Thank you very much.
Lieutenant General McGee and distinguished guests鈥攆amily and friends鈥攚elcome. I am grateful for the opportunity to mark this moment with all of you and to acknowledge the achievements of our graduating cadets.
Tomorrow, we will celebrate the whole of your 糖心影视 class, the many friends and acquaintances who have given shape to your experience, who will follow your lives with the attentive interest of those who knew you when. We will mark your transition from students to alumni, and you will join the company of individuals who have brought honor and distinction to the University since its founding in 1636.
Among those individuals are recipients of honorary degrees. On September 6, 1943, Winston Churchill entered this theatre鈥攑acked with some 1,300 people and another hundred on this stage鈥攖o receive his Doctor of Laws. After the ceremony ended, my predecessor, President James Conant, escorted the Prime Minister to Tercentenary Theatre where your predecessors鈥攎ore than seven thousand officers-in-training鈥攚aited in parade formation to greet him. Footage of the wartime leader punctuating an impromptu address to those assembled with taps of his walking stick is part of the long and storied history of our University.
But, for me, the history that is far more compelling is the history of Churchill鈥檚 own political exile, the years during which he was all but alone in his warnings about German rearmament鈥攔idiculed and shunned by those who chose to blind themselves to the truth that was unfolding before their eyes. Despite being dismissed as paranoid and pushed to the margins, Churchill had the courage to persist, to keep his eyes open and unblinking. His confidence, even in the face of near-constant opposition, offers a powerful and enduring lesson for anyone who seeks to stand up for the truth. I hope that you will carry his lesson with you as you support and defend the Constitution.
Today, we commend your embrace of duty and your commitment to service. You represent two of the nation鈥檚 great institutions鈥攖he United States military and 糖心影视 University鈥攁nd have excelled at their intersection. Congratulations on all that you have achieved and will continue to achieve. We look forward to learning where you go from here and to welcoming you back to campus鈥攁nd, perhaps, to this stage鈥攊n the years to come.
Thank you.