|
I want you to know how truly honored I am to speak to you today ... mindful of the tying times we're experiencing. While there's a risk in thanking any one person of overlooking other deserving individuals, I can say without hesitation, the efforts of Michael Bennett in sustaining this event have been magnificent. This wonderful team has made so many selfless contributions...not only to our precious Brigade of Midshipmen, but to the Blue and Gold Program as well. You have made a difference, not just to the Naval Academy, but also to our Navy and naval service. We are truly better for all you both have done. Thank you! We have entered a period when our Nation ... and its naval service ... are once again being tested ... and in this trial, the Naval Academy and its graduates are playing an important role ... perhaps a central role ... in the outcome. Until ... or when this war has run its course Americans will seek every normalcy and continuity with the halcyon days before 11 Sep 2001.
In all this the United States Naval Academy will continue to serve as a cultural icon for the men and women of this Country. And Ladies and Gentlemen, we will not break this sacred trust with the American people ... we will not fail you.Let me begin today by telling you a bit about my perspective on the Academy and the Academy graduate, and how I've come to revere this institution.In 1960, just after he retired from the Navy after twenty-one years ... a period spanning three decades and two wars ... my father and I visited the Naval Academy. It was one of my earliest memories.
I don't know why we came to Annapolis that day; perhaps my father sought closure with the Navy he loved so dearly. My sensations of that visit remain indelibly etched in my memory. My small hand in his, we ascended the long stairway from the Rotunda and into Memorial Hall.My memory is not clear now on exactly what was said, but I do remember his teaching me that day about a word that has nearly sacred meaning to me now ... the word "duty." He told me the story of the Wardroom of his first destroyer (explain the term) in which he served, the USS KEARNY, and how all of the officers in that wardroom were Naval Academy graduates. From that moment unto this very moment, I viewed ... I still see ... the Naval Academy graduate through the eyes of my father, who in 1940 was a young Seaman aboard one of our nation's newest warships. "They were gentlemen." He said to me. And in that, the briefest of accusations, he said everything about what this institution stands for ... they were gentlemen.He would later tell me what that meant specifically, on the night of 17 Oct 1941, as USS KEARNY and other American destroyers fought desperately throughout the night in the North Atlantic to save a British convoy.
And ... when at midnight, the torpedo from U568 found KEARNY, my father would never forget how the officers had remained calm ... in the face of an almost certain fate, and saved the ship from sinking in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic.My father revered the Naval Academy graduate ... he held him in awe. He would later join the officer ranks, elevated to ensign for heroism displayed when his second destroyer, the USS WOOLSEY bombarded the fringes of the beachhead at Anzio. Halting a German Tiger tank company in its bid to counterattack the American forces beleaguered there. My father was very proud to be a naval officer, but he always used as his metric for professionalism ... his touchstone for the highest qualities of officership ... the measure of the Naval Academy graduate.
Perhaps that was his plan that day in 1960 when we visited Memorial Hall ... and I became enthralled with an institution that could produce an officer whom no less a figure than my father could hold in such high esteem.Upon reflection ... now ... I see what my father saw ... the image of the Academy reflected in the calm heroism of the officers of KEARNY or in the grim resolve of the officers of the WOOLSEY. I see now what he meant in the term "gentlemen."I understand now that in seeing the Naval Academy graduate through the eyes of my father ... I really saw the Academy through the eyes of the American people ... and I understand the sacred trust they ... you ... have reposed in this institution and in its graduates.
A trust again being tested right now ... as I stand here today.Let me take a few a minutes and talk about your Naval Academy this year and how in midst of national emergency, we persevere in our enduring mission to produce officers of the Naval Service who are morally ... mentally ... physically prepared for the rigors of leading our precious Sailors and Marines in combat. These elements of our mission, while separate words, are inextricably linked ... they are inseparable. I'll take a moment and address each of these.In terms of moral and professional development, we know that in war, in peace, and in crisis ... character is the single most important quality in a leader ... moral courage ... the conscious choice ... the habit ... of doing the right thing everyday. What Douglas Southall Freeman once described as ... "That quality of mind which makes truth telling instinctive rather than strange."We recognize the imperative that men and women who lead in combat must possess the moral authority to issue orders which may sorely tax the Sailors and Marines who follow them into the crucible of battle. This plays in virtually every dimension of the Academy experience today from the carefully crafted and orchestrated immersion of the midshipman in leadership, honor, ethics, character development, seamanship, tactics and naval warfare, to the vital spiritual preparation of our young leaders in their faith and in their beliefs.
This year, with the great Class of 2005, we've tried something a bit different. Throughout the year, we've placed significant emphasis on military and social etiquette ... the "gentleman" piece of the classic term ... "officer and a gentleman." We've had the instruction over the years, but this year we're concentrating it in a series of lectures on customs, courtesies, traditions, and etiquette, to include classes in dancing and a visit from Miss Manners. We are resolute in our commitment to continue this program, and we're considering its expansion into the upper three classes next year and beyond.But in all our emphasis on moral development we will continue to return to the message: An officer of the naval service is a public figure in no less a sense than our elected representatives. Indeed, our message is clear that is, our oath of office ... sworn so solemnly for the first time in Tecumseh Court on Induction Day ... means every midshipman has an absolute ... a sacred obligation ... to embody all the highest principles of our precious naval service in every dimension of our lives ... in every one of our pursuits.
