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I have decorated soldiers for heroism before, and it was always such an honor to do it.

My children and grandchildren loved the secret servicemen and women that served us. I was honoured that they thought I was important enough to protect.

Working with our military community has been the biggest honor of my life.

But it's been a great, humbling - and I've been very honored to have the opportunity to serve and to lead and to be the representative of our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who are in Washington. And it's been the greatest honor of my life.

I felt very honored, and I knew that people would be watching very closely, and I felt it was very, very important that I do a good job.

Ceremonies are important. But our gratitude has to be more than visits to the troops, and once-a-year Memorial Day ceremonies. We honor the dead best by treating the living well.

It's an amazing thing to hear they're finally giving out a Medal of Honor to a soldier from the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan.

I'm extremely grateful to all the first responders, veterans and their families for all their sacrifices.

During a trip to Iraq last fall, I visited our theater hospital at Balad Air Force Base and witnessed these skilled medical professionals in action and met the brave soldiers whose lives they saved.

I talked to some vets in L.A. about what they go through and do they think about their experiences a lot. I got a wide array of answers. Some people get very emotional, which is understandable. Two of my best friends growing up are in the armed services, and getting to represent those guys was a big honor for me.