An Evening With the Ambassador

Keynote Speaker Ambassador Harry B. Harris, Admiral USN

Special Guest Speaker Sergeant Michael Medina, USMC (2004-2014)

Emcee Kim Monson, host of America's Veteran's Stories

Special Guest Host Matt Mauro of Fox 31

Brown Palace Hotel
April 29, 6 PM
$250 per Ticket

All photos by Pamela Cress and Matthew Rivera

Join the USMC Memorial Foundation April 29 at An Evening With the Ambassador. Your donations are needed to support the USMC Memorial remodel.

Founded in 1974, dedicated in 1977 to “All Marines for All Time” by Commandant Louis H Wilson, USMC – the United States Marine Corps Memorial is located in Golden, Colorado. The Memorial’s mission is to honor Marines and remember all who served.

By donating via ticket purchase, you are helping the United States Marine Corps Memorial Foundation raise funds to remodel the Memorial.

Ambassador Harry B. Harris, Admiral USN is the featured speaker. Special guest speaker is Sergeant Michael Medina, USMC (2004-2014). Kim Monson, host of The Kim Monson Show and American’s Veteran’s Stories is the emcee.

Agenda overview:

Tour of the United States Marine Corps Memorial on April 29th. Tour Bus leaves Brown Palace Hotel at 9:30
returning before noon. Contact Info@usmcmemorialfoundation.org to book a seat on the bus.
Limited rooms have been blocked for the Brown Palace and adjacent
Holiday Inn Express. Contact Info@usmcmemorialfoundation.org
for codes to give the hotel for booking.
An Evening with the Ambassador begins with a social hour at
6PM and dinner begins at 7PM.

By donating via ticket purchase, you are helping the United States Marine Corps Memorial Foundation raise funds to remodel the Memorial.

Ambassador Harry B. Harris, Admiral USN (Ret) is the featured speaker. Special guest speaker is Sergeant Micheal Medina, USMC (Ret). Kim Monson, host of The Kim Monson Show and American’s Veteran’s Stories is the emcee.

Agenda overview:

Tour of the United States Marine Corps Memorial on April 29th. Tour Bus leaves Brown Palace Hotel at 9:30
returning before noon. Contact Info@usmcmemorialfoundation.org to book a seat on the bus.
Limited rooms have been blocked for the Brown Palace and adjacent
Holiday Inn Express. Contact Info@usmcmemorialfoundation.org
for codes to give the hotel for booking.
An Evening with the Ambassador begins with a social hour at
6PM and dinner begins at 7PM.

Keynote Speaker: Ambassador Harry Harris, Admiral USN

Admiral Harris served as the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea from July 2018 to January 2021.

He served 40 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring on 1 June 2018. He joined the State Department 3 days later. From May 2015 to May 2018, he commanded U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). He is the first Asian-American to hold 4-star rank in the U.S. Navy and the first to head USINDOPACOM. He is also the first officer from the Navy’s Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance community to achieve 4-stars. He previously commanded U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. 6th Fleet, Striking and Support Forces NATO, Joint Task Force Guantanamo, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 1, and Patrol Squadron 46. He participated in Operations Attain Document (Libya 1986), Desert Shield/Storm, Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, Willing Spirit (Colombian hostage recovery 2008), and Odyssey Dawn (Libya 2011). A Naval Flight Officer, Harris has flown over 4400 hours, including over 400 combat hours.

From 2011 to 2013, as the Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Harris served as the direct representative of the Chairman to Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry.  Traveling to over 80 countries with the Secretary, he participated in most of the Secretary’s meetings with foreign leaders.  Concurrently designated as the U.S. Roadmap Monitor for the Mid-East Peace Process (Oslo Accords), he travelled monthly to Israel to meet with Israeli and Palestinian Authority leaders to assess conditions.

His personal decorations include the State Department’s Distinguished Honor Award, the CIA’s Agency Seal Medal, the CIA’s Ambassador’s Award, and numerous DoD and Navy awards. He received the Republic of Korea’s Tong-il Order of National Security Merit in 2014 and the Gwanghwa Order of Diplomatic Service Merit in 2021. He was awarded Japan’s Grand Cordon of the Rising Sun, First Class. As part of Australia’s 2018 Special Honors List, he was awarded the Order of Australia. He has also been decorated by France, Mongolia, the Philippines, and Singapore. Nationally recognized for his work as a champion of diversity, he was awarded the Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award from Tufts University in 2021.

Harris was born in Japan, reared in Tennessee and Florida, and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1978 where he was a varsity fencer.  Awarded master’s degrees from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, he did post-graduate studies at Oxford University and completed the Seminar 21 fellowship at MIT. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Council of American Ambassadors.

Harris’ father was a career U.S. Navy veteran of World War II and the Korean War.  Harris’ mother was Japanese and became an American citizen in 1974.  He is married to Ms. Bruni Bradley, herself a career Naval officer.

Special Guest Speaker Sergeant Michael Medina, USMC (2004-2014)

Michael Medina was born in California and relocated to Houston, Texas. He completed recruit training in 2004 in San Diego and served through 2014.

