West Point Classes: Site Pages

1998 Profile

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 17:04:05 GMT

Class of 1998
Class Profile

At time of admission

(To come)

1998

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 17:03:06 GMT

Class of 1998

Class Information

Class of 1998 entering profile

GradSpeech99

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 17:00:35 GMT

Class of 1999

Commencement Speech
General Dennis J. Reimer, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, USMA Class of 1962
May 29, 1999

"First let me say to the Class of 2002, I got the message. (Audience laughs) General Christman, General Abizaid, General Lamkin, members of the staff and faculty of the United States Military Academy, let me thank you for the great leadership you have provided this great institution. Thank you. You do this job very, very well.

"Secretary Caldera, Senator Reed, Congressman Gilman, Congressman Norwood, distinguished guests all, ladies and gentlemen, and, most especially, the Class of 1999, your families and friends. It's a privilege to be here today in this beautiful setting with all this tradition and history, my alma mater. It's a great honor for me to be able to address the Class of 1999, and I thank the Superintendent, and the class, for allowing me that honor. One of the great jobs, or one of the great parts of my job, is to be able to travel around and visit soldiers everywhere in the world. I recently returned from a trip to Kuwait where I visited some of our soldiers who were living about 1,000 miles from nowhere, in the middle of the desert, and they told me the story of the training that they were conducting over there. They essentially live out there in the open.

"The First Sergeant and the Company Commander were completing a hard day's work and they were just about to hit the rack, and the First Sergeant turned to the Company Commander and he said "Sir, look up, and tell me what you see." The Company Commander looked up and he said, "Well, I see a beautiful sky with lots of stars and a full moon." The First Sergeant said, "What does that mean, sir?" The Company Commander thought about it for a little while and he said "Well, astronomically it means that there are millions of planets, and potentially billions of galaxies. Theologically, it means that God is great, and we are very insignificant in His sight. Meteorologically, it means that tomorrow will be another beautiful day." And he paused, and thought for a minute, and he said, "What does it mean to you, First Sergeant?" The First Sergeant said, "Sir, it means somebody stole our tent." (Audience laughs)

"There are many distinguished guests here this morning, and I certainly can't name them all individually. But, clearly, the most distinguished are the parents and friends, the people who got you here. You gave them a standing ovation; let's give them another round of applause. They truly deserve it. (Applause)

"To the Class of 1999, congratulations! As the Superintendent said, "you made it." You not only made it, but you're a great class with a great record. You've excelled in academics, sports, and leadership, and, not to mention, that in football you taught Navy the meaning of land power three out of the last four years.(Applause)

"I want to let the audience in on a little secret. This is a very special class, at least in my eyes. As already was alluded to, we started out together, in August of '95, with the Plebe Hike. I told them, then, that we would start together and, hopefully, we'll graduate together. And, I think, we're going to do that, although my graduation is still a few weeks off. So there's a closeness that I feel to them, and I know there's a closeness amongst them. I feel good that as I exit the Army, they will continue. The Class of '99, we're expecting great things from you, and I'll be watching you.

"Classmates are very important; they give you strength. And during some of my toughest hours a note from a classmate with a simple message "grip hands" gave me the strength to continue. There's a special thing about classmates, and you grow to appreciate that more as you continue along in life. West Point is a special experience, and it binds you together in a way that few things in life can. There's a certain magic about the inspiration that comes from a common experience of four tough years and the friendship that is developed from that experience. Don't ever forget that, and don't ever lose that.

"Thirty seven years ago, in Washington Hall, I heard General of the Army Douglas MacArthur speak. He spoke eloquently and with great clarity. And, as I reflect back on that, I conclude that his words are timeless. They were spoken in 1962, but those words were the words for the next millennium. I plan to quote liberally from that speech not because I think you don't know it; I know you do. But because, as I look back, I conclude that MacArthur's words were right, and he had it right for my class and I think it also applies to you.

"He spoke first to the Profession of Arms. "Yours is a Profession of Arms, the will to win, a sure knowledge that in war there is no substitute for victory, that if you lose, the nation will be destroyed. That the very obsession of your public service must be duty, honor, country." I can't imagine a more important profession. It's a heavy load to carry, and it's a tremendous responsibility. And, just thinking about the fate of our nation, our way of life resting on anyone's shoulders is daunting. But the fact is, in this modern era, every class that has graduated from West Point has led American soldiers "in harm's way." There's no reason to think that your fate will be any different. You are indeed important. America will entrust her most precious assets, her sons and daughters, to your care. We put in your hands our safety, our security, and our future. It's also tremendously gratifying to know that when it's all over, and you have answered your nation's call, you have helped carry the load; you have been true to that trust; you have tread where they, in the Corps, have trodden. No one can predict the future. As one of the world's greatest living philosophers, Yogi Berra once said, "The future ain't what it used to be." (Audience laughs) He was correct. However, one thing is certain, you will have to deal with change.

"President Kennedy, in his address to our graduating class, spoke of pride, tradition, and commitment. He also predicted that "the graduates of West Point, the Naval Academy, and the Air Academy, in the next ten years, will have a greater opportunity for the defense of freedom than Academy graduates have ever had." These words were spoken in 1962, and by 1972, with two tours in Vietnam under my belt, I was convinced he was correct. He was also correct when he talked about the changing nature of conflict. He said "When there is a visible enemy to fight in open combat, the answer is not so difficult. Many serve, all applaud, and the tide of patriotism runs high. But when there's a long, slow struggle with no immediate visible foe, your choice will seem hard, indeed." Very appropriate words for the situation we face today.

"President Kennedy's message was a message of change, and as I reflect back, after 37 years, change has often been the only constant we had to deal with. We've gone from Vietnam to the Balkans, from a draft Army to the volunteer Army and all that entails, from Desert 1 to Desert Storm, from a strategy of massive retaliation to containment and, finally, to engagement and enlargement.

