Virginia Military Institute Commencement
Virginia Military Institute Commencement
President Witt, Acting Superintendent Brigadier General Green, members of the graduating class of 2003, members of the Institute faculty, honored guests, friends and family:
Today, we gather to celebrate as 240 men and women cross the threshold from the rigors of high expectations to the reality of apprehension and change. Today, we honor their pursuit of academic excellence in this unique and historic setting - where once stood a garrison from the remnants of the War of 1812, today stands a nationally ranked college - unique in its mission and firm in its purpose.
Members of the First Class - as your Commander In Chief - I salute you on a job well done. You truly are "objects of honest pride." And, as the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, I thank you for your commitment to this institution. You have not only sustained the honor, tradition and vitality of this post - you have enhanced it. And, let the record show, I understand - and I support - the importance of blessing the meals at this unique institution. The full Fourth Circuit should revisit this issue, and I hope they will.
When the American Broadcasting Corporation sought out unique places for its tour of America - you and your fellow Keydets showed the nation that it is truly a Good Morning in America, here at VMI.
And most importantly, during this past year, when summoned to defend the honor of this place on the field of athletic battle- you packed up your pride, headed to Charlotte and won the Military Classic of the South.
Surely the men and women of The Citadel now know it will take more than a torrential downpour to stop the Keydets.
Congratulations members of the Virginia Military Institute Class of 2003.
Today, before the new regimental commander relieves you of your duty - I will issue to you two final orders.
The first one is this: when you go out into the world - whether to accept a commission into military service, to pursue a graduate degree or to find employment in working world - call home, call your mother.
Amidst the celebration of this day, I encourage you each to pause for a moment and look around at this capacity filled center - where parents, friends and faculty gather to bear witness to your achievement. Know that they share your pride today. For while you marched across the field, memorized Colonel Preston's quote, and shined shoes- they supported you. While you were "rolling your hay," they were writing checks.
They encouraged you when you wondered whether you would survive The Rat Line - and they celebrated with you when you broke out of the Rat Mass to become the Class of 2003. They maintained firm confidence in your abilities, even as you "studied" at The Palms or Spankys. All of this, they did for you.
No student succeeds without supportive friends and family. Recognize their commitment to the achievement you celebrate today - and remember it. Join me in thanking them for the role they played in making this day possible.
Remember also that no member of the First Class attains this moment without the support of peers - not only fellow classmates, but members of the Second Class, the Third Class and the Fourth Class - seated here to my right. The members of these other classes challenged you, frustrated you and very much respected you. They too gather to honor you today.
And, as happy as they are for you, I suspect I am about to make them happier. For now, by the power vested in me as the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, I hereby grant amnesty to the corps of cadets of the Virginia Military Institute for all confinement and penalty tours currently in effect. In addition, I ask that the acting superintendent to consider appropriate recognition for those cadets not currently on restriction.
Ladies and gentlemen, go and sin no more.
At this time, it is also appropriate for a special word of recognition for the service provided to the institute this year by Brigadier General Bob Green. His service during this past academic year - as the acting superintendent during this period of transition - has been exemplary. When General Binford Peay arrives in June to take command of this post, he will find it in fine shape, thanks to work of Brigadier General Green.
Bob, thank you for a job well done.
Graduation provides a moment in time to consider your progress on life's journey - a journey you start today and a journey for which you have been well prepared.
This place has shown you honor. It has taught you duty. It have given you purpose. With a solid academic ability and a firm character, you graduate prepared to seize the possibilities before you.
Thousands of Keydet graduates, remembering the lessons of this place, have enjoyed lives of meaning - through service. through commitment, through an adherence to the ideals learned at this post. Some because they became citizen solders defending freedom by taking up arms; and others because they became citizen solders making their contribution in the private sector.
Graduates of this Institute have reshaped Europe, fought in every conflict since the Mexican War and defend freedom today - with 17 of your fellow cadets currently serving somewhere in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Graduates of this Institute have also defended freedom by building businesses, starting families, and beginning careers in public safety - each critical fragments of a strong American fabric.
I congratulate the seventy-one members of the graduating class who will accept commissions and enter various branches of the United State military. Our country will be more secure because graduates of VMI choose to serve. And, I congratulate those members of the corps who will pursue a different course.
This Institute prepares all of her students for success - with the confidence of leadership - the abilities of education - and perhaps most importantly, a desire for public service.
This now, is my second final order: Commit yourself to public service throughout your life. Join the local rescue squad. Become a teacher. Coach a little league team. Be involved in the local school system. Participate in the public debate. In short, be involved.
Stand for excellence and do not tolerate mediocrity. Step forward and uphold the standard of this place. To paraphrase Stonewall Jackson - let the Institute be heard from today - and everyday.
For four years, as a sentinel walking guard, you not only protected your fellow cadets, you upheld the values of this post. Do no less once you leave. For, tomorrow you must continue to guard the post - by continuing to pursue a life of learning, by staying engaged in the important discussions of the day, by engaging in the activities of your community, and by living a life that fulfills the vision set forth by this great institution.
America needs VMI graduates now more than ever. The tragic events of September 11th shocked America into a new environment, where the security of our homeland is subject to acts by terrorists. Our Commonwealth - and our nation - withstood the attacks and became stronger -more vigilant - and more committed to our principals.
We also became more committed to our communities. I applaud the more than 300 cadets who participated in the Community Emergency Response Team training in April of this year. By completing the CERT training you are now prepared to respond to disasters in your communities.
You are now a member of two corps -this VMI corps and the VirginiaCorps, which is comprised of volunteers from all over the Commonwealth stepping forward to do their part. As part of the ongoing effort to make Virginia secure, this fall I will return to this post for a conference on homeland security - a conference that would have been unheard of when your families first delivered you here.
But this is our reality - one we will confront. And, one we will overcome. Not just because we have superior armament, although superior weapons we must have. Not just because we have ready forces, although our volunteer forces must be the best in the world. But because America has extraordinary values - freedom, justice, opportunity for all. And we will defend those values at all cost - on the battlefield and on the home front.
Nowhere could you be more prepared for that defense than by attending the Virginia Military Institute. As you leave this place, stride through life with the excitement of a Rat and the confidence of a First Captain. When your personal circumstances find you in need of self-encouragement, remember the sounds of Little John - booming as your athletic teams took the field of battle - and seize that personal field of battle with a passion for excellence and a demand for precision that you learned here.
For if you do, you will truly have understood the lessons of this place - where duty, honor and courage are not simply words of rhetoric - but missions for life.
Thank you.