GOD BLESS YOU BAKER!!!
see what I mean by 'we wouldn't be this far without (you)'?
I mean that beyond words!
YOU ARE THE REAL HEROES!!!
HAPPY SUNDAY!
PEPE TAKES AN OATH:
inspired by the Class of 2019 speech by Mike Pence:
You have committed yourself to service and excellence.
Over the last 4 years, You have proven yourself.
Like the President likes to say.. BEST OF THE BEST.
As a sign of the gratitude for the many years of service that you will render to America,
your Commander-in-Chief has given me the authority to hereby absolve all cadets on restriction for minor conduct offenses effective immediately.
It really is deeply humbling for me to stand before you today,
And see this sight and to be in this historic place…
see, my life didn’t take me into the uniform of the United States, but I AM a son of a soldier.
As i stand before you today, I can’t help but think James O. Hamby is looking down from glory and is FINALLY IMPRESSED, so thank you for the honor.
I was raised in a household of excellence. DUTY. HONOR. COUNTRY.
Those words are now imbedded in my heart.
This is a class full of AMAZING AMERICANS…
Like the young cadet from Georgia who is graduating today, in addition to his degree in Nuclear engineering, he became the first cadet to ever recieve 4 consecutive individual mens’ boxing championships…join me in recognizing Carlan Ivey for all he has accomplished.
You all know these cadets are emblematic of all of you.
I want to acknowledge the historic milestones you are marking today.
The class of 2019 is the most diverse class in the HISTORY of the United States Military Academy,..
Those milestones include, today you are graduating the 1000th Jewish cadet, the 5000’s female cadets, including the highest number of hispanic graduates… and the highest number of African American women cadets in the history of the United States Military Academy.
So for what you have accomplished and for who you are,
congratulations class of 2019…
YOU DID IT!
And of course, today we also celebrate and pause to remember 3 men of honor, who couldn’t be with us… who stepped forward to serve their country, they did not live to see this moment.
So to their families we will say, THE UNITED STATES ARMY AND AMERICA WILL NEVER FORGET AND NEVER FAIL TO HONOR THE SERVICE OF THOMAS SURDYKE, PETER ZHU,AND BRANDON JACKSON.
And class of 2019, you know you didn’t get here on your own.
Your professor’s poured themselves into your life, and long before you got to this campus, it was your families, they believed you could get here. They believed in (you) even before you believed in yourselves…
And when they pin those bars on your shoulders I know it is going to be one of the proudest days of their lives.
So before we go one step further, will you stand up, get on your feet,
look to the left and the right and behind you and catch the eye of the moms and dads and sisters and brothers and APPRECIATE all they have done to get you to this moment…
Class of 2019, today a journey that started 4 years ago is ending, but a new journey begins.
Today you take up your duties as 2nd Lt. in the United States Army.
“The lives and destinies of valued Americans are entrusted in your care”
Men and women of the class of 2019, You are being given the greatest gift an American leader can have, and the greatest responsibility. America’s parents are giving you their greatest possession, their sons and daughters, and they only ask of you one thing…
LEAD THEM WELL.
When you came here, the world was a dangerous place, and it still is.
But I AM pleased to report to you reinforcements, thanks to the leadership of Donald Trump you are joining an army that is better equipped, better trained, and better supplied than any United States Army in the history of this country.
(cont)
In the last 2 years, we have taken the decisive action to rebuild our Military and restore the arsenal of democracy. This President has actually signed into law the largest investment in our National Defense since the days of Ronald Reagan..
And as you accept the mantle of leadership, I promise you,
YOUR COMMANDER IN CHIEF WILL ALWAYS HAVE YOUR BACK.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP IS THE BEST FRIEND THE MEN AND WOMEN OF OUR ARMED FORCES WILL EVER HAVE.
Proving that, just a few months ago your commander in chief proposed the largest defense budget in American history, 750 billion dollars to ensure the strongest fighting force in the history of the world becomes stronger still.
We find an end strength of more than 2 million active & reserve Military personnel,
Modernized 2 armored brigade combat teams, provided resources for 12 battle force ships, 2 large unmanned surface ships, and 110 fighter aircraft… and with that renewed American strength, the UNITED STATES is once again embracing our role as LEADER of the free world.
We are standing with our allies, and standing up to our enemies.
Our NATO allies are contributing more to our common defense than ever before, and we’ve taking the fight against radical Islamic terrorist on our terms on their soil.
And thanks to the courage of our armed forces, thanks to the courage of our armed forces just a few short months ago the last inch of territory under the black flag of ISIS was liberated.
But the truth is, you are taking up your duties at a time of growing challenges to freedom all around the world. So what I say to all of you, what you’ve learned in this place, put into practice.
You have learned the habits of leaders, and now you are going to join the fight.
NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE DEPLOYED, you will be the vanguard of freedom, and you know the soldier does not bare the sword in vein. The work you do has never been more important, America will always seek peace… but peace comes through strength.
AND YOU ARE NOW THAT STRENGTH.
It is a virtual certainty you will fight on a battlefield for America sometime in your life.
You will lead soldiers in combat. It will happen.
Some of you will join the fight against radical islamic terrorist in Afganistan and Iraq.
Some of you will join the fight on the Korean Penisula in the Indo-Pacific where North Korea continues to threaten the peace and an increasingly militarized China challenges our presence in the region.
Some of you will join the fight in Europe where an aggressive Russia seeks to redraw international boundaries by force.
And some of you may even be called to serve in this hemisphere… and when that day comes I KNOW you will move to the sound of the guns, do your duty, and you will fight and you will win.
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE EXPECT NOTHING LESS.
So where ever you are called I urge you to take what you learned here and put it to practice.
Put your armor on, so that when (not if) that day comes you will be able to stand your ground.
It is your turn to lead heroes, but to lead heroes you must be a hero.
To lead them you must be worthy of them..
In a word, you must be men and women of INTEGRITY.
Over the course of my life I have learned the most important 3 qualities of leadership are HUMILITY, ORIENTATION TO AUTHORITY, & SELF CONTROL.
The first is humility, you’ll be entering the service as officers but you should RIGHT NOW decide you will consider others more important than yourself. Approach every problem with a spirit of humility. “One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off”
Approach every challenge as a listener, the best decisions are made through counsel and collaboration: have the humility to listen.
The second is an orientation to authority, you’ve learned it here, now live it out.
Like the centurion who took the Nazarene at his word, saying he was a man under authority so YOU will be men and women under authority. Respect the chain of command, submit yourselves to the authorities placed above you, trust your superiors trust your borders.
And finally, you have gone through a rigorous 4 years of training here, a time of great personal discipline… don’t lose that.
Discipline is the foundation of all accomplishment. Be an example of self-discipline to the men and women you lead and you will inspire them without saying a word.
TO LEAD OTHERS YOU MUST LEAD YOURSELF FIRST.
Cultivate these virtues as you have already done here at this great academy and I know you will lead with distinction.
You know, I’ve walked across a few stages in my life and raised my right hand, taking an oath like you are going to take today… at least for me, I’ve wondered in those moments whether I could meet the moment…
But I have come here today on the behalf of your commander in chief to tell you, Class of 2019..
YOU ARE READY.
So lead with integrity, be an example, mind your mission, take care of your soldiers.. And you WILL STAND YOUR GROUND.
There will be times when you have rucked 10 miles on 2 hours sleep with 80 pounds on your back, without much to eat, but you’ll do your duty. You’ll stand your ground.. Because the United States Army never quits. Never accepts defeat, always puts the mission first… and you my friends are army strong.
Living by the principles and values you learned here you prove yourself worth of the trust the American people are placing in you TODAY.
As you prepare to leave this place, you go with the confidence of the commander in chief, you go with the support of your families, and i believe with all my heart, YOU DO NOT GO ALONE.
Throughout the long and storied history of this nation, at just the right time… providence has brought forth just the right leaders, to protect the American republic, many of which were forged on these hills, and now you are among them.
So when you leave here, never doubt you have the support of the American people and all of those elected to serve… and never doubt He who has brought you this far will ever leave you or forsake you, because he never will.
MEN AND WOMEN of the class of 2019, congratulations.. You made it.
And I know in the years ahead, YOU WILL do your part to ensure for yourselves and our posterity that FREEDOM WILL REIGN.
GOD BLESS YOU AND PROTECT YOU.
MAY GOD BLESS OUR ARMY AND ARMED FORCES.
GOD BLESS AMERICA_ff
why you gotta ruin everything?
please go play call of duty today or something…
let the big boys do the serious stuff without having to worry about you drawing dicks in our history books… k thanks.
>TRY HARDER
YOU ARE EMBERASSING.
The moar the people know, the more they realize how UNNECCISARY you are to this movement and how much better it would be without you spreading your lies everytime we turn around…
#NotTodaySatan