"Today's Army is also much different than the one I joined. It's smaller by about a third. It's busier by an order of magnitude, and it's more global, with soldiers "walking point" in 70 countries, lonely, austere places, all the way from Albania to Korea. And it's more dependent on the Reserve components, with 54 percent of our total Army in the Army National Guard, and the United States Army Reserve. It's also better, better trained, better equipped, has a more realistic doctrine, has a better mix of forces, heavy, light special operating forces, high-quality people, and experienced leaders. No doubt, during my career there has been a great deal of change, but what I have experienced will pale in comparison to what you will experience. The frontier of space will be the high ground of the 21st century. You will have to occupy and control it. Increased urbanization will bring with it increased tensions. You will probably be required to deal with the fallout. How to counter asymmetrical, and transnational threats, will occupy your time, and you will still have to deal with religious and ethnic animosities that have their roots in centuries of history. No doubt these are challenges, but they are also wonderful opportunities. And the role of leadership is to turn challenges into opportunities. Opportunities for you in the Army are endless.

"We are in the midst of the most fundamental transformation of the Army since World War II. We are moving from an industrial age to an information age. Moving from an Army today, to an Army based upon knowledge, speed, and power. Knowledge comes from being able to leverage the tremendous capabilities associated with information-age technology. Speed has two aspects, to be able to move forces, soldiers, anywhere in the world as quickly as possible. To do what Nathan Forrest reminded us so many years ago, to "get there firstest with the mostest." And, the second aspect is to be able to have the mental agility to "think quick" and to turn inside an enemy's decision cycle and be able to checkmate him everywhere he turns. And, finally, is to be able to adapt the right force to the right situation, to be able to "mix and match" so that we can meet the mission that we've been given.

"Turning challenges into opportunities is easier said than done, but I will give you some good advice. And if you will follow it, I will guarantee you that you will be successful. You will be successful in the Army, and you will be successful in life. It's three little rules, very simple rules, and all you have to do is follow them.

"First, do what's right every day, legally and morally. You'll get a lot of advice, legally, on what is legally correct, but the moral litmus test can only come from one person. And you have to "look yourself in the mirror" every day and say "Am I doing what's right?"

"Second, is to "be all you can be." We've recruited a lot of great soldiers with that catchy slogan, and they have expectations, and they expect us to meet those expectations. We need to do that. We also need to challenge ourselves to "be all we can be."

"And, finally, is to build teams by remembering the golden rule. "Treat others as you would have them treat you." Don't ever forget your values. You came here with a solid foundation base built by your family, and friends, your communities. West Point honed those values around duty, honor, country. "Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying point to build courage when courage seems to fail, to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith, to create hope when hope becomes forlorn." Over 37 years, from Vietnam to the Pentagon, those three hallowed words, duty, honor, country, have never failed me. They won't fail you either.

"In the Army, we will expand your value base to loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. You can remember those because the first letters spell out the abbreviation for leadership. But we don't want you just to remember those; we want you to live them. We want you to lead from up front in all that you do. You will lead remarkable men and women, people like Sergeant First Class Randall Shughart, who, in October '93 in Mogadishu, Somalia, "fast roped to sudden death" because a fellow soldier was on the ground. He needed to go down there and help him. His widow, Stephanie, in accepting his Medal of Honor, said "It takes a remarkable person to not just read a creed, or memorize a creed, but to live a creed." Those remarkable men and women look to you for their example; don't fail them.

"People like Sergeant First Class Shughart we call "soldiers." What a noble title. They come in all sizes, all colors, and from different races. There is no adequate way to describe them. MacArthur did it best when he said, about the soldier, described him as one of the world's noblest figures, not only as one of the finest military characters but also as one of the most stainless. "His name, and fame, is the birthright of every American…. In his youth and strength, his love and loyalty he gave, all that mortality can give. He needs no eulogy from me or from any other man. He has written his own history, and has written it "in red" on his enemy's breast. But when I think of his patience in adversity, of his courage under fire, and of his modesty in victory, I am filled with an emotion of admiration I cannot put into words. He belongs to history…."

"For 37 years, everywhere I went in the continental United States, Vietnam, Korea, Germany, Bosnia, Southwest Asia, or almost in 100 other countries around the world, I saw those magnificent soldiers. They were named Gonzalez, Clayball, Mackey, Garrett, Peters, Hall. They were different from the ones that MacArthur knew, but there was a sameness about them. They did the nation's bidding. They were a "band of brothers." They sacrificed and served. They had "drained deep the chalice of courage." Some gave the last full measure of devotion. They made things better, and they made a difference. More importantly, I had the high honor to serve alongside of them, to be a part of their team, to fight with them, and to fight for them. And, at the end of the day, a simple "Thank you, sir, for caring" was priceless.

"You, the Class of 1999, have been given a great gift, to lead American soldiers. Nothing you ever do will surpass that high honor. You have been well trained. You should be confident in your abilities because you have the "right stuff," and that is why I have so much confidence in our future. It is in good hands.

"Finally, let me close with a challenge. You are a great class and to those to whom much is given, much is expected. Stephen Spielberg in his film, "Saving Private Ryan," told a compelling story of the generation that saved our world, the "greatest generation." Many of you probably had relatives who served, and sacrificed, in World War II, grandfathers or great uncles. Spielberg captured their story on film and brought it alive. It was a story filled with powerful messages. One of the most powerful was when Captain John Miller, who led a patrol of soldiers, was dying and he pulled Private James Francis Ryan, from Iowa, close to his lips, and he whispered to James Francis Ryan "Earn it." That was a personal message from Miller to Ryan, but it was also, it seems to me, a message that that great generation, that gave us these freedoms that we enjoy so much here today in this beautiful setting, was sending to all succeeding generations: "earn it."

"So, to the Class of 1999 United States Military Academy, my challenge to you is "earn it." Thank you, good luck, and God bless you all. (Applause)"

1999 Profile

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:59:47 GMT

Class of 1999
Class Profile

At time of admission

(To come)

1999

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:58:36 GMT

Class of 1999

Class Information

GradSpeech00

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:54:36 GMT

Class of 2000

Commencement Speech
Vice President Al Gore
Saturday, May 27, 2000

(As Prepared)

"General Christman; Secretary Caldera; Senator Reed; Representative Gilman; Representative Norwood; faculty and staff; family and friends -- I am honored to address the United States Military Academy's first graduating class of a new century.

