I LOVE SEEING THINGS

CLICK IN MY SON'S HEAD.

IT'S TAKEN THE BETTER PART

OF THE LAST NINE YEARS TO

MASTER THE ART OF CATCHING

THIS ELUSIVE, MICROSCOPIC

MOMENT.

THIRD GRADE HAS TAUGHT

HUDSON A LOT ABOUT THE ROOTS

OF OUR COUNTRY.

SO WHEN A BUSINESS TRIP SENT

ME TO D.C. RECENTLY, I

THOUGHT IT WAS A PERFECT

OPPORTUNITY FOR A FATHER-SON

TRIP, AND FOR ME TO WATCH

ALL OF THE LITTLE DOTS

CONNECTING IN HIS HEAD ABOUT

WHAT HE'D BEEN LEARNING IN

SCHOOL.

WE SAW WHERE THE VERY FIRST

PRESIDENT LIVED.

WE CAME ALL THE WAY OUT

HERE FOR THIS.

AND WE SAW WHERE THE

PRESIDENT LIVES TODAY.

MY SON TAUGHT ME WHAT HE'D

LEARNED IN SCHOOL ABOUT THE

MEN WHO FRAMED OUR COUNTRY.

AND I TAUGHT MY SON ABOUT

THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE

STILL SHAPING OUR COUNTRY

TODAY.

AND THAT'S WHY THE

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH IS BROKEN

INTO TWO DIFFERENT SECTION.

YEAH, BUT WHY DO THEY

ARGUE SO MUCH?

WE WALKED IN THE

FOOTSTEPS OF COUNTLESS MEN

AND WOMEN WHO STOOD UP FOR

THEIR RIGHTS.

AND WE SAT AT THE FEET OF

THE GREAT EMANSIPATOR, WHO

STILL, OVER THIS DAY, STILL

SITS VIGILANT OVER ALL OF

OUR RIGHTS.

HE'S A LOT BIGGER IN

PERSON.

UH-HUH.

I'D LABOR -- I'D BEEN A

LOOKING FOR THOS THOSE

CLICKS, THOSE AH-HAH

MOMENTS.

BUT MY SON HAD IT ALL

FIGURED OUT.

WE STILL HAD HAD ONE PLACE

LEFT TO VISIT.

WHAT ARE THESE, DAD?

THESE ARE OUR HEROS,

SON.

WHAT KIND OF HEROS?

THESE ARE THE HEROS THAT

MADE POSSIBLE EVERYTHING AND

I SAW TODAY.

THESE ARE AMERICAN HEROS,

SON.

IS THAT A HERO, DAD?

CLICK, YEAH, THAT'S

THAT'S A HERO.

CAN WE GO GET PIZZA NOW?

THOSE MOMENTS NEVER LAST

AS LONG AS A FATHER WOULD

LIKE.

AND TODAY I PRAY THAT THE

FAMILIES OF THESE FALLEN CAN

SOMEHOW FEEL THE GOODNESS OF

GOD AMIDST THEIR LOSS.

COME ON, DAD, I'VE BEEN

WAITING FOREVER.

OKAY, LET'S GO.

IT IS BECAUSE OF THE

SACRIFICES OF OUR HEROS THAT

I HAVE THE FREEDOM DO

EXPERIENCE MOMENTS LIKE

THIS.

SO TO ALL OF THE MEN, WOMEN,

AND FAMILIES OF THOSE WHO

SERVED IN THE ARMED FORCE,

THANK YOU FOR YOUR

SACRIFICE.

YOU WILL NEVER BEEN

FORGOTTEN.