English subtitles for clip: File:2011-11-12 President Obama's Weekly Address.ogv

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I'm speaking to you
from the primary flight control

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of the aircraft carrier U.S.S.
Carl Vinson in San Diego.

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This is one of the biggest
ships in the Navy.

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And on friday it was home to

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one of the most unique
college basketball games

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I've ever seen.

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It also gave members of our military

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and our veterans

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a chance to unwind a little bit.

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And on this veterans day

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I wanna take this opportunity

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to thank all our men
and women in uniform

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for their service
and their sacrifice.

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But this day isn't just
about thanking our veterans.

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It's about rededicating ourselves

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to serving our veterans

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as well as they've served us.

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And right now,

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that's never been more important.

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Last month,

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I announced that, as promised,

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we will end the war in Iraq
by the end of this year.

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Many of our military families

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will be welcoming loved ones
home for the holidays.

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At the same time,

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we've begun to wind down
the war in Afghanistan.

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And in the next five years,

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over a million service members

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will transition back

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into civilian life –

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joining the three million

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who have already done so

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over the last decade.
who have already done so

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over the last decade.

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These are men and women

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who have served with distinction

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in some of the most
dangerous places on the planet.

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But for the many of them,

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the challenges don't end

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when they take off their uniform.

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Today, more than 850,000 veterans

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remain unemployed,

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and too many are struggling
to find a job

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worthy of their talents
and their experience.

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That's not right.

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We ask these men and women

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to leave their families
and their jobs

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and risk their lives
to fight for our country.

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The last thing they should have to do

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is fight for a job
when they get home.

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To give our veterans
the opportunity they've earned,

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I've directed the federal government

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to lead by example –

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and already we've hired 120,000 veterans.

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We've also challenged private companies

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to hire or train

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a 100,000 post-9/11 veterans

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or their spouses

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by the end of 2013.

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So far,

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many patriotic companies

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have answered the call,

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hiring more than 16,000 Americans.

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And yesterday,

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thanks to the hard work
of Michelle and Dr. Jill Biden,

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companies announced

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their commitment to train or hire

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a 125,000 more over the next two years.

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But we still need to do more.

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That's why, as part
of the American Jobs Act,

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I called on Congress

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to pass a Returning Heroes Tax Credit,

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which would give businesses a tax break

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for each unemployed veteran they hire;

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And a Wounded Warriors Tax credit,

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which would give businesses a tax break

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for hiring an unemployed veteran

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with a disability related
to their service in uniform.

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These proposals will go a long way

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towards putting our veterans back to work.

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And on Thursday, I was pleased to see

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the Senate put partisanship aside

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and came together
to pass these tax credits.

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After all,

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standing up for our veterans

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isn't a Democratic responsibility or

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a Republican responsibility;

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It's an American responsibility.

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It's one that all of us
have an obligation to meet.

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And the House should pass this bill

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as soon as possible,

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so I can sign it into law.

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As Commander-in-Chief,

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I want every veteran to know

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that America will always
honor your service

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and your sacrifice –

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not just today, but every day.

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And just as you've fought for us

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we're gonna keep fighting for you –

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for more jobs,

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for more security,

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and for the opportunity

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to keep your families strong

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and America competitive

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in the 21st century.

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So to all our veterans:

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Thank you for your service.

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God bless you,

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and may God bless
the United States of America.