For the current Brigade, men and women who arrived here during a period of relative peace, the discovery of the reality of this truth and of the Nation's reliance on its military during these moments of trial, in Afghanistan and beyond as part of the global War on Terrorism, is interesting and enlightening to watch. Last month, at the Naval Academy, I was honored to be in attendance at the three-month remembrance of the 11 Sep attack. Conducted in Memorial Hall, it was a simple service, which included the reading of the fourteen names of Alumni killed that day. With the reading of each name, a midshipman tolled a ship's bell, and following the last bell, Taps was played. As I stood at attention, I looked into the eyes of the midshipmen and officers standing in ranks. There is purpose in their eyes, and a smoldering fire of grim resolve as the midshipmen, especially the Class of 2002, prepare to continue the fight against terrorism. These midshipmen know this fight is for the long haul ... this fight is to the finish.
And they were reminded of this again this month, when CAPT Matt Bancroft, USNA '94, was killed in a C130 crash in Pakistan. So the midshipmen know the war goes on, and they know there will be a place for them in this coming struggle. I am so proud of them. In the mental development of our Brigade, this is an important year ... a year of continued accomplishment. There is a survey conducted annually amongst the students of the 331 top universities and colleges in the Nation. This survey, the Princeton Review, provides important insights into the student perceptions of the quality of their educational and college experience. The Naval Academy has always fared well in this survey, but this year, the Academy, in the category of "student accessibility to the professors of the faculty," placed first in the nation ... number one.As a former proud member of the faculty here, I can tell you this is high praise indeed by the midshipmen and speaks volumes about the commitment of the faculty ... led by our Academic Dean Bill Miller ... to the academic and intellectual development of the midshipmen.
In another measure of the Princeton Review, the Naval Academy stood 7th overall in the nation in terms of "difficulty to get into." Also, this year, midshipmen of the Brigade, sponsored by the Aerospace Department, built and launched a satellite and controlled it from a Naval Academy ground station...truly a great achievement and an example of the institutional commitment to space and the space program.The overall message here is an important one ... the admissions process, so ably led by our Dean of Admissions, Dean Dave Vetter ... who is recovering so well form his heart attack ... continues to deliver some of the finest young men and women of character America can produce. Once here ... once in our classrooms ... they are afforded one of the finest academic experiences of any institution of higher learning in the country. This is our return on the sacred trust to this academy by the Republic.
Perhaps another way of measuring the academic experience and accomplishments of the Brigade could be the graduate education opportunities afforded our young officers after commissioning. For the size of our student body, this may be one of the greatest indictors of the quality of the academic rigor of the Academy. This year, from the Class of 2002, 27 graduates will continue on to immediate postgraduate education. Of these, 3 went to Oxford University [including our Rhodes Scholar (one of 32 Americans) ENS Emmy Spencer], 3 to Cambridge including Marshall scholar (one of 40 Americans) Ben Heineike, and Gates Scholars (two of fifty Americans) Amy Jones and J.J. Wathen...and the remainder to other splendid postgraduate institutions in the country including Georgetown, MIT, and University of California at Berkley. These accomplishments are something about which we are truly proud. To transition to the physical development of our midshipmen, as certainly as the sun will come up over the Bay tomorrow I will be in trouble for quoting a West Point graduate, but many years ago, one of the most distinguished sons of the Military Academy made this comment: "Upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that on other fields ... on other days will bear the fruits of victory." I believe with all my heart Douglas MacArthur was right in this statement, and this institution is committed to physical development of its young officers.
The physical preparation of midshipmen spans a wide range of activities from individual conditioning in any one of several world-class fitness centers ... particularly the ones in Halsey Field House or Macdonough Hall... to intramurals and club sports, and to Division 1A intercollegiate competition in 30 sports administered within the Naval Academy Athletic Association. The head of our PE Department, Capt Kevin Sinnett, assisted by Dr. Tom Virgets have made great strides this year to truly insinuate a sense of individual physical fitness and physical discipline for the midshipmen. In the fall semester, we had 166 perfect Physical Readiness Test scores, a more than 100 percent increase in a two year period. And the numbers of A's are way up dramatically. But if you want to know if midshipmen take personal fitness seriously, just drive or walk around the Yard at any time, from before sunrise to well after sunset, and you will see midshipmen running the perimeter of the Yard.