"I am also honored to share this stage with General Wes Clark, who graduated first in the Class of 1966, and who was at the center of so many key events of the past decade. As commander of the National Training Center, he helped train the armored force that prevailed in Desert Storm. As a member of the Joint Staff, he helped negotiate an end to the brutal war in Bosnia.

"And as Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, he mounted one of the most remarkable military campaigns in history - the air war that forced Milosevic to abandon his repression in Kosovo. On behalf of the nation, General Clark, let me thank you. "And I want to congratulate the remarkable Class of 2000. You have earned this day.

"Of course, we all know who you want to acknowledge for giving you the talent, the drive, and the tenacity to survive one of the world's toughest testing grounds. We all know who you want to acknowledge for instilling in you the values of service and patriotism that you will now bring to your country. Let me take this moment to congratulate the parents of the Class of 2000 and to give all of you a chance to thank your families.

"On my way here, I tried to remember who spoke at my commencement when I received my baccalaureate degree, and I have to confess, I have no idea. And I dare say that 30 years from now, some of you won't remember... Unless I just tricked you into remembering.

"I was deeply honored by the invitation to come here today. I have spoken to the Corps of Cadets before, but not at a commencement. But I have done some research, and I have watched the video of your 100th Night Show, entitled "What Went Wrong With the Class of 2000?"

"The real question is "What Went Right with the Class of 2000?" Your class produced four Rhodes Scholars, more than any class in 30 years. You have an All-American track star. And you sent four teams to NCAA tournaments this year. There is only one way to describe the Class of 2000-- phenomenal.

"Today, you trade Cadet gray for Army green, and join the ranks of the most respected military force in the world. This is an extraordinary and unprecedented moment in all of human history. Our values are ascendant in the world because they represent the hopes and longings of people everywhere. This nation is founded on a single proposition that all are created equal. Our principles, although self-evident, have been repeatedly challenged throughout our history.

"Repeatedly we have had to prove that we could sustain a nation governed by the people, for the people, of the people. At times, that proposition has had to be tested on the battlefield. At such moments, you, the men and women of West Point, have always risen to that test.

"Here on this field, in a few moments, you will take an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic, and to bear true faith and allegiance to the same."

"I know that oath well; it's the oath I am sworn to uphold as Vice President. But I first took that solemn oath when I was your age -- graduating into a far different world -- and enlisting in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. v"I served as an enlisted man -- an Army journalist -- in the 20th Engineer Brigade in Vietnam, rising all the way to the rank of Spec-Five.

"I know that my military experience doesn't match that of others on this stage -- or what you will see in your careers.

"But I also know what it's like to meet a responsibility to our country. I know what it's like to serve our country in changing and even uncertain times.

"Those experiences have given me very strong beliefs about the burdens you will shoulder and the obligations America's leadership has to you -- as you carry the banner of freedom, close to home and in distant parts of the globe. And that is what I want to focus on today.

"The oath you take today is about fealty to subordinates as well as superiors. Any commander from platoon leader to Commander-in-Chief -- exercises great authority, but also shoulders awesome responsibility. Your soldiers will look to you, as officers, for the leadership that wins battles- and also for the courage, loyalty, and strength of character that braves the odds, or saves lives in battle.

"Your leaders in Washington also have a duty to you and to the American people.

"You are about to join the ranks of the very best men and women who have worn the uniform of the United States. Throughout your careers, we must make sure that that excellence is preserved. We must insist on recruiting and retaining the highest quality soldiers and leaders. We must provide competitive pay, which is why we have implemented the largest pay raise in nearly two decades, and why we have proposed additional raises, because pay in the lower ranks and middle ranks needs to be more competitive. All who serve and risk their lives deserve a decent living. We must ensure that soldiers and their families have access to adequate, affordable housing, and better access to medical care and educational opportunity.

"Tipper and I know what it's like to live on a private's pay on the outskirts of an unfamiliar Army post where helicopters sometimes blew our laundry off the clothes line. We certainly remember what it was like to say goodbye to each other on our first Christmas together, as I headed off to Vietnam.

"We must recognize that soldiers spend increasing amounts of time away from their families. We must manage the demands on you, to make them more predictable so that the lives of your families will be improved.

"We also owe our soldiers rigorous and realistic training-- because that is the best guarantee of your survival and success. And we have to pursue the right kind of research and modernization programs to put the best and most effective new weapons into your hands.

"As students of military history, you know that victory often belongs to those who seize cutting-edge technologies, and mold them into decisive new capabilities. Army officers have been at the forefront of strategic and tactical innovation-- seeing the potential of airpower and armor between the two world wars; and forging land, air, and space-based forces into the invincible military machine that brought victory in Operation Desert Storm.

"We have to rise to the challenge again-- to transform today's armed forces into tomorrow's Information Age force, one that fully invokes America's strategic advantages in talent and technology.

"That will require foresight, technical skill, and a clear understanding of the nature of war. It will require the courage to stand up to conventional wisdom and ingrained habits. And it will also require a new level of cooperation and joint endeavor among the branches of our armed forces. You, along with your colleagues in the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, must stand together as never before -- not just in joint operations on the battlefield, but in the shared development of operational concepts, weapons systems, and fully integrated support networks.

"All these things -- decent pay, a high quality of life, modem equipment and advanced war-fighting doctrines -- are important. But what is essential is to use military force only in the right way, at the right time, for the right reasons. The lessons of the past eight years show that the nation must be prepared to use force when American interests and values are at truly stake; when we can assure ourselves that nothing short of military engagement can secure our national interest; when we are certain that we have the military forces available for the task; and when we are certain that the use of force can indeed accomplish our goal; and when, if at all possible, we can join with allies; and when the cost is proportionate to the objective. America cannot be the world's policeman. But when our national interests dictate the use of force, we dare not hesitate -- and we cannot fail.

"America is at peace today. The values we have proclaimed, defended, and sought to live by are now rising on almost every continent. We are militarily stronger and economically stronger -- relative to any other nation -- than at any time since the Second World War.

