MAY 25, 2024

WELCOME TO MATTER OF FACT, TWO SEEMINGLY UNRELATED THINGS HAPPEN THIS WEEKEND. THE NBA CONFERENCE FINALS AND WE MARK FOUR YEARS SINCE GEORGE FLOYD’S MURDER. BUT THOSE EVENTS OVERLAP IN MINNEAPOLIS, IT WAS THE EPICENTER OF SO MUCH SOCIAL AND RACIAL AND POLITICAL UNREST. I TALKED TO THE CHIEF IMPACT OFFICER OF THE MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES. IT’S IN THE DNA OF OUR CULTURE THAT EVERYONE TAKES A BRIDGE BUILDER APPROACH. WE DISCUSS THE EFFORTS TO BUILD TIES WITH THE COMMUNITY THAT WAS ONCE AT THE HEART OF PROTESTS OVER POLICE VIOLENCE AND SYSTEMIC RACISM. PLUS, THIS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, WE HAVE SOME TRULY AMAZING STORIES OF SERVICE THAT HAVE BEEN LOST TO HISTORY. THEY HAD TO WORK IN BLACKOUT CONDITIONS FIRST, AN ALL FEMALE BATTALION IN WORLD WAR TWO. THAT ACCOMPLISHED A FEAT WHERE OTHERS HAD FAILED AND LATER THE COUNTRY’S FIRST BLACK GENERALS, A FATHER AND SON, HE RAISED HIS SON FROM THE TIME HE WAS SEVEN YEARS OLD TO BE A GENERAL IN THE UNITED STATES MILITARY. THEIR GREAT NEPHEW IS UNCOVERING THEIR LEGACY AND TELLS US HOW THEY SHAPED TODAY’S MILITARY. THOSE STORIES RIGHT NOW ON MATTER OF FACT. FOUR YEARS AGO THIS WEEKEND, GEORGE FLOYD WAS MURDERED IN MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA. HIS DEATH AT THE HANDS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT TRIGGERED A WAVE OF PROTESTS AGAINST POLICE VIOLENCE AND DEMANDS FOR RACIAL EQUALITY. SCHOOLS AND COMPANIES AND ORGANIZATIONS GRAPPLED WITH HOW TO RESPOND, BRINGING IN ADVISERS AND CREATING POSITIONS FOCUSED ON DIVERSITY. THAT WAS ESPECIALLY TRUE IN MINNEAPOLIS, THE EPICENTER OF THE UNREST THERE. AN EXECUTIVE OF THE NBA’S MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES HAD AN IDEA HE REACHED OUT TO TRU PETTIGREW, WHO DESCRIBES HIMSELF AS A BRIDGE BUILDER WHO HELPS PEOPLE CONNECT ACROSS DIFFERENCES. WELL, PETTIGREW IS NOW THE CHIEF IMPACT OFFICER FOR THE TIMBERWOLVES AND THE WNBA LYNX. IT’S SO NICE TO HAVE YOU IN STUDIO. THANKS FOR JOINING ME. NO, THANK YOU, SOLEDAD. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. YOU HAVE I’VE HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH GEORGE FLOYD’S FAMILY. HOW DID THAT START? WHEN I FIRST ARRIVED WITH THE TIMBERWOLVES AND THE LYNX IN 2020, THERE WAS STILL SO MUCH PAIN AND SUFFERING AND HEALING THAT WAS NECESSARY. AND A PART OF THAT PUT ME IN A POSITION TO BE CONNECTED WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE GEORGE FLOYD FAMILY, PARTICULARLY WHEN THEY BEGAN TO COME BACK TO MINNEAPOLIS FOR THE CHAUVIN TRIALS AND I MADE A COMMITMENT TO THEM THAT WHENEVER YOU’RE BACK IN MINNEAPOLIS FOR THE FOR THE TRIAL, THAT YOU’RE YOU’RE WELCOME TO COME TO GAMES. THAT WAS A