This spring, midshipmen will begin to participate in an increasingly aggressive intramural program ... sports intended to build teamwork, unit esprit, cohesion, physical toughness, and endurance. [Spring Sports: Wrestling, Softball, Disk Football, Soccer (6 on 6), Racquetball, Half Marathon] The intramural experience is also being reinvigorated with a midshipman run striper organization capable of fully administering the program. We are very excited about this program for so many reasons, and the midshipmen involvement in the planning and execution is total. . In fact, just a few days ago, they organized a half-marathon event that was run by over 320 midshipmen as part of the intramural events. I predict the midshipmen will be excited about intramurals and the competition will be fierce as the companies and battalions battle to be Brigade champions. Beyond intramurals, midshipmen have a wide variety of choices on ECA and club sports, and nearly 40 percent of the Brigade participates in varsity athletics of some form.
Every day, Navy athletes continue to achieve the same kind of excellence on "the friendly fields of strife" as they do in the classrooms or in their professional development. Last year Navy athletes won 2/3's of all their competitions and beat Army 70 percent of the time. The Naval Academy produced 8 All-Americans, 2 Academic All-Americans, 3 Conference Athletes of the Year, and 2 Coach of the Year Awards. Already this year, the women's soccer team has won the Patriot League championship and the goalie of the men's soccer team Midn Brian Steckroth placed as a second team All-American...the first Navy soccer player named All-American in 26 years. [Club Sports: International Pistol - 1st in the Nation; Men's Triathlon - 1st in the nation; Women's softball - 2nd in the nation; Women's Rugby - Final Four competition next weekend
Finally, as most of you may know we have welcomed a new Director of Athletics, Mr. Chet Gladchuk, who has replaced Mr. Jack Lengyl after 13 years of leading the NAAA. Chet and his family join us from the University of Houston where he was their AD. Prior to that he was the AD at both BC and Tulane. Chet is truly a treasure, and has already made an impact on the Academy, as his focus is not just on athletics, but on the institution...on its tradition, history, and service. The athletic department, and the teams that will benefit from his leadership, will understand their role in the larger picture of preparation to lead Sailors and Marines. And if this excitement isn't enough, we have on board our new Coach - Paul Johnson - who arrived here from Georgia Southern. Coach Johnson joins us as the "winningest" coach in Division I football in the United States with a nearly 90 percent win record. He is building his coaching staff, actively rebuilding the football team, and we are excited about the contributions he will make and the potential of next season.Now let me digress for a moment and tell you what fuels ... daily ... this level of competition ... and big heads ... growing in Bancroft Hall for I find the logistics of our challenge truly impressive:
1,100 - gallons of milk and juice
4,000 - pounds of meat
2,000 - pounds of vegetables
4,000 - pounds of potatoes
1,200 - loaves of bread
300 gallons of ice cream
2,900 - pounds of chicken tenders
215 - bushels of crabs (17,200 crabs for our annual crab feast)
10,000 - doughnuts
So, well developed morally, mentally, and physically ... and certainly well fed ... the midshipmen of your Naval Academy are almost through the 2001-2002 academic year. In fact, yesterday was their last day of classes. The midshipmen continue to be supported by a legion of loving family members, friends, Sponsors, Alumni, Blue and Gold Organizations, the Navy League, a truly extraordinary Alumni Association led so ably by Captain George Watt, and the Foundation led by Admiral Chuck Larson. They are supported by the city of Annapolis.But this year is different. This academic year began with a national tragedy and murder, death and devastation visited upon us as a nation in a way we have never before experienced in all the long annals of American history. The enemy, an evil malignant force, is bent upon one thing, the destruction of our country and its people. Already 15 Naval Academy graduates have fallen in the attack and the continuing battle.
And as I speak to you today, the military power of the United States, led by its naval service, is still strangling the life out of the Al-Qeida network. We will take the enemy alive, but we will kill him if we must, and we will leave him no place to run, and no place safe from which to plan another attack on our precious homeland. Academy graduates are flying missions over Afghanistan; young SEAL officers and officers of Marines are in contact with the enemy. From our youngest graduate out of the Class of 2001, to the newly announced Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Peter Pace, your graduates are engaged in every facet of the defeat of this enemy and the restoration of peace.So, while the air in Annapolis is fresh with spring breezes, this year is different for the Naval Academy, for this year, played out across the Globe, the value and the role of this institution ... your Naval Academy ... will truly and unambiguously be demonstrated to the enemies of America ...to the enemies of freedom.In the coming struggle I, and all of us in the Yard, gather significant strength from your support. It is times like these when America needs certainty...certainty that you so generously provide. You are daily reminders to this community of the truth of the success of the Naval Academy mission ... that this institution still produces men and women of character, who are morally, mentally, and physically ready to lead in combat.
I am proud ... I am humbled ... to stand before you today, and to have been given the rare opportunity to address this great assembly of American patriots.Tomorrow, following my return to the Academy, I will stop for a moment in Memorial Hall ... as I often do. As I ascend the steps, I'm sure I will hear once again, my father's voice as he said, "they were gentlemen." And in my personal pilgrimage, begun 41 years ago with my father, I will thank God for your selfless service. I will thank God for being an American, and for having been blessed with the opportunity to wear the uniform of an officer of the naval service, and ... especially ... to wear the ring of a graduate of the United States Naval Academy.
|