"We have reason to be confident. But we cannot afford to be complacent. The classic security agenda is still with us. We still face competition among

nations that can lead to war. "Russia and China, our Cold War adversaries, are in the midst of revolutionary transformations. Yet the change is far from complete -- and we must align ourselves with those still pressing for reform.

"India and Pakistan confront each other across a fragile nuclear frontier.

"Hotspots dot the globe, from Cyprus, to Sierra Leone to the Taiwan Strait.

"Rogue states, like North Korea, seek dangerous weapons technologies.

"And nuclear weapons and intercontinental missiles still shadow the peace. We have made dramatic progress in reducing the number of nuclear weapons. In the last decade, the United States and the countries of the former Soviet Union together have taken about eight to nine thousand strategic nuclear weapons out of commission.

"We need to continue on a course of deeper reductions. But it is critical that we have the right approach in doing so.

"We are urging the Russians to tighten cooperation with us to protect nuclear weapons materials and stop the transfer of ballistic missile and nuclear weapons technologies to rogue states. It is these states that represent the emerging threat to our country.

"The Administration has been working on the technology for a National Missile Defense system designed to protect all 50 states from a limited attack at the hands of a rogue state. We believe, however, that it is essential to do this in a way that does not destroy the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. The ABM Treaty is the cornerstone of strategic stability in our relationship with Russia.

"It prevents either the Russians or ourselves from deploying defenses powerful enough assuming anyone can solve the engineering problems -- to neutralize the deterrent of either side. The Russians have made clear that their response to a powerful U.S. defensive system would be to halt arms control and increase the numbers of their offensive nuclear weapons. Thus, the ABM Treaty is a pre-requisite for the deeper reductions in nuclear arms that we are seeking in START III, which is under discussion with the Russians even as we speak.

"We and the Russians agreed in Helsinki in 1997 that START III would involve reductions to totals in the range of 2,000 to 2,500 weapons. That is a cut of up to 1,000 weapons from START 11 levels. Such reductions are possible only through careful negotiation. Next week, President Clinton will go to Moscow. This is an historic meeting. The President should leave with the full support of the American people.

"An approach that combines serious unilateral reductions with an attempt to build a massive defensive system will create instability, and thus

undermine our security. Nuclear unilateralism will hinder, rather than help, arms control. "Strategic stability can never be a one-way street. It either exists for both the United States and Russia -- or neither. Reductions alone do not guarantee stability -- it is how reductions are made and how they interact with defensive systems that makes the difference.

"That is why arms control and strategic modernization have to be built upon planned and negotiated agreements.

"The National Missile Defense system that the President will review this summer is intended to meet threats from proliferant states like North Korea while preserving strategic stability. It can co-exist with the ABM Treaty, if that treaty is adjusted. It can be compatible with further arms reductions.

"Sound, sensible arms control is critical to our national security -- as it has been for the past half-century.

"The new contours of this Global Age are another great force that will affect your careers. And as you lead our armed forces, there must always be a clear strategic vision that is suited for a new time. In the Global Age, even the most distant problems can arrive on our doorstep.

"New forces -- from environmental degradation to cyberterrorism -- can challenge the international order, raise issues of peace and war, and affect the basic safety and security of Americans at home and abroad.

"In your training at West Point, you have learned the importance of shaping the battlefield-- dominating airspace, disabling the enemy's command and control, disrupting his logistics, stopping his movements. Shaping the battlefield before joining battle is the key to victory. "This same principle applies to our security policy as a whole. We must shape the field of history so that it does not lead us inexorably to fields of battle.

"We must create conditions of peace and stability -- prosperity and opportunity -- democracy and human rights -- so that the international order develops to our advantage.

"We need a security strategy that addresses potential threats at their farthest possible point in space and time, and creates conditions that give rise to peace, not war.

"Creating such conditions is no easy task. It demands a new brand of statecraft that integrates all our strengths -- economic, political, and military. It demands that we devote new energy and fresh resources to global affairs. And it demands that we see our domestic and foreign policies not as separate areas, but as a single, interrelated fabric-- for we know that the security challenges of the Global Age no longer recognize national borders.

"One of the great advances of our military doctrine has been the recognition of the strategic advantage of jointness. We should take it one step further and make sure our diplomacy and our statecraft are all of a piece: and are joined seamlessly in a common purpose.

"But in the end, the new statecraft rests upon a strong military. As our future military leaders, therefore, you will play a decisive role.

"The threat of force remains an indispensable tool of diplomacy. We must continue to stand firm against aggression -- wherever America's interests and values demand it. As always, you must be prepared to fight and to win our wars -- for that is your ultimate duty to the nation. Our Army has never failed us -- and it never will.

"But your role is not just to stand ready to fight our nation's wars. For many decades now you have been teaching other militaries how to protect their own societies and helping the victims of humanitarian disaster. "In this Global Age, peacekeeping takes on new importance, and along with war-fighting, is a critical mission of the armed forces of the United States.

"Let me cite one example: Second Lieutenant Nate Self, West Point Class of 1998, a Platoon Leader in the 1st Infantry Division serving in Kosovo. Lieutenant Self and his unit are protecting the peace in the village of Pasjane, and as they do so, they are also helping rebuild the foundations of self-government and civil society. This is waging peace by every means.

"Our Armed Forces will always be the power behind America's promise. You will be the ones to open new avenues to peace, and close the gates against war.

"I know how hard that can be. I know how much is demanded of you, each and every day. I know what you need to do your jobs.

"Today, you join the ranks of the Long Gray Line. Looking out at the Class of 2000, I know you are more than equal to that high standard, and to this moment in our history.

"You now inherit the great legacy of West Point, as guardians of Duty, Honor, Country. I know you will lead with strength, with bravery, and with a tireless will to defend the land you love.

"God bless you all -- God bless the soldiers you will lead -- and God bless the nation we all serve."

