Medal of Honor recipients Lt. Col. William Swenson (Ret.), Command Sgt. Matthew Williams (Ret.)

[0:00] To commemorate Memorial Day as we approach our country's 250th birthday, Margaret sat [0:05] down with two Medal of Honor recipients, retired Army Lieutenant Colonel William Swenson and [0:10] retired Army Command Sergeant Major Matt Williams. [0:14] Here's part of their conversation. [0:16] Will, when President Obama presented you the Medal of Honor, he said... [0:21] Americans like Will remind us of what our country can be at its best, a nation of citizens [0:29] who look out for one another, who meet our obligations to one another, not just when [0:34] it's easy, but also when it's hard. [0:37] Is it a burden to carry expectations like that with you when you enter private life? [0:46] I think we have to remember that the crucible of war is unfair, and it does bring out both [0:51] the worst of us and the best of us. [0:53] In moments of great risk to our own lives, we do things that are inexplicable. [0:59] And we see things that are almost at the level of miracles. [1:02] People are coming together as a team to do things that ultimately flies in the face of [1:09] good decision making. [1:10] But ultimately, what they're doing is fighting on behalf of each other and on behalf of their [1:13] country. [1:15] And when I recognized that I received individual accolades from the president, one of the things [1:23] that we have to remember specifically as Medal of Honor recipients is that we're ambassadors [1:27] to other people's stories. [1:29] We're ambassadors to those whose stories were not told. [1:31] We're ambassadors to those who were with us on the battlefield, Johnson, Johnson, Kenefick, [1:36] Leighton, and Westbrook. [1:37] And they didn't come home. [1:39] Their stories are part of our story. [1:41] We wear this medal as a representation of service, not as a representation of ourselves. [1:47] And that is a weight that we as recipients of this award have to remember is our responsibility [1:53] is to continue telling the stories, not just of us, but of everyone we served with and [1:57] everyone who will serve. [1:58] That feels heavy. [2:01] It feels like you will always be part of public service after going through something like [2:09] this. [2:09] I would say as Medal of Honor recipients, we are a very fair representation of America. [2:14] We're a snapshot of this country. [2:15] We come from towns, cities, all walks of life, different political views. [2:19] And ultimately, we are a very democratic representation of the values of this country. [2:25] But as recipients of this award, we have to take those backgrounds, some humble, some not, [2:31] and with that, continue to try to lead lives that are emblematic of what this award represents. [2:37] And I understand both of you are continuing to try to help and to serve, particularly with [2:43] veterans. [2:44] Matt, President Trump said of you... [2:46] We salute your unyielding service, your unbreakable resolve, and your untiring devotion to our great [2:54] nation. [2:55] Do you think of those words as a burden or as an assignment for the rest of your life? [3:01] How do you think of it? [3:02] I think it's probably a little of both, but I'll kind of frame it a little bit differently. [3:05] You know, to me, it's a privilege, because not everybody gets the opportunity to put [3:12] this medal on. [3:13] Well over 50% of the medals that have been awarded have been awarded posthumously. [3:18] So to be able to stand there in front of the nation, in front of your family, in front [3:22] of your peers, in front of your team, and have the President of the United States of America [3:26] present an award to you that you can never feel like you actually ever earned, because [3:31] it's just impossible, you know, is extremely heavy. [3:35] And it is a burden at the end of the day. [3:37] And, you know, one of my friends and fellow recipients, you know, Kyle Carpenter says [3:40] all the time, he calls it a beautiful burden. [3:43] And I agree with him to a point, but I also think it's a privilege at the end of the day. [3:47] It's a privilege to be able to continue to serve, serve our country, serve our people, [3:51] serve our fellow recipients, and serve the fellow service members that are out there across [3:55] the globe today. [3:56] Another key anniversary is Afghanistan. [4:02] There has been so much scrutiny in this country over the war that ended five years ago this