After reading the comprehensive January 6th Report by the Ninetieth Congress House of Representatives select committee, I keep reflecting on a line in one of the report’s forewords. Committee chairman, Bernie Thompson, wrote this: We can never go backward in the progress we have made through the sacrifice and dedication of true patriots. We can never and will never relent in our pursuit of a more perfect union, with liberty and justice for all Americans.”
Memorial Day, is an opportunity for all Americans to reflect on the sacrifices of individuals and families who paid the ultimate price for freedom and upholding of the Constitution and rule of law as true patriots.
On Friday, May 26, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin served as keynote speaker at Annapolis and delivered the commencement address to the 2023 graduating class at the U.S. Naval Academy.
Austin told the new Navy ensigns and Marine Corps second lieutenants they can be justifiably proud of their achievements, commitment to serve, and willingness to defend the Constitution and uphold an honorable ethos.
“You seek wisdom. You practice discipline. You treat others with dignity and respect. And you will defend our democracy with honor, courage, and commitment. You know, those values aren’t just words that you recite. Those values are who you are. And that’s how I know that you are ready for the challenges ahead,” Austin said.
“As one of your predecessors once said, ‘We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.’That was President Jimmy Carter, Class of 1947,” Austin said, to applause. “And I’m proud that one of this school’s most distinguished alumni—a man of deep faith and a champion of human rights—is now honored on the Yard with the naming of Carter Hall.”
Austin also cited other distinguished graduates of the Academy, including Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, Adm. Michelle Howard, Adm. Mike Mullen, and John McCain.
Austin invoked the memory of sacrifices of military service members in past wars. “Ladies and gentlemen, look around you,” he said. “This stadium reminds us of the great battles in which those who came before you fought to defend democracy. Belleau Wood. Guadalcanal. Iwo Jima. Inchon. But what you don’t see here is all the battles that never occurred, all the wars that never erupted—because American Sailors and Marines showed up. They deterred conflict. They kept the watch. And they reminded the world of what America stands for.”
Austin added, “Class of 2023, wherever your career takes you, remind the world of what you stand for—and what America stands for: Honor, Courage, and Commitment. Democracy, Liberty, and the rule of law.” As true patriots.
The next day, Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a commencement address to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point’s 2023 graduating class. She said, “Each and every day, America's service members demonstrate extraordinary skill, dedication, and discipline. They are willing to sacrifice everything to protect the lives and liberty of people they may never meet. And I believe there is no more noble work that a person can do than to serve our nation in uniform. And today, then, to the Class of 2023: You join the greatest fighting force the world has ever seen … Our military is a force that underwrites global stability and our national security.”
Harris, who is the first woman to give a commencement address in West Point’s history, told graduates they are “leaders of character” will be tasked with essential leadership roles in defending the nation’s highest ideals.
She advised them to be guided by their oath to the U.S. Constitution “in all that you do.”
"You will take an oath to ‘support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America’ and, by extension, to support and defend our most sacred ideals: freedom, democracy, and rule of law.”
(American flag watercolor image courtesy of Francine Sreca, Pixabay.)
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