2000 Profile

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:53:43 GMT

Class of 2000
Class Profile

At time of admission

(To come)

2000

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:52:34 GMT

Class of 2000

Class Information

GradSpeech01

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:50:57 GMT

Class of 2001

Commencement Address at the U.S. Military Academy
West Point Remarks by Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz
Michie Stadium, West Point, NY
Saturday, June 02, 2001

Thank you. Thank you, General [Daniel] Christman [Superintendent of the United States Military Academy], for a very warm introduction. Please be seated. You neglected to mention that 25 years ago, when we were very young, we were working together to persuade the Congress not to take fine Army forces out of Europe. And with the help of a lot of other people, we succeeded. Those forces stood watch in the Fulda Gap and other places around the continent of Europe, and the result was one of the great strategic victories of history of which every member of the Armed Forces and every member of the U.S. Army that participated in that effort is justly proud.

I also want to complement General Christman and the Army on the great spirit with which they said, we’re going to go ahead and hold this ceremony outdoors even in this terrible weather, because it’s more important to have all the families able to come than to be inside warm and comfortable. [Applause.] Coming from Washington where, as they say, no good deed goes unpunished, it’s wonderful to see this good deed rewarded with a break in the weather.

Senator Jack Reed, Congresswoman Sue Kelly, Congressman and old friend Ben Gilman, Congressman Saxby Chambliss, and Congressman Charlie Norwood; Commandant [of Cadets Brigadier General Eric] Olson, Dean [of the Academic Board Brigadier General Daniel] Kaufman, distinguished staff and faculty, ladies and gentlemen, parents and family, and most of all, members of the class of 2001:

I want to thank the Class of '01 for giving me the honor of sharing with you this very special day. I went to school just up the road a ways in a place called Cornell where I studied mathematics. According to my calculations, if you take the corps of cadets and add a speech longer than 20 minutes, by the time you're done, you'll have 40% that won't be listening, 40% who will be sleeping, and 20% will be asking for their money back. [Laughter.]

So, the responsibility of a commencement speaker is heavy indeed. Your remarks should be sentimental to please the parents, substantive to please the faculty, and short to please the cadets [Laughter.] When we say the word "short" to the class of '01, I'm told that we're talking to experts. In fact, I can see that this class is so short [audience: "how short are we?"], you have fewer hours until you receive your diplomas than the plebes have years to graduate [Cheers and laughter.] But, plebes . your day will come, too.

Today also marks the last time that the distinguished Army leader General Dan Christman will stand before a graduating class as Superintendent. But, there was even a time when General Christman was a plebe. Back then, in May 1962, he and his fellow cadets gathered in the mess hall to hear General Douglas MacArthur deliver the "Duty, Honor, Country" speech that became so famous.

Dan Christman left the Academy first in his class and answered MacArthur's call, a call to serve "a goal that is high.to reach into the future.to.remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom.." From fields of fire in Vietnam to the peaceful Plain of West Point, from commanding troops in Korea and Europe to advising senior leaders in the Pentagon and the White House, General Christman has commanded, led and served with the simplicity and open-mindedness that MacArthur spoke of.

General Christman brought an agile mind and a visionary spirit to his tenure as your "Supe"-building West Point to keep it at the forefront of the nation's great educational institutions. For the thousands of cadets that he has led and loved, his legacy is simple and profound-West Point is a stronger and better institution because he was here. For our nation, his legacy is a whole generation of soldiers enriched by Dan Christman's 36 years of leadership. And his great supporter and partner, Susan Christman, was with him. Now as they prepare to leave their final assignment in the active duty Army, we thank them for their lasting contributions born of a lifetime of service. [Applause.]

There are many others who've been instrumental to the achievements that we are honoring here today, but no one deserves more credit than the parents who have supported and encouraged you. May I ask all the parents and guardians of the class of 2001 to stand, so that we can give you a fitting Army tribute? [Applause.]

Today, in the year that all math majors know is really the first year of the Twenty-first Century, you graduate. Congratulations to the first West Point class of the Twenty-first century! [Applause.]

As you leave, you leave well prepared for the demands of future duty. Four years have tested you in ways you probably never imagined. In Beast Barracks, you learned that you can meet any challenge if you attack it with determination. You learned that the soldier who inspires others to work together can be an agent of change. You learned that one person can make a difference, but that infinitely more is possible when one person joins a greater commitment-to a common good. Perhaps most importantly, you learned how many days are left until Army beats Navy. [Laughter.]

Extensive scientific research has demonstrated that on an average day in June, the average human brain is capable of remembering at most one thought from a commencement speech. But since today is cooler than average, and West Pointers are definitely above average, I will challenge you to think this morning about two words: "surprise" and "courage."

This year marks the sixtieth anniversary of a military disaster whose name has become synonymous with surprise-the attack on Pearl Harbor. Interestingly, that "surprise attack" was preceded by an astonishing number of unheeded warnings and missed signals. Intelligence reports warned of "a surprise move in any direction," but this made the Army commander in Honolulu think of sabotage, not attack. People were reading newspapers in Hawaii that cited promising reports about intensive Japanese diplomatic efforts, unaware that these were merely a charade. An ultra-secret code-breaking operation, one of the most remarkable achievements in American intelligence history, an operation called "Magic," had unlocked the most private Japanese communications, but the operation was considered so secret and so vulnerable to compromise that the distribution of its product was restricted to the point that our field commanders didn't make the "need-to-know" list. And at 7 a.m. on December 7th, at Opana radar station, two privates detected what they called "something completely out of the ordinary." In fact, it was so out of the ordinary that the inexperienced watch officer assumed it must be friendly airplanes and told them to just forget about it.

Yet military history is full of surprises, even if few are as dramatic or as memorable as Pearl Harbor. Surprise happens so often that it's surprising that we're still surprised by it. Very few of these surprises are the product of simple blindness or simple stupidity. Almost always there have been warnings and signals that have been missed--sometimes because there were just too many warnings to pick the right one out, sometimes because of what one scholar of Pearl Harbor called "a poverty of expectations"-a routine obsession with a few familiar dangers.

This expectation of the familiar has gotten whole governments, sometimes whole societies, into trouble. At the beginning of the last century, the British economist Norman Angell published a runaway best seller that must have drawn the attention of professors and cadets of West Point at that time. Angell argued that the idea that nations could profit from war was obsolete. It had become, as he titled his book, The Great Illusion. International finance, he argued, had become so interdependent and so interwoven with trade and industry that it had rendered war unprofitable.