WELCOME DISTRACTION FOR THEM. AND IT SEEMS SO EASY AND MINOR FOR US, BUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE A REALLY BIG DEAL FOR THEM. HOW DO YOU FORM BONDS WHEN YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT SOME ISSUES THAT ARE YOU KNOW, THEY DIDN’T JUST START WITH THE KILLING OF GEORGE FLOYD, RIGHT. PART OF THE CHALLENGE IS THAT THESE ARE DECADES LONG, CENTURIES LONG ISSUES. TO BE FAIR, THE FIRST THING I WANTED TO FOCUS ON WAS BUILDING SOME BRIDGES OF LEGITIMACY, TRUST AND UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE PLAYERS AND THE MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT. SO THOSE WERE FACILITATED DIALOGS AND CONVERSATIONS. GETTING THE OFFICERS TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE PLAYERS FEEL PREDOMINANTLY BLACK, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHY THEY FEEL THE WAY THEY DO ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT, THE CIRCUMSTANCE AND THE SITUATION, BUT ALSO FOR THE PLAYERS TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE OFFICERS FEEL AND WHY THEY FEEL THAT WAY. LET’S FAST FORWARD NOW FOUR YEARS. UM, HOW HAS THAT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PLAYERS AND THE POLICE, BETWEEN THE PLAYERS AND THE COMMUNITY, BETWEEN THE POLICE AND THE COMMUNITY? HOW HAVE YOU SEEN THAT CHANGE? IT’S BEEN SO ENCOURAGING AND AFFIRMING TO KNOW THAT THE SEEDS THAT WE PLANTED FOUR YEARS AGO, AND WE’VE CONTINUED TO WATER THOSE SEEDS THAT THEY’RE SPROUTING, WE STARTED A SERIES CALLED BARBERSHOP RAP SESSIONS, WHERE WE INVITE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY INTO A LOCAL BARBERSHOP. I HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE CHIEF O’HARA, THE CURRENT POLICE CHIEF OF MINNEAPOLIS, WAS ALL ON BOARD WITH BRINGING SOME OF HIS OFFICERS INTO THE BARBERSHOP TO LISTEN AND LEARN FROM THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, BECAUSE RECOGNIZING THAT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE MOST IMPACTED BY ANY STING OF OPPRESSION OR DISCRIMINATION ARE THE ONES BEST POSITIONED TO IDENTIFY WHAT THE SOLUTIONS NEED TO BE, INSTEAD OF TRYING TO IDENTIFY WHAT THOSE SOLUTIONS ARE INDEPENDENT OF, INCLUDING THE VOICES OF THE COMMUNITY. WHY DO YOU THINK SPORTS TEAMS ARE A REALLY GOOD, UM, CONNECTOR? WELL, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE ROLE THAT SPORTS PLAYS IN OUR SOCIETY, IT’S BRINGING PEOPLE OF ALL WALKS OF LIFE TOGETHER TO ROOT FOR AND CHEER FOR AND CELEBRATE THE SAME TEAM. SO YOU’VE GOT PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT RACES, ETHNICITIES, GENDERS THAT ARE ALL COMING TOGETHER FOR THE SAME CAUSE. AND I THINK THAT IS A BIT OF A MICROCOSM OF WHAT IT CAN BE FOR SOCIETY. AND NOW WE CAN, INSTEAD