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I'm proud to have all . We be part of 

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it today as we continue on this 

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tradition . And with that being said , 

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let's all grab a glass and , uh , have 

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a toast of rec brothers and sisters to 

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the record . 

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Yeah , 

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I mean , we've been marching in the ST 

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Patrick's Day parade since the mid 18 

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fifties when the Cardinal at ST 

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Patrick's Cathedral , um , wanted 

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soldiers to help protect the Christians 

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or the Catholics that were marching in 

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the parade because a lot of the 

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Protestants would protest ST Patrick's 

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Day parade . So the commander of the 

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69th Infantry stepped forward and said , 

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yes , we will protect your parade . And 

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ever since then , the 69th , early in 

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the morning when most people don't see 

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it , we march up to ST Patrick's 

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Cathedral and we all have a mass and 

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our colors go up in front of the stage 

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and get blessed . And then we march out 

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and then we go down and we start the 

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parade and we've been doing that ever 

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since the 18 fifties . Oh , oh , 

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when I first came to the 69th in the 

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late 19 nineties , uh , I was an M day 

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soldier and I started marching in the 

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Saint Patty's Day parade as we in the 

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69th do every single year . 

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The physical walking up , um Fifth 

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Avenue and seeing thousands and 

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thousands of people cheering and 

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everything and respecting you and for 

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what you're doing and why you're there . 

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Uh I , I it's a very proud moment to be 

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in the 69th .