Troops Serve as Worldwide Examples,
Obama Tells Naval Academy Grads
(May 24, 2009) |
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WASHINGTON, May 22, 2009 – U.S.
servicemembers are the key to America's success in the
world, President Barack Obama said at the U.S. Naval Academy
graduation in Annapolis, Md.
“It's not the strength of our arms or the power of our
technology that gives the United States our military
dominance; it's our people,” Obama said. “It's our sailors
and Marines, soldiers and airmen and Coast Guardsmen who
perform brilliantly in every mission we give them.”
The president said servicemembers serve as an example to
Americans and others in the world and that their service
fulfills the true meaning of citizenship. “In an era when
too few citizens answer the call to service, to community or
country, these Americans chose to serve,” he said. “And they
did so in a time of war, knowing they might be called upon
to make the ultimate sacrifice.”
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Members of the U.S. Naval Academy's Class of 2009 listen to President Barack Obama honor their decision to serve the country at a time when it faces challenges ranging from 18th-century piracy to 21st-century cyber threats during the academy's graduation ceremony in Annapolis, Md., May 22, 2009. DoD photo by Donna Miles
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The newly commissioned officers in the
Navy and Marine Corps do not chase outward markers of
success, Obama said. “These Americans have embraced the
virtues that we need most right now: self-discipline over
self-interest, work over comfort, character over celebrity,”
he said.
And it is a diverse force that lives the U.S. motto of “Out
of Many, One,” Obama said.
The class of 2009 is defined by the values of honor, courage
and commitment, the president said. The young officers will
need these values as they go into a force confronting many
new and different challenges, he said.
“For history teaches us that the nations that grow
comfortable with the old ways and complacent in the face of
new threats, those nations do not long endure,” he said. “In
the 21st century, we do not have the luxury of deciding
which challenges to prepare for and which to ignore. We must
overcome the full spectrum of threats.”
Servicemembers and the president swear an oath to protect
and defend the Constitution. “Yesterday I visited the
National Archives and the hall that holds our Constitution,
Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights,” Obama
said. “I went there because as our nation debates how to
deal with the security challenges that we face, we must
remember this enduring truth: the values and ideals in those
documents are not simply words written into aging parchment,
they are the bedrock of our liberty and our security.
“We uphold our fundamental principles and values not just
because we choose to, but because we swear to. Not because
they feel good, but because they help keep us safe.”
Straying from these basic values not only undermines the
rule of law, but also alienates the country from its allies,
and gives enemies aid, Obama said. “So as Americans, we
reject the false choice between our security and our
ideals,” he said. “We can and we must and we will protect
both.”
By swearing the oath, the new officers will defend American
ideals and accept lives of sacrifice. “That is the oath you
take, the life you choose, the promise you make to America,”
the president said.
But the commander in chief also made a promise. “I will only
send you into harm's way when it is absolutely necessary,
and with the strategy, the well-defined goals, the equipment
and the support you need to get the job done,” he said.
“This includes the job of bringing the Iraq war to a
responsible end, and pursuing a new comprehensive strategy
to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaida and its allies in
Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
The president also promised that all aspects of the federal
government will participate in this conflict, “so that you
and the rest of our military do not bear the burden of our
security alone.”
Obama told the class of 2009 that in months or years or
decades from now, to remember their academy days and the
motto on their rings: “Devotion to Honor, Strength from
Courage.”
“Live these values. Live these virtues. Emulate the deeds of
those who have gone before you,” he said. “Do this and you
will not only distinguish yourselves as sailors and Marines.
You will be in the lead as we write the next proud chapter
in the story of the country we love.” | |
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2009
Reprinted
from American
Forces Press Service / DoD
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