OF JUST USING IT FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES, LET’S USE IT FOR SOCIAL CHANGE. FOR KARL ANTHONY TOWNS TO BE THE KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR SOCIAL JUSTICE CHAMPION AWARD WINNER FOR MIKE CONLEY TO BE TEAMMATE OF THE YEAR FOR NAZ REID, TO BE SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR FOR US TO KEEP RAGGING ON YOUR TEAM, GO AHEAD. I GOT I GOT ALL DAY. COME ON. I DON’T THINK ANY OF THESE THINGS ARE A COINCIDENCE. I THINK IT’S BECAUSE THE CULTURE HAS ADOPTED A BRIDGE BUILDING MENTALITY, A SPIRIT AND A CULTURE OF INCLUSION THAT HAS PERMEATED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION AND HOW WE SHOW UP EXTERNALLY IN THE COMMUNITY. TRUE PETTIGREW, IT’S SO NICE TO HAVE YOU. THANKS AGAIN. THANK YOU. NEXT ON MATTER OF FACT, A BATTALION OF WOMEN IN WORLD WAR TWO SENT OVERSEAS TO MAKE SURE SOLDIERS AND THEIR FAMILIES STAYED CONNECTED. THEY WERE SET UP TO FAIL, BUT THEY STOOD UP AND DELIVERED THE STORY OF THE 6888. AND FDR SAYS, WHO WOULD LEAD THAT? AND BEN SENIOR SAID, MY SON, THE HISTORY OF THE FATHER AND SON BEHIND THE FAMED TUSKEGEE AIRMEN, PLUS THE LANDMARK SETTLEMENT THAT COULD OVERHAUL REALTORS, COMMISSIONS AND HOME LISTING POLICY, COULD THOSE CHANGES HURT VETERANS WHO ARE TRYING TO BUY A HOME YOU’RE WATCHING? MATTER OF FACT, AMERICA IS NUMBER ONE NATIONALLY SYNDICATED PUBLIC AFFAIRS NEWS MAGAZINE. OUR NEXT STORY TAKES US TO 1945. WORLD WAR TWO IS RAGING, AND THE ONLY WAY FOR HOMESICK TROOPS OVERSEAS TO STAY CONNECTED WITH LOVED ONES IS WITH A LETTER OR CARE PACKAGE. AND THAT MEANS A LOT OF MAIL. THE US ARMY TASKS ONE SPECIAL DIVISION, AN ARMY UNIT OF 855 BLACK WOMEN TO SEE IF THEY CAN DO THE IMPOSSIBLE SORT AND CLEAR WAREHOUSES PACKED TO THE CEILINGS WITH BAGS OF MAIL. OUR CORRESPONDENT ALEXIS CLARK INTRODUCES US TO THE RETIRED COLONEL, WHO IS NOW ENSURING THAT THEIR STORY GETS TOLD NIGHT AND DAY. THE VAST BUSINESS OF ASSEMBLY WENT ON. THE MASSIVE INVASION OF WESTERN EUROPE, KNOWN AS D-DAY, WAS COVERTLY PLANNED BY THE ALLIES FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS. ALL COMMUNICATION ABOUT TROOPS AND TROOP MOVEMENTS WERE CLOSELY MONITORED. THE D-DAY PREPARATIONS WAS THE CATALYST FOR THE BACKLOG BECAUSE MAIL CONTAINED SENSITIVE INFORMATION, SO THE MAIL HAD TO BE CENSORED. IT SOMETIMES WAS STOPPED. COLONEL EDNA CUMMINGS, A CAREER ARMY OFFICER, CAME ACROSS THE STORY OF THE 6888 ABOUT EIGHT YEARS AGO AND WAS TAKEN ABACK THAT SHE’D NEVER HEARD OF THEM OR THEIR MISSION. THE TASK OF SORTING THE MAIL. OTHER UNITS HAD TRIED AND FAILED, WITH 7 MILLION SERVICE MEMBERS IN EUROPE. THE MAIL BACKLOG TOTALED NEARLY 70 MILLION PIECES. FILLING WAREHOUSES IN ENGLAND. WHEN THE 6888 ARRIVED IN 1945, THEY HAD TO WORK