One of Angell's disciples, David Starr Jordan, the President of an institution on the West Coast called Stanford University, argued that war in Europe, though much threatened, would never come. "The bankers," he said, "will not find the money for such a fight; the industries will not maintain it; the statesmen cannot. There will be no general war." Unfortunately for him, he made that prediction in 1913. One year later, Archduke Franz Ferdinand fell to an assassin's bullet, plunging Europe into a war more terrible than any that had come before it. The notion of the Great Illusion yielded to the reality of the Great War.

One hundred years later, we live, once again, in a time of great hopes for world peace and prosperity. Our chances of realizing those hopes will be greater if we use the benefit of hindsight to replace a poverty of expectations with an anticipation of the unfamiliar and the unlikely.

By doing so, we can overcome the complacency that is the greatest threat to our hopes for a peaceful future, the kind of complacency that took the life of General John Sedgewick at the Battle of Spottsylvania during the American Civil War. General Sedgewick looked over a parapet toward enemy lines, and waved off his soldiers' warning of danger, declaring: "Nonsense, they couldn't hit an elephant at this distance." Those were the last words that he spoke at the very moment that a Confederate sharp shooter took his life.

I am told that in your time here, you grew accustomed to looking beyond the next parapet, to anticipate where you wanted to take this corps. You convinced your leaders to give you unprecedented authority in the day-to-day running of the corps. That kind of innovation and initiative are the keys to anticipating the unlikely and preparing for the unfamiliar, to being prepared to overcome the surprises that are almost inevitably going to come. Perhaps the simplest message about surprise is this one: Surprise is good when the other guy can't deal with it. Let us try never to be that other guy.

Tomorrow, you, the Class of 2001 will become leaders in transforming the Army. General Shinseki has called on each soldier to embrace change, to make the Army of the future lighter and faster. It's a big undertaking, one that will not happen overnight. Fundamental change like that is like turning a supertanker-it can't be done on a dime. To redirect a massive vessel takes planning, patience, and time. But it will build an Army that is able to deal with the unfamiliar and the unexpected.

A century ago, on a peaceful day in 1903, with great foresight, Secretary of War Elihu Root told Douglas MacArthur's graduating class, "Before you leave the Army.you will be engaged in another war. It is bound to come, and will come. Prepare your country."

One day, you too will be tested in combat. And if you fail that test, the nation will fail, too. We are counting on you, all of you. You must prepare yourselves-with the day-to-day choices that you make. And nothing is more important than that other word I'd like you to think about today: courage.

Today, America's lieutenants demonstrate physical courage as they lead combat patrols in Korea on the Demilitarized Zone. In Kuwait, soldiers stand ready to fight on a moment's notice. In Kosovo, young lieutenants have been leading patrols to keep warring ethnic groups in check, always at most one breath away from combat. And in Bosnia, since 1995, the courage of American soldiers has brought an end to a terrible war. Every day, our young soldiers face situations that require tact and diplomacy, but also toughness, discipline and courage.

Courage comes in many forms. Sometimes even more demanding than the physical courage to face danger is the moral courage to do what's right: doing your job the way it's supposed to be done, even if others advocate the easy way; choosing the harder right over the easier wrong, even if you have to take a hit for speaking up for what you think is true.

Moral courage means taking responsibility for the decisions you make, not shifting blame to others if something goes wrong. It's standing alone-when your only company is the knowledge that you did your best; your only comfort that you answered MacArthur's higher call.

On the eve of the great invasion at Normandy, having made the final fateful decision to go ahead in the face of great risk and uncertainty and warnings of bad weather, knowing full well that failure was a real and terrible possibility, General Dwight Eisenhower penciled a short message that he tucked away in his wallet . a few words that he planned to read if the invasion failed.

"My decision to attack at this time," he wrote, "was based upon the best information available," he wrote. "The troops, the airmen and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone." Ike was a great hero, a man of great moral courage with the willingness to shoulder responsibility that is the mark of a great leader.

The Long Gray line has never lacked for courageous leaders. General Barry McCaffrey, class of '64, and General Ric Shinseki, class of '65, both proved their courage in combat in Vietnam, where they suffered horrendous wounds.

It took great moral courage to come back from that experience and decide to stay in an Army that had been shattered by Vietnam. But, by that choice, and the choice of so many like them, were able to rebuild that Army into what it is today: an Army without equal.

Courage comes in all ranks-all shapes and stripes. Look to your left-look down the line to your right-you may well be seeing a hero; you may be looking at another Rocky Versace.

After graduating from West Point in 1959, Rocky grew bored with stateside duty and volunteered for Vietnam where he served with enthusiasm and distinction. In October of 1963, just weeks shy of completing his second tour, he was captured by the Viet Cong.

When Rocky was tortured and left for dead in a three-by-six-foot cage-he sang "God Bless America." When he was dragged from village to village with a rope around his neck, he cursed his captors in English and French and Vietnamese. His will could not be broken.

A fellow captive recalled that for Rocky, "as a West Point grad, it was duty, honor, country. There was no other way. He was brutally murdered because of it. He valued that one moment of honor more than he would have a lifetime of compromises."

Rocky Versace exemplified honor and courage. Forty years after his death, his life, his determination, his patriotism, and his courage call out for recognition. If Congress agrees, we will answer that call and recommend to President Bush that Captain Rocky Versace, class of 1959, be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. [Applause.]

Like Rocky, like Generals McCaffrey and Shinseki, you that know your profession is about leadership. To lead soldiers, you must first become one-in body, mind and spirit. You must know your job, set the example, lead from the front. Most of all you must be a model of moral courage and integrity for your soldiers, the way your role models at West Point were for you.

Yours will not be a life of personal gain, but it is noble work. You will man the walls behind which democracy and freedom flourish. Your presence will reassure our allies and deter the enemies of freedom around the world. Be prepared to be surprised. Have courage. And remember what General Eisenhower said to those American and Allied troops before they were about to land on the beaches of Normandy. "You are about to embark on a great crusade," he told them. "The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty loving people everywhere march with you."