His service included Operation Iraqi Freedom where he was forward deployed with Tank units in impressive maneuvers, followed by various training assignments leading to his receipt of the Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal for his development of troops in leadership roles. His career culminated with significant implementation of new tactics and procedures for the fleet Marine Force through curriculum development to further evolve the Tank community.

Following his discharge Michael’s excellence transferred immediately to positions with the Department of Defense working with unexploded explosives removal in Guam and Hawaii.

Michaels career then transitioned to the construction industry where he rose quickly to National Director of Sales for Eco Roofing. In November of 2022 Michael opened M1A1 Construction services where he sits as the CEO of his own commercial roofing and construction company where he strives to bridge the gap on veteran unemployment.

Emcee: Kim Monson

In 2016, Kim traveled with a group that accompanied four WWII D-Day Veterans to Normandy, France for the 72nd anniversary of the allied landings. She returned stateside realizing that each military service story is unique, should be heard and should be archived. From that experience America’s Veteran’s Stories with Kim Monson was created. America’s Veteran’s Stories broadcasts on all KLZ platforms Sundays, 3-4pm and 10-11pm plus Saturdays 10-11pm. Kim has interviewed over 175 WWII Veterans in addition to Veterans from our other wars and conflicts.

Kim understands the importance of honoring those who have risked their lives and those who have sacrificed their lives in the service of our country. The United States Marine Corps Memorial remodel project in Golden is vitally important so that we and generations to come will remember and reflect upon our military, our veterans and our history. Kim is dedicated to do what she can to assist in this project.

Kim Monson is a warrior for “We the People.” She also hosts The Kim Monson Show which searches for Truth and clarity by looking at issues thru the lens of “Freedom vs Force, Force vs Freedom.” The Kim Monson Show broadcasts M-F, 6-8am, 1-2pm and 10-11pm on all KLZ 560 platforms: KLZ 560 AM, KLZ 100.7 FM, the KLZ website and the KLZ app.

Special Guest Host: Matt Mauro

Matt Mauro is a weeknight and political anchor in Denver. He anchors FOX31 News at 4 p.m. along with 2 Prime News at 7 p.m. on Colorado’s Very Own Channel 2. He’s also the host of a weekly political program, Colorado Point of View.

Mauro comes to Denver from KPNX, the NBC affiliate in Phoenix. There he anchored the morning show and was a part of the station’s consumer investigative unit, Call 12 For Action. He also spent six months hosting the afternoon news and lifestyle show, EVB Live.

Prior to Phoenix, Mauro was in the weekday morning anchor slot at KRQE/KASA in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he spent three years behind the desk of the city’s fastest growing wake-up show.

Mauro has also worked as a host and correspondent for Hollywood Dailies and Spotlight on ReelzChannel in Los Angeles and was a freelance host on various entertainment networks.

He started his career at KWCH-TV in Wichita, first as the bureau reporter/MMJ in Dodge City, followed by being the education reporter and eventually morning anchor on both KWCH and KSCW.

Mauro is a Tampa native who earned his BS in Telecommunications from the University of Florida.

Agenda

The morning begins with a tour of the Memorial – Bus leaves the hotel at 9:30 AM and returns around 11:30-12:00. Light refreshments are served on board.

The tour includes a service dog welcome lining the Walk of Valor as guest make their way to the Circle of Honor for remarks Emceed by the Foundation Vice President, Sam Hickey. Music will be playing while the audience walks the grounds.
The evening begins with a social hour to mingle and get to know those attending and supporting the effort from 6PM to 7PM.

The dinner will begin at 7PM

Welcome by Don Davis, Foundation Board Member and Member of the Marine Corps League
Emcee for the night will be Kim Monson, Radio Talk Show Host and creator of the radio show Americas Veterans Stories. Kim has adopted the Memorial as her charity for the radio shows. She has been our Emcee since 2021.
Merrick and Company will present their work on the Memorial featuring the lead Architect for the project Ian Anderson and Merrick’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, David Luke.
We are pleased to have a Special Guest Speaker, the National Director of Sales for ECO Roofing and owner of M1A1 Construction, Mike Medina, USMC 2004-2014. His work with veterans through M1A1 offers a business perspective as well as that of a combat Marine!
Our Keynote Speaker is the former Ambassador to South Korea, Ambassador Harry B. Harris, Admiral USN (Ret). His family’s long military record and his personal experience in the military and worldwide government affairs advance a world view of what this Memorial and Visitor/Veterans Center will mean.
The evening will end with remarks from the Foundation’s President, Gold Star Wife, Gold Star Sister-in-Law, and Marine 1967-1971, Paula Sarlls. Paula is from a Colorado Pioneer family and has served veterans in many capacities since 1999 with awards to match the tireless service including the Colorado Veteran Volunteer of the Year 2015, the “Daughters of the American Revolution” Veteran Volunteer of the year for the SW Region 2020, and the prestigious Civilian Marksmanship Patriot Award in 2013.