IN BLACKOUT CONDITIONS BECAUSE THE WAR WASN’T OVER. SO THE WOMEN HEARD BOMBINGS OR ARTILLERY CONDITIONS. CUMMINGS LEARNED OF BY TALKING TO SURVIVING 6888 MEMBERS. THEY WORKED EIGHT HOUR SHIFTS AROUND THE CLOCK IN DARK, DAMP BUILDINGS, SOME PACKAGES HAD SPOILED FOOD, WHICH ATTRACTED RATS, AND MAIL WASN’T ALWAYS LABELED CORRECTLY BECAUSE OF THE LITERACY LEVELS IN THE US AT THE TIME, SOME OF THE LETTERS WERE JUST ADDRESSED TO BUSTER OR JUNIOR, BUT THE 6888 UNDERTOOK THE TASK OF CREATING A LOCATOR SYSTEM WITH SERIAL NUMBERS FOR ALL THE SERVICE MEMBERS. YOU HAD ONE SHIFT THAT WAS SLEEPING AND ONE THAT WAS WORKING. THE 6888 CLEARED THE BACKLOG IN THREE MONTHS. IT HAS REALLY BEEN A GREAT JOURNEY FINDING OUT ABOUT WHO MY MOM WAS, OTHER THAN JUST BEING MY MOM, JANICE MARTIN HAS A BOX OF MEMORABILIA FROM HER MOTHER, INDIANA HUNT MARTIN, WHO SERVED IN THE 6888. WHAT DOES SHE SAY? IT WAS LIKE WHEN SHE RETURNED. I THINK IT WAS A REAL LIBERATING EXPERIENCE FOR THEM, COMING FROM A PLACE WHERE JIM CROW LAWS WERE BEING ENFORCED, BUT THEY WERE ABLE TO GO INTO RESTAURANTS AND GO TO PEOPLE’S HOMES. NO ONE MADE A FUSS ABOUT ANYTHING. INDIANA HUNT MARTIN PASSED AWAY IN 2020, AND CURRENTLY THERE ARE ONLY FIVE SURVIVING MEMBERS OF THE 6888. I’M JUST SO HAPPY THAT SOMEBODY IS FINALLY FINDING OUT THAT THERE WERE BLACK WOMEN IN THE MILITARY. WHAT DID IT MEAN FOR BLACK WOMEN AT THAT TIME TO WEAR UNITED STATES MILITARY UNIFORM? I THINK IT SYMBOLIZED REBELLION BECAUSE IT DEFIED SOCIAL NORMS. FOR A WOMAN TO BE IN THE MILITARY, LET ALONE A BLACK WOMAN IN 2022, THE BATTALION RECEIVED THE CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL, THE HIGHEST CIVILIAN AWARD IN LARGE PART DUE TO AN EFFORT BY COLONEL CUMMINGS. I HEARD SOMEONE SAY THEY WERE SET UP TO FAIL. BUT THEY STOOD UP AND DELIVERED. I’M ALEXIS CLARK FOR MATTER OF FACT. COMING UP, WHO WAS ELIGIBLE TO BECOME AMERICA’S FIRST BLACK FOUR STAR GENERAL, BENJAMIN O. DAVIS SR ROSE THROUGH THE RANKS OF A SEGREGATED MILITARY, BUT LBJ DIDN’T FEEL HE COULD GET ANY MORE POLITICAL GAINS OUT OF ALLOWING THAT HE WAS DONE. HE THAT WAS IT. UNCOVERING THE CHALLENGES OF AMERICA’S FIRST BLACK GENERAL. PLUS HOW A MEASURE MEANT TO HELP VETERANS COULD PREVENT SOME OF THEM FROM BUYING A HOME. WELCOME BACK TO MATTER OF FACT, WHEN THE MOVIE RED TAILS CAME OUT IN 2012, DOUG MELVILLE WAS INVITED TO A SCREENING. RED TAILS TELLS A STORY OF AMERICA’S FIRST BLACK FLYING SQUADRON, AND MELVILLE WAS A DESCENDANT OF THE RED TAILS COMMANDER BENJAMIN O. DAVIS JR. BUT MELVILLE SOON LEARNED DAVIS IN THE MOVIE WAS GIVEN A DIFFERENT FICTIONAL NAME, AND THE MORE HE LOOKED INTO IT, THE MORE HE SAW THAT HIS FAMILY’S GROUNDBREAKING IMPACT ON THE US MILITARY WAS LARGELY LEFT OUT OF HISTORY