Today, as you, the Class of 2001, go forth on your own crusade, our hopes and prayers go with you. Thank you, God bless the Class of '01, and God bless America. [Applause.]

2001 Profile

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:50:07 GMT

Class of 2001
Class Profile

At time of admission

(To come)

2001

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:48:53 GMT

Class of 2001

Class Information

GradSpeech02

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:47:19 GMT

Class of 2002

President Bush Delivers Graduation Speech at West Point United States Military Academy West Point, New York

President's Remarks

9:13 A.M. EDT

Thank you very much, General Lennox. Mr. Secretary, Governor Pataki, members of the United States Congress, Academy staff and faculty, distinguished guests, proud family members, and graduates: I want to thank you for your welcome. Laura and I are especially honored to visit this great institution in your bicentennial year.

In every corner of America, the words "West Point" command immediate respect. This place where the Hudson River bends is more than a fine institution of learning. The United States Military Academy is the guardian of values that have shaped the soldiers who have shaped the history of the world.

A few of you have followed in the path of the perfect West Point graduate, Robert E. Lee, who never received a single demerit in four years. Some of you followed in the path of the imperfect graduate, Ulysses S. Grant, who had his fair share of demerits, and said the happiest day of his life was "the day I left West Point." (Laughter.) During my college years I guess you could say I was -- (laughter.) During my college years I guess you could say I was a Grant man. (Laughter.)

You walk in the tradition of Eisenhower and MacArthur, Patton and Bradley - the commanders who saved a civilization. And you walk in the tradition of second lieutenants who did the same, by fighting and dying on distant battlefields.

Graduates of this academy have brought creativity and courage to every field of endeavor. West Point produced the chief engineer of the Panama Canal, the mind behind the Manhattan Project, the first American to walk in space. This fine institution gave us the man they say invented baseball, and other young men over the years who perfected the game of football.

You know this, but many in America don't -- George C. Marshall, a VMI graduate, is said to have given this order: "I want an officer for a secret and dangerous mission. I want a West Point football player." (Applause.)

As you leave here today, I know there's one thing you'll never miss about this place: Being a plebe. (Applause.) But even a plebe at West Point is made to feel he or she has some standing in the world. (Laughter.) I'm told that plebes, when asked whom they outrank, are required to answer this: "Sir, the Superintendent's dog -- (laughter) -- the Commandant's cat, and all the admirals in the whole damn Navy." (Applause.) I probably won't be sharing that with the Secretary of the Navy. (Laughter.)

West Point is guided by tradition, and in honor of the "Golden Children of the Corps," -- (applause) -- I will observe one of the traditions you cherish most. As the Commander-in-Chief, I hereby grant amnesty to all cadets who are on restriction for minor conduct offenses. (Applause.) Those of you in the end zone might have cheered a little early. (Laughter.) Because, you see, I'm going to let General Lennox define exactly what "minor" means. (Laughter.)

Every West Point class is commissioned to the Armed Forces. Some West Point classes are also commissioned by history, to take part in a great new calling for their country. Speaking here to the class of 1942 -- six months after Pearl Harbor -- General Marshall said, "We're determined that before the sun sets on this terrible struggle, our flag will be recognized throughout the world as a symbol of freedom on the one hand, and of overwhelming power on the other." (Applause.)

Officers graduating that year helped fulfill that mission, defeating Japan and Germany, and then reconstructing those nations as allies. West Point graduates of the 1940s saw the rise of a deadly new challenge -- the challenge of imperial communism -- and opposed it from Korea to Berlin, to Vietnam, and in the Cold War, from beginning to end. And as the sun set on their struggle, many of those West Point officers lived to see a world transformed.

History has also issued its call to your generation. In your last year, America was attacked by a ruthless and resourceful enemy. You graduate from this Academy in a time of war, taking your place in an American military that is powerful and is honorable. Our war on terror is only begun, but in Afghanistan it was begun well. (Applause.)

I am proud of the men and women who have fought on my orders. America is profoundly grateful for all who serve the cause of freedom, and for all who have given their lives in its defense. This nation respects and trusts our military, and we are confident in your victories to come. (Applause.)

This war will take many turns we cannot predict. Yet I am certain of this: Wherever we carry it, the American flag will stand not only for our power, but for freedom. (Applause.) Our nation's cause has always been larger than our nation's defense. We fight, as we always fight, for a just peace -- a peace that favors human liberty. We will defend the peace against threats from terrorists and tyrants. We will preserve the peace by building good relations among the great powers. And we will extend the peace by encouraging free and open societies on every continent.

Building this just peace is America's opportunity, and America's duty. From this day forward, it is your challenge, as well, and we will meet this challenge together. (Applause.) You will wear the uniform of a great and unique country. America has no empire to extend or utopia to establish. We wish for others only what we wish for ourselves -- safety from violence, the rewards of liberty, and the hope for a better life.

In defending the peace, we face a threat with no precedent. Enemies in the past needed great armies and great industrial capabilities to endanger the American people and our nation. The attacks of September the 11th required a few hundred thousand dollars in the hands of a few dozen evil and deluded men. All of the chaos and suffering they caused came at much less than the cost of a single tank. The dangers have not passed. This government and the American people are on watch, we are ready, because we know the terrorists have more money and more men and more plans.

The gravest danger to freedom lies at the perilous crossroads of radicalism and technology. When the spread of chemical and biological and nuclear weapons, along with ballistic missile technology -- when that occurs, even weak states and small groups could attain a catastrophic power to strike great nations. Our enemies have declared this very intention, and have been caught seeking these terrible weapons. They want the capability to blackmail us, or to harm us, or to harm our friends -- and we will oppose them with all our power. (Applause.)

For much of the last century, America's defense relied on the Cold War doctrines of deterrence and containment. In some cases, those strategies still apply. But new threats also require new thinking. Deterrence -- the promise of massive retaliation against nations -- means nothing against shadowy terrorist networks with no nation or citizens to defend. Containment is not possible when unbalanced dictators with weapons of mass destruction can deliver those weapons on missiles or secretly provide them to terrorist allies.

