"In war... the first thing lost is time. The hours become days... the days, years... and the years turn into decades. Some of us can't remember a time before the Covenant. War is all we know, and in our ongoing conflict we've lost more than our sense of time... We've lost loved ones, planets, and entire civilizations. To think there was once a time of peace is almost unimaginable. But we were courageous; we fought back. In our battle for humanity we have lost so much, but we've been given heroes... heroes who fought tirelessly to defend us: at Harvest; at Reach; at New Mombasa... brave soldiers who sacrificed everything to eliminate the Flood. They didn't fight for glory. Nonetheless, it's there for all to see. Today we launch the living monument. To those who continue to fight and asked for nothing in return: War takes, but it leaves us with legends; it leaves us with heroes, and heroes never die!"