BOOKS. SURE, THERE WAS BENJAMIN O. DAVIS JR, BUT THERE WAS ALSO BENJAMIN O. DAVIS, SENIOR, AMERICA’S FIRST BLACK GENERAL. MELVILLE HAS SINCE GONE ON A MISSION UNCOVERING HIS FAMILY’S STORY, AND HE WRITES ABOUT IT IN HIS NEW BOOK. IT’S CALLED INVISIBLE GENERALS. IT’S SO NICE TO HAVE YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. OF COURSE, OF COURSE. SO TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE I DON’T EVEN THINK THE WORD LIKE RACIAL OBSTACLES. THAT’S JUST NOT ENOUGH. YEAH. THAT THAT BEN SENIOR WOULD HAVE TO ENCOUNTER. HE WOULD GO THROUGH, YOU KNOW, NO FOOD. HE WAS THE LAST PERSON TO EAT THE MOST UNCOMFORTABLE LIVING ACCOMMODATIONS, FULLY SEGREGATED. HATED. SO YOU GET THE WORST GUNS, THE WORST EQUIPMENT, YOU KNOW, REALLY GOING THROUGH JUST OPERATING WITH THE MINIMUM, BUT ALWAYS BEING POSITIVE AND ALWAYS SAYING WE HAVE TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION. SO THE NEXT GENERATION CAN MAKE A CONTRIBUTION. SO WHEN HIS SON WANTED TO GET INTO WEST POINT IN 1932, THEY HAD TO MOVE THE FAMILY TO CHICAGO. SO JUST TO GET THE SIGNATURE OF THE ONLY BLACK REPRESENTATIVE WHO WAS ALLOWING BLACKS TO ENTER WEST POINT, AND THEN HE GETS TO WEST POINT AND THEY DON’T KNOW HIS RACE. SO ON THE SECOND DAY, THEY HAVE A MEETING AND THEY ALL THE CADETS, ALL THE STAFF, ALL THE FACULTY GET TOGETHER AND SAY, WE ACCIDENTALLY LET A BLACK SOLDIER AND WE WERE TO SILENCE HIM AND TREAT HIM AS IF HE’S INVISIBLE UNTIL HE DROPS OUT. SO THAT WAS WHEN BEN JR CALLED HIS DAD AND SAID, DAD, YOU KNOW, THEY JUST HAD A MEETING ABOUT ME AND HE GOES, SON, I RAISED YOU FOR THIS. THERE’S 13 MILLION BLACKS ON THE OUTSIDE THAT ARE ROOTING FOR YOU AND BEN JR SAID, IT’S TOO BAD NONE OF THEM ARE IN HERE. AND THAT BEGAN HIS QUEST FOR FOUR YEARS. HE WENT TO WEST POINT 50 WEEKS A YEAR WITH NO HUMAN INTERACTION IN IT’S AMAZING HISTORY. BEN SENIOR UM, HAD TO RETIRE. WHY? BEN DAVIS SENIOR WAS CRITICAL TO WRITING THE INTEGRATION POLICY FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. HE WAS THE ONLY GENERAL WHO HAD GONE THROUGH SEGREGATION. HE KNEW EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY, EVERY RIVET IN THE SHIP. AND WHEN HE GOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO WRITE THAT WITH TRUMAN, TRUMAN THEN ASKED HIM TO RETIRE JUST A WEEK BEFORE HE UNVEILED THE POLICY. SO BEN DAVIS SENIOR’S NAME WAS REMOVED FROM ALL THE DOCUMENTATION, AND THEN EVEN FOR BEN JUNIOR, HE WOULD BECOME A FOUR STAR GENERAL. BUT IT IT TOOK A VERY LONG TIME. AND WHAT HAPPENED IN 1967, HE WAS ELIGIBLE TO BECOME A FOUR STAR GENERAL. AMERICA’S FIRST BLACK FOUR STAR GENERAL. BUT LBJ AT THAT TIME DIDN’T FEEL HE COULD GET ANY MORE POLITICAL GAINS OUT OF ALLOWING THAT PROMOTION. HE WAS DONE. HE THAT WAS IT. THE PRESIDENTS REALLY USED BEN JUNIOR AND SENIOR, REALLY, AS POLITICAL, UM, ALLIES TO GET VOTES AND MOVE POLICY THROUGH. AND IT WASN’T UNTIL 1998, AFTER 12 YEARS OF LOBBYING BY SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN, THAT BILL CLINTON, UH, PROMOTED HIM TO A FULL FOUR STAR GENERAL. BUT WITH THAT PROMOTION IN CAME IN MY LIFE, ONE OF THE, UM, MOST EMOTIONAL MOMENTS IN OUR FAMILY BECAUSE IN ORDER TO GET THE FOURTH STAR, WHICH THEY’RE ACKNOWLEDGED, WE DID NOT GET IN THE 60S. OKAY, SO THERE’S NO CONFUSION HERE. WE’RE GOING TO THE WHITE HOUSE GROUNDS TO GET IT FROM THE PRESIDENT. SO WE KNOW THE REGAL NATURE OF THIS. BUT IN ORDER TO GET THE STAR, WE HAD TO SIGN A PIECE OF PAPER THAT SAID WE WOULD NOT GET ANY FINANCIAL COMPENSATION FROM THE YEARS BACK, OR IF HE LIVED THE YEARS FORWARD. AND YOU DIDN’T JUST WRITE THIS BOOK, YOU’VE GONE FURTHER. YES. SO PART OF MY MISSION WAS WHEN I HEARD THE STORY, TO GO BACK AND FOLLOW THEIR TRACK, TO TELL THOSE INSTITUTIONS WHERE THEY LIVED AND THEY WORKED, AND THEY WERE ASSIGNED THE STORY. AND AFTER I SHARED THE STORY AND WORKED WITH WEST POINT, UH, WE CUT THE RIBBON. IN 2017 ON THE BENJAMIN O. DAVIS JUNIOR BARRACKS, THE LARGEST, MOST EXPENSIVE BARRACKS BUILDING IN THE HISTORY OF THE CAMPUS. AMAZING. BEN USED TO ALWAYS SAY TO ME, DOUG, THE IMPOSSIBLE TAKES TIME, BUT IN TIME YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH THE IMPOSSIBLE. SO I FEEL LIKE I’M A CONTINUATION OF THEIR STORY TO DO THINGS IN MY TIME THAT THEY COULDN’T ACCOMPLISH IN THEIR TIME. CONGRATULATIONS. REALLY KEEPING THAT LINE OF DESCENDANTS WORKING TO DO WHAT THE ORIGINAL BEN SENIOR HAD SAID. YOU TAKE IT AS FAR AS IT’LL GO. THE BOOK IS CALLED INVISIBLE GENERALS. DOUG MELVILLE IS THE AUTHOR. IT’S SO NICE TO HAVE YOU IN THE STUDIO SO MUCH, I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. AHEAD ON MATTER OF FACT, WHY THE VA IS TAKING QUICK ACTION TO HELP VETERANS WHO ARE TRYING TO BUY A HOME, AND THE LITTLE KNOWN ORIGINS OF MEMORIAL DAY TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH MATTER OF FACT, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER AT MILITARY VETERANS TRYING TO BUY A HOME COULD SOON HIT A ROADBLOCK. IT ALL STARTED EARLIER THIS YEAR WHEN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS AGREED TO PAY MORE THAN $400 MILLION TO SETTLE MULTIPLE LAWSUITS. USUALLY, THE HOME SELLER PAYS BOTH THEIR LISTING AGENT AND THE BUYER’S AGENT FROM THE PROCEEDS OF THE SALE, BUT COMPLAINTS ALLEGED UNFAIR INDUSTRY PRACTICES, INFLATED COMMISSION RATES FOR YEARS WITH THE PENDING SETTLEMENT, SELLERS CAN OPT OUT OF PAYING THE BUYER’S AGENTS COMMISSION. SO HERE’S HOW THIS AFFECTS VETERANS. THEY HAVE THE OPTION OF GETTING A VA LOAN WHEN BUYING A HOUSE. INTEREST RATES FOR VA LOANS ARE HALF A PERCENTAGE POINT LOWER THAN A TYPICAL 30 YEAR FIXED RATE MORTGAGE, AND VA LOANS SET A REQUIREMENT THAT VETERANS DON’T PAY ANY AGENT FEES. SO THAT MEANS IF A SELLER NOW REFUSES TO PAY A BUYER’S AGENT’S COMMISSION, THE VETERAN CAN’T PICK UP THAT FEE AND PURCHASE THE HOUSE. CHRIS BURKE IS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF MORTGAGE INSIGHT AT VETERANS UNITED. IT’S THE LARGEST VA LENDER IN THE COUNTRY. VA BUYERS WOULD FIND THEMSELVES IN SIGNIFICANT JEOPARDY. THEY’D EITHER HAVE TO GET AN AGENT TO WORK WITH THEM FOR FREE, OR MAYBE GO INTO A REAL ESTATE TRANSACTION WITHOUT HAVING A REAL ESTATE AGENT AND AGENTS DO PROVIDE SUCH A VALUABLE SERVICE, ESPECIALLY FOR ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS WHO ARE PCSING, WHO ARE HAVING A MILITARY MOVE ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR YOUNGER. FOR GEN Z AND MILLENNIAL HOME BUYERS WHO ARE JUST BREAKING INTO THE MARKET RIGHT NOW, THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS IS TALKING TO THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, BUT NO FIX HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED YET. THE NAR SETTLEMENT IS EXPECTED TO GO INTO EFFECT IN JULY, PENDING A JUDGE’S APPROVAL. STILL AHEAD ON MATTER OF FACT, WHY MEMORIAL DAY ONCE WENT BY A VERY DIFFERENT NAME DECORATION FINALLY, MEMORIAL DAY IS A DAY TO REMEMBER AND HONOR THOSE WHO’VE GIVEN THEIR LIVES IN SERVICE TO THIS COUNTRY. BUT IT WASN’T ALWAYS ON A MONDAY, AND IT WASN’T ALWAYS CALLED MEMORIAL DAY. SO HOW DID IT START? WELL, THE FIRST MEMORIAL DAY GATHERING IS BELIEVED TO HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN MAY OF 1865. IT WAS MONTHS AFTER THE END OF THE CIVIL WAR, AND A GROUP OF NEWLY FREED BLACK PEOPLE CAME TOGETHER IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, TO GIVE UNION SOLDIERS A PROPER BURIAL. A FEW YEARS LATER, MAY 30TH WAS OFFICIALLY DEEMED DECORATION DAY. THE IDEA WAS TO HONOR THOSE KILLED IN BATTLE BY DECORATING GRAVES, THEN, IN 1950, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALLY ADOPTED LEGISLATION RECOGNIZING IT AS MEMORIAL DAY ABOUT 20 YEARS LATER, THE UNIFORM MONDAY HOLIDAY ACT TOOK EFFECT, MOVING MANY HOLIDAYS TO MONDAYS, GIVING FEDERAL WORKERS AND OTHERS THREE DAY WEEKENDS SO. SO AS WE MARK THIS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, WE HERE AT MATTER OF FACT, WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF THOSE WHO’VE SERVED AND WHO CONTINUE TO SERVE THIS COUNTRY. THAT’S IT FOR THIS EDITION OF MATTER OF FACT, I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN. I’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE NEXT WEEK TO WATCH MORE STORIES LIKE THIS. ANY TIME, HEAD TO @MATTEROFFACTTV.