We cannot defend America and our friends by hoping for the best. We cannot put our faith in the word of tyrants, who solemnly sign non-proliferation treaties, and then systemically break them. If we wait for threats to fully materialize, we will have waited too long. (Applause.)

Homeland defense and missile defense are part of stronger security, and they're essential priorities for America. Yet the war on terror will not be won on the defensive. We must take the battle to the enemy, disrupt his plans, and confront the worst threats before they emerge. (Applause.) In the world we have entered, the only path to safety is the path of action. And this nation will act. (Applause.)

Our security will require the best intelligence, to reveal threats hidden in caves and growing in laboratories. Our security will require modernizing domestic agencies such as the FBI, so they're prepared to act, and act quickly, against danger. Our security will require transforming the military you will lead -- a military that must be ready to strike at a moment's notice in any dark corner of the world. And our security will require all Americans to be forward-looking and resolute, to be ready for preemptive action when necessary to defend our liberty and to defend our lives. (Applause.)

The work ahead is difficult. The choices we will face are complex. We must uncover terror cells in 60 or more countries, using every tool of finance, intelligence and law enforcement. Along with our friends and allies, we must oppose proliferation and confront regimes that sponsor terror, as each case requires. Some nations need military training to fight terror, and we'll provide it. Other nations oppose terror, but tolerate the hatred that leads to terror -- and that must change. (Applause.) We will send diplomats where they are needed, and we will send you, our soldiers, where you're needed. (Applause.)

All nations that decide for aggression and terror will pay a price. We will not leave the safety of America and the peace of the planet at the mercy of a few mad terrorists and tyrants. (Applause.) We will lift this dark threat from our country and from the world.

Because the war on terror will require resolve and patience, it will also require firm moral purpose. In this way our struggle is similar to the Cold War. Now, as then, our enemies are totalitarians, holding a creed of power with no place for human dignity. Now, as then, they seek to impose a joyless conformity, to control every life and all of life.

America confronted imperial communism in many different ways -- diplomatic, economic, and military. Yet moral clarity was essential to our victory in the Cold War. When leaders like John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan refused to gloss over the brutality of tyrants, they gave hope to prisoners and dissidents and exiles, and rallied free nations to a great cause.

Some worry that it is somehow undiplomatic or impolite to speak the language of right and wrong. I disagree. (Applause.) Different circumstances require different methods, but not different moralities. (Applause.) Moral truth is the same in every culture, in every time, and in every place. Targeting innocent civilians for murder is always and everywhere wrong. (Applause.) Brutality against women is always and everywhere wrong. (Applause.) There can be no neutrality between justice and cruelty, between the innocent and the guilty. We are in a conflict between good and evil, and America will call evil by its name. (Applause.) By confronting evil and lawless regimes, we do not create a problem, we reveal a problem. And we will lead the world in opposing it. (Applause.)

As we defend the peace, we also have an historic opportunity to preserve the peace. We have our best chance since the rise of the nation state in the 17th century to build a world where the great powers compete in peace instead of prepare for war. The history of the last century, in particular, was dominated by a series of destructive national rivalries that left battlefields and graveyards across the Earth. Germany fought France, the Axis fought the Allies, and then the East fought the West, in proxy wars and tense standoffs, against a backdrop of nuclear Armageddon.

Competition between great nations is inevitable, but armed conflict in our world is not. More and more, civilized nations find ourselves on the same side -- united by common dangers of terrorist violence and chaos. America has, and intends to keep, military strengths beyond challenge -- (applause) -- thereby, making the destabilizing arms races of other eras pointless, and limiting rivalries to trade and other pursuits of peace.

Today the great powers are also increasingly united by common values, instead of divided by conflicting ideologies. The United States, Japan and our Pacific friends, and now all of Europe, share a deep commitment to human freedom, embodied in strong alliances such as NATO. And the tide of liberty is rising in many other nations.

Generations of West Point officers planned and practiced for battles with Soviet Russia. I've just returned from a new Russia, now a country reaching toward democracy, and our partner in the war against terror. (Applause.) Even in China, leaders are discovering that economic freedom is the only lasting source of national wealth. In time, they will find that social and political freedom is the only true source of national greatness. (Applause.)

When the great powers share common values, we are better able to confront serious regional conflicts together, better able to cooperate in preventing the spread of violence or economic chaos. In the past, great power rivals took sides in difficult regional problems, making divisions deeper and more complicated. Today, from the Middle East to South Asia, we are gathering broad international coalitions to increase the pressure for peace. We must build strong and great power relations when times are good; to help manage crisis when times are bad. America needs partners to preserve the peace, and we will work with every nation that shares this noble goal. (Applause.)

And finally, America stands for more than the absence of war. We have a great opportunity to extend a just peace, by replacing poverty, repression, and resentment around the world with hope of a better day. Through most of history, poverty was persistent, inescapable, and almost universal. In the last few decades, we've seen nations from Chile to South Korea build modern economies and freer societies, lifting millions of people out of despair and want. And there's no mystery to this achievement.

The 20th century ended with a single surviving model of human progress, based on non-negotiable demands of human dignity, the rule of law, limits on the power of the state, respect for women and private property and free speech and equal justice and religious tolerance. America cannot impose this vision -- yet we can support and reward governments that make the right choices for their own people. In our development aid, in our diplomatic efforts, in our international broadcasting, and in our educational assistance, the United States will promote moderation and tolerance and human rights. And we will defend the peace that makes all progress possible.

When it comes to the common rights and needs of men and women, there is no clash of civilizations. The requirements of freedom apply fully to Africa and Latin America and the entire Islamic world. The peoples of the Islamic nations want and deserve the same freedoms and opportunities as people in every nation. And their governments should listen to their hopes. (Applause.)

A truly strong nation will permit legal avenues of dissent for all groups that pursue their aspirations without violence. An advancing nation will pursue economic reform, to unleash the great entrepreneurial energy of its people. A thriving nation will respect the rights of women, because no society can prosper while denying opportunity to half its citizens. Mothers and fathