods stronger, to make our country stronger.
We have been incredibly blessed in this country to have generation after generation of veterans who've not only fought our wars overseas, but helped to make our country stronger here at home.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
Commander, I think that is absolutely perfect.
I think the veterans are going to be the tip of the spear to help turn this country around.
Also, what would you tell young people?
I say this all the time, having worked on Wall Street and Hollywood and other places where people that go to the top graduate schools all go, the one thing I hear from people more constantly
Consistently is saying I wish the only thing I regret in my life is not serving when I was younger and I keep telling people when I meet people in college I said look that time of your 20s is a time that you can really go and have to got time to have service to your country that that time will slip away if you don't do it and you'll always regret it you will always regret doing that what are your thoughts on that?
eric greitens ▲ ● ▼
Steve, it's so amazing.
The number one regret I hear, the number one regret I hear from guys in their 40s, their 50s, their 60s, their 70s, is that they say to me, I wish that I had served.
And I would say to every young person in the country right now, find a way to serve.
Find a way to get involved.
It is tough.
It is hard.
You're going to have some incredibly challenging moments, but you're going to grow on the other side.
You're going to have friends for life.
And at the end of the day, because we all recognize that we all will come to the end of our days, at the end of your days, you're going to be able to look back and you're going to be able to say, I serve my country with strength, with honor, with pride.
I encourage every, every young man and woman.
To think seriously about serving in the United States military.
Find a way to serve.
And Steve, one of the things I think is also important for us to say on this Veterans Day is that, you know, we come together and we honor our veterans.
Right now we have this funny thing happening in the culture where the left, because they're so focused on victimization, they're so focused on identity politics, They want to turn veterans into victims as well, right?
And the fact is, yes, you deal with hardship, you deal with pain, but on the other side of that, there's strength, there's wisdom, there's courage, and every veteran who I know is proud to have served.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
Commander Gritens, hangover second.
Short commercial break here on Real American Voice, The War Room.
unidentified
We'll be back in a moment.
We'll give him a hearty welcome then, hurrah, hurrah!
All the men will cheer, the boys will shout, the ladies they will all turn out, and we'll all feel gay when Johnny comes marching home.
And we'll all feel gay when Johnny comes marching home.
Get ready for the jubilee!
Hurrah!
Hurrah!
To give the hero three times three!
Hurrah!
Hurrah!
Oh, the laurel wreath is ready now to place upon his loyal brow!
And we'll all feel gay when Johnny comes marching home!
And we'll all feel gay when Johnny comes marching home!
In 1861!
Hurrah!
Hurrah!
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
Okay, welcome back to our special Veterans Day coverage here on War Room, pandemic.
I want to thank Real America's Voice, Rob Sigg, Howard Diamond, the executives there, the entire team to help us put this on.
Also, John Fredericks, John Fredericks Radio Network, G News and GTV that are translating this in Mandarin today in Japanese and putting it throughout the world.
And of course, our global audience.
It's Armistice Day throughout the world.
It is Veterans Day here in the United States and a very special Veterans Day as we're commemorating The 100th anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a ceremony just concluded in Arlington National Cemetery.
We're actually broadcasting next to Arlington National Cemetery today and we will be here back here at five o'clock to continue our special coverage.
I want to go to Commander Gritens.
Commander, I got to tell you, it's the camaraderie I think that That people always remember the camaraderie and the task and purpose.
How do people get to your social media and how to get to your website?
You've got additional task and purpose that you're doing every day right now.
eric greitens ▲ ● ▼
Hey, well, thanks, Steve.
People can come out and join us at ericgritens.com.
It's E-R-I-C-G-R-E-I-T-E-N-S dot com.
We'd be honored to have every patriot come out and join us.
And Steve, thanks so much for your service, brother, as well.
And I appreciate every veteran who's out there today.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
Thank you, brother.
Commander Eric Greitens, Navy SEAL.
I want to go up to Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, obviously a place that we're very dear to our heart in Camp Freedom.
Matthew gets in the team up there.
Matthew, you guys are veterans that are making it happen every day.
Talk to us about our two colleagues you have up there, sir.
unidentified
Yeah, it's a privilege.
I have Brandon Gephardt with the United States Army Special Forces, retired Lieutenant Colonel, and Kyle Jones who served in the United States Navy.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
Talk to us about Camp Freedom.
What's the purpose of it?
What are you guys trying to accomplish?
And how can our audience, how can the War Room Posse help?
unidentified
Camp Freedom is where we have an 1,800-acre property here in Pennsylvania, and we do outdoor adventures for disabled veterans, disabled first responders, Gold Star families, and every one of those categories are family members.
We hike, we bike, we walk, we fish, we hunt, but you just said it a few minutes ago.
It's the camaraderie and that peer-to-peer interaction where we find healing taking place in everyone's lives, and we just see lives transformed and saved on a daily basis.
It's incredible.
What's happened here in the last three and a half years.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
Talk to us, by the way, we're watching visuals.
Today's the 100th commemoration of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers.
There's been a ceremony there a little while ago.
We're showing footage from the Tomb of the Unknown.
We're right next to Arlington National Cemetery as we do this broadcast.
We'll be back here at five o'clock.
What have you accomplished in the last three, three and a half years?
Why is that so important?
And what impact has it had on our veterans?
unidentified
The process of transitioning out of the military has always been difficult, and it's difficult for everybody who's getting out.
And so we help those men and those ladies, those true American heroes who are transitioning out.
We help them kind of find new purpose, new mission again, and help them, you know, just find a direction.
You know, these great heroes are battling to try and find what they do after their military service.
And we've seen well over 2,500 veterans first responders, their family members on this property.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
Talk to us about, we've got a couple of minutes, talk to us about, you said Kyle Jones, a Navy veteran that's had a special impact on him.
What was that?
unidentified
Thanks for having us on, Steve.
I did three and a half years in the U.S.
Navy while I was in.
I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, medically separated from there.
When I got out, you know, I suffered from PTSD, depression, and like so many other vets out there, I had an opioid addiction problem, an alcohol problem, which led to isolation.
All those mixed together, you know, ended up with my gun in my mouth and I was ready to pull the trigger.
Three days later, I ended up finding Matt and the guys at Camp Freedom.
They saw that I was struggling and, you know, I felt like I didn't have any value as a human at that point.
And Camp Freedom showed me that I still had value, I had purpose, I had more to give.
I may not put my uniform on and serve my country, but I can help the guys and girls who are going through the same things I went through, which also helps me in the healing process as well.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
So Matt, how can people, how can this audience find out more about Camp Freedom?
How can you find out more of the stories of the people like Kyle Jones?
unidentified
Yeah, you can go to CampFreedomPA.org.
And right now, you know, as a nonprofit organization, we could really use some help.
We have two vehicles at HopeIWin.com.
We're running a raffle there for a Jeep Gladiator that Counts Customs built.
That's a military version.
And then a Jeep Gladiator that Counts Customs built again for us.
That's a first responder version.
And if you go to HopeIWin.com, you can buy tickets there for $100, which will allow us to serve more veterans on a daily basis.
And Steve, right now we have 11 veteran staff.
Wow.
One more time.
What's the website people go to?
years of combined service on camp today. It's really incredible for Veterans Day.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
Wow. One more time, what's the website people go to? We're going to put it up in all the live chats, but what's the website people go to get access to Camp Freedom?
unidentified
Campfreedompa.org and then the jeeps that are up on the graphic set up right now, you can go to HopeIWin.com and all of that money will allow us to help carry out the mission that we've been doing here at Camp Freedom.
freedom.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
Matt Gittes, thank you very much.
Thanks for coming on Veterans Day.
Let's go to, you know, I had the great opportunity to go to a military prep school, really changed the direction of my life, and I'm a big advocate of military prep schools for young men and for young women.
My daughter was, went to a, I don't know if I call it a prep school, she went to West Point, and she will tell you, it's one of the defining moments of her life.
I want to go now out to Carlsbad, California, Ethan Segova.
He is the head of the Army-Navy Academy in Carlsbad, a renowned military school for young men.
So, Ethan, why is it important for young men, particularly, to have access to become, really be formed in a military culture, in a school, like a military prep school?
unidentified
Thank you for having me on this special day.
Yeah, I think young men tend to lack discipline and structure in their lives, and military schools such as ours provide that structure through military discipline, through a very structured week, athletics, and JROTC, which is what we're founded on through that leadership training that a lot of other schools are lacking in.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
Why is it important?
What ages do you deal with?
And why is it important for young men in kind of that formation period to have a military culture with the kind of discipline it can give?
unidentified
Yeah, we have 7th through 12th graders on campus, most of whom board here, and just teaching them to wake up and do the small things, as John Wooden would say, making your bed in the morning, making sure your shoes look good.
All of our boys are in polished uniforms.
And when you start the day working on the small things, when you're in 7th, 8th, 9th grade, those gradually help you develop and mature as you grow into a young man to move into the big things to take care of life when, you know, the really stressful situations start to arise and I think we do a fantastic job of that not only with our educators but with our veterans on campus who serve as mentors to our young men.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
Yeah, I wanted to ask that.
We get so much great feedback from your school out there, and I've obviously been down there and passed it so many times.
It's an absolutely beautiful campus.
What is it that you guys do that you think is special?
That people talk about, hey, the Army-Navy Academy in Carlsbad, California for young men.
What is it specifically that you guys do that's different than anybody else?
unidentified
Yeah, you know on the academic side, we have extremely passionate teachers who are here all the time working with boys in small class sizes, 10 to 15 students, which really helps boys excel.
They move in the classroom, they compete in the classroom, but they also collaborate with each other in the classroom.
And outside of the classroom, all of our students are in JROTC with Army instructors.
We have Marines on campus.
We have Navy on campus.
And the boys are able to flourish because there's so many mentors they can utilize and look up to.
And since they board, we have them on campus 24 hours a day.
We have them in structured study halls.
We have our AP cadets studying extra on the weekends.
And that's really prepping them not just for West Point or a four-year college, but it's prepping them for life.
And that's really what our goal is, is to get them ready for the next level once they graduate from our academy.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
You know, President Trump will tell you one of the most important things in his life is when his father sent him to New York Military Academy.
He did not volunteer, okay?
He went there and it was huge in changing his life.
He talks about it all the time.
It had a big, big impact on Donald Trump.
And I know, I went to Benedictine and Richmond, run by the Benedictine monks and the U.S.
Army.
It was JROTC.
And they went out of their way to make sure they got your attention, of which at that time in my life I needed.
So it's a military school for young men.
I cannot recommend it enough.
It's just such an incredible, incredible experience.
How did they, Ethan, how did they find out more about your academy and also just military schools in general?
unidentified
Yeah, definitely.
If you look up armynavyacademy.org, you can email me, you can email our missions team.
We're happy to do tours.
We're right on the beach in San Diego, so we're the only military school with a surf team.
For military schools across the country who we're all close with, The American Association of Military Schools and Colleges, they're a great resource that I would highly recommend because, you know, our boys are thriving here and we want to continue pushing that, not just for our school, but for the other military schools around the country.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
Ethan, thank you so much for joining us from Carlsbad, California today.
unidentified
Thank you very much.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
Okay, I can't advocate enough, particularly, you know, if you, if you, if you look at a lot of the veterans families, people serve and then they're, they're chosen.
I come from a veterans family of people that serve, you know, virtually, in fact, all enlisted people.
I was the first, first officer.
My kid brother's the first Navy pilot.
But you see these families that have people that serve.
It's very important.
If you're out there in the audience, you haven't served, think about Talking to the young people in your family, the young people in your extended family, thinking about serving.
It will change their life and it's something the country needs.
We need to expand out from that 1% or 2% that serve the nation.
strongly advocate enough how important it is for young people's lives.
It's something they will never forget. It's something that will remain with them forever, particularly the camaraderie and the sense of purpose they will have.
They'll always look back fondly on it.
Also for military schools, I can't more strongly advocate to take a consideration, particularly if you think young men or women are maybe off the track a little bit or kind of hard of listening to you.
It's always an option.
And I got to tell you, if you talk to people that do it, I think nine times out of 10, it turns out terribly.
We've got some very personal experience of young men, particularly that have gone to these military schools and really had a really change of direction.
of the formation.
Remember, the country's not like it used to be.
Formation of young men is quite, quite difficult.
So military schools, obviously the military, and obviously you're a veteran, you're going to advocate it.
But if you haven't had the opportunity to serve, make sure you know the young people in your family, young people in your extended family, you should always push the military as an alternative.
Okay, short commercial break.
Back with Patrick K. O'Donnell.
special coverage of Veterans Day 2021 here in the War Room.
unidentified
Yes, we'll rally round the flag.
Boys, we'll rally once again.
Shouting the battle cry of freedom.
We will rally from the hillside.
We'll gather from the plain, shouting the battle cry of freedom.
The Union forever!
Hurrah, boys, hurrah!
Down with the traitor and up with the star!
While we rally, rag boys, rally once again!
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!
We are springing to the call Of our brothers gone before Shouting the battle cry of freedom And we'll fill the vacant ranks With a million free men more Okay, welcome back to our special coverage of Veterans Day 2021.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
Patrick K. O'Donnell, the combat historian, Captain Maureen Bannon.
We're at Arlington National Cemetery and there's been a special commemoration of the Tomb of the Unknown and the 100th anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown here in the United States.
I want to bring in now Gunny Borelli, Marine Corps veteran, Sonny Borelli, and the State Senate of Arizona.
Gunny, what does Veterans Day mean to you and your buddies that you serve with in the Corps?
sonny borelli ▲ ● ▼
Well, you know, Steve, I couldn't put it any better than what General Anthony Zinni wrote.
If I may, I'd like to read it because he says, General Anthony Zinni, U.S.
Marine Corps, we are the men and women who answer our nation's call to duty.
Our core values, our loyalty, our respect, brotherhood, duty, trust, honor, and sacrifice.
We swore an oath to the Constitution of the United States of America, a concept of ideal Of an ideal that defines us as Americans.
We put our lives on the line for our family, our faith, our friends, our freedom, and our flag.
We fought for the rights and freedoms to make our country so great and so different.
We never lost respect for our flag, our country, our values, or for each other.
We will never forget our buddies who gave their lives, their limbs, or their wellbeing for us and for you.
We return home.
With fewer in ranks, not seeking glory, but seeking respect.
We came home older, wiser, and less, and less innocent, but with a greater appreciation for what we have, we've done for this great land.
We are proud of our service and we would do so again.
We are all, we ask all Americans to remember the sacrifices of our brothers and sisters and the honor of the title veteran.
You know, and I'd like to take this opportunity to do a shout out to a couple of Marines that I served with.
They were in my charge.
You know, I was the chief, you know, whatever, but, you know, Sergeant, actually, she retired as a gunnery sergeant, Jennifer Johnson, and also a Sergeant Danielle Krause.
These two females were amazing Marines.
And you know, many hands make light work.
I want to salute all veterans, male and female.
Last night, the Marine Corps League in Lake Havasu, we had our birthday ball and we had, in place of honor, empty seats of the 13 military personnel that gave their lives in Afghanistan.
They're not forgotten.
They will be remembered.
They will be honored.
And I can't say enough for our female service members.
They have done such a tremendous job.
With supporting of this team, you know, I tell everybody the first act of freedom is taking care, the first cost of freedom is taking care of our veterans.
And I'm proud that I've actually had the opportunity to serve here in Arizona to continue that support.
We've done so many great things here in Arizona.
We finally exempted 100% of a military pensions from state taxes.
So state of Arizona won't get their mitts on their, on their pension and tax wise, but Also a veteran's home in my district, and we do a lot of good things here for taking care of our veterans.
We've got a military licensure.
It's an honor to serve in the military, and of course it's a great honor for me to continue serving our state and in this capacity.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
So it's just all about self-service.
Gunny, you still continue to serve.
How can people follow you on social media?
How do they get to your website?
How do they follow Gunny Borelli, the big fight you've got out there in the great state of Arizona?
sonny borelli ▲ ● ▼
Well, I'm on Instagram, Sonny Borelli, just a simple Sonny Borelli, two R's, two L's.
You know, I don't do a lot of social media stuff, but I'm on Twitter, I'm on Instagram, and I'm also on Facebook.
A lot of times I don't interact with some of the folks on there because they just want to, you know, look for ways to trash people instead of being Positive and coming up with solutions to problems.
They would just like to create problems.
But, you know, I do, I get my emails, my legislative email, which is sborelli at AZLAG.gov.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
Look, you've been a great inspiration to veterans.
Veterans have got to participate, got to put their shoulder to the wheel.
Gunny, thank you very much for joining us here the day after the birthday of the Marine Corps Veterans Day 2021.
Thank you, sir.
sonny borelli ▲ ● ▼
Thank you very much.
God bless.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
Okay.
Patrick, Patrick K. O'Donnell is going to join us.
Back here at five o'clock.
Patrick, we've got about a minute or so.
What is this day meant to you?
The 100th commemoration of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier here at Arlington National Cemetery, where we're broadcasting today.
patrick k odonnel ▲ ● ▼
It just, I think it just, it's, it crystallizes, you know, the individuals that I have interviewed for beginning with World War I veterans, World War II veterans, Korean War veterans.
I've interviewed thousands of veterans.
And the veterans I was with in Fallujah, just the salt of the earth, exceptional people.
It's a great day to honor all of them.
steve bannon ▲ ● ▼
Patrick, you want to join us back here at five o'clock.
Patrick, we're going to put up all of Patrick's books.
If you really want to read combat history at the unit level and talk about bravery, there's two books on the Revolution that recently come out about Washington's special group around him and the Indispensables.
It's just incredible.
So he's got two books on the Revolution.
He's got a great book on Fallujah.
He's the master book on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
All of it.
Patrick K. O'Donnell, the best combat historian of his generation, joins us back here at 5 o'clock.
Captain Maureen Bannon.
We got Anna Polina is going to join us.
Captain Bannon will be here.
Jack Posobiec on a very special 5 o'clock.
Remember, news every day.
We give you signal, not noise.
But on days like today, we got to pull the camera back and see what's really important here for our country.
See you back here at 5 o'clock next to Arlington National Cemetery.
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