August, [4:09] hard to believe. [4:10] Yes. [4:11] America's longest war. [4:13] I wonder how that sits with you since you both served on that battlefield. [4:18] What do you think of those who sacrificed in that conflict? [4:22] It's spoken about in so many different heated ways. [4:27] But for you, when you think of that war, how do you make sense of America's experience? [4:35] As military service members, we were asked by our country to go serve overseas on behalf [4:40] of the defense of the nation. [4:42] It's as simple as that. [4:44] We did our jobs. [4:44] We did our jobs honorably. [4:46] And we did our jobs to the measure that we left some of ours behind. [4:51] There was a loss of life because we believed in the mission. [4:53] And ultimately, as service members, that's what we do. [4:57] We serve to the best of our ability when our nation calls us to serve. [5:01] Is it difficult to hear people talk about the war? [5:05] Our war is part of our history. [5:06] Our service overseas is part of our history. [5:08] If we don't tell these stories, we as a nation don't know how to always improve. [5:13] We are an imperfect nation that's always trying to improve. [5:16] And it's through our history, as a lens, that we look forward on how to do better next time. [5:21] How do you feel about conversation about America's longest war? [5:25] I mean, is it painful? [5:26] I think we have to talk about it. [5:29] You know, we have to learn from it. [5:30] You know, you can love it or hate it or agree with it or disagree with it, and that's all fine. [5:35] And that's your prerogative. [5:37] And that's part of living in a free country. [5:39] You know, that's why we did what we did, so that you can disagree or like or hate or whatever. [5:43] It doesn't matter. [5:44] You know, I think about it a little bit differently. [5:49] You know, I'm not sad about it. [5:51] I know what I did over there. [5:52] I know what I saw people do over there. [5:53] My experiences have made me grow as a husband, a father, as a man. [6:00] And I think all those things are extremely important. [6:02] I know what I served for. [6:03] I know what I did. [6:04] I know what we accomplished together as a team and as an ODA and as a Special Forces community writ large. [6:10] And I'm very proud of that. [6:11] I'm very proud of my service to Afghanistan. [6:13] We are coming up on this 250th anniversary of the American experience. [6:20] What specifically makes you optimistic? [6:23] Because this country at times can feel dark these days. [6:26] There's a lot of darkness. [6:28] What makes you feel optimistic? [6:30] Well, ultimately, because we're in Washington, D.C., and everything revolves around politics, [6:35] we have to remember that politics aren't everything. [6:37] American lives continue on. [6:39] Children are born. [6:40] Children go to school. [6:41] Lives are achieved. [6:42] Dreams are achieved. [6:43] This country is a great place. [6:45] It's not politics. [6:46] It's not just what's the news bites coming off of media. [6:50] Ultimately, we continue forward as a country, continually imperfect, continually evolving forward, [6:54] always trying to achieve a more perfect union. [6:57] That's what's important to remember, what we can achieve aspirationally. [7:01] No other place in history, time, or on this planet have ever gotten to where we are today. [7:06] We need to be proud of that. [7:07] And we need to remember that is what we stay focused on, what we can be. [7:11] What we can be and the promise of it. [7:14] What makes you optimistic? [7:16] It's so important to remember who we are as a country and take an opportunity to celebrate that [7:22] and think about all the challenges that we've overcome, how far we've actually come. [7:26] You know, I think if you frame it that way, you think very deeply about our trials and tribulations from beginning to today. [7:34] We've made tremendous strides. [7:35] Our country is, you know, we're a global superpower. [7:39] Our economy is doing well. [7:40] All those things are great. [7:42] And take politics aside, out of this whole conversation. [7:46] Be grateful for what you've got and the opportunities that it's provided for you. [7:50] And if you do that, I don't see how you can't be optimistic about our future. [7:54] Well, thank you. [7:55] Thank you both. [7:56] And thank you for your service. [7:58] Thank you. [8:00] Two of America's best. [8:02] The full conversation is on our website and on our YouTube channel.