I got on Air Force One down there in Waco, and they told me that we had a special guest on our plane. I said, well, who is it? They said, well, it's Orrin Hatch. I said, fantastic, glad to give the fellow a ride. And the reason why I'm glad to give him a ride, he's a strong ally, and I appreciate a strong ally in Orrin Hatch. He does a great job for Utah, and he does a great job for the United States of America.

They must have changed the immigration laws here in Utah, because they allowed the Idaho Governor to come across the border. I'm proud to be here with my friend, Dirk Kempthorne. Thank you for coming, Dirk. I want to thank the Senior Vice Commander, Jim Miller, for his hospitality. I'm looking forward to working with him. I want to thank JoAnne Ott, the outgoing National VFW Ladies Auxiliary president. And I want to thank Sandy Germany, who will be the incoming president.

Most of all, thank you all. As veterans of foreign wars, you stepped forward when America needed you. You took an oath to defend the nation, and you kept that oath, overseas and under fire. You triumphed over brutal enemies, liberated continents, and answered the prayers of millions across the Earth. All of us who have grown up in freedom must never forget your service and your sacrifice.

We also remember the troops who left America's shores, but did not live to make the journey home. We think of the families who lost a loved one, and who carry a burden of grief that remains for a lifetime. We remember the men and women in uniform whose fate is still undetermined, our prisoners of war and those missing in action. America must never forget them. We will not stop searching until we have accounted for every soldier, sailor airmen and Marine missing in the line of duty.

VFW's mission is to honor the dead by helping the living, and VFW members are making good on that promise every day. Together with your superb Ladies Auxiliary, VFW members have VFW members have adopted military units, mentored youth groups, assisted in blood drives, and provided countless services to fellow veterans and their families. When you hear the name VFW, you know a certain type of work is being done — honorable, decent, and faithful to the nation's highest ideals.

In war and in peace, America's veterans set an example of citizenship, and we honor your devotion to duty and to our country. All of America's veterans have placed the nation's security before their own lives. Your sacrifice creates a debt that America can never really fully — fully repay.

Yet there are certain things the government can do. My administration remains firmly committed to serving America's veterans. Since I took office my administration, in working with the United States Congress, has increased spending for veterans by $24 billion, an increase of 53 percent. In my first four years as President in my first four years as President, we increased spending for veterans more than twice as much as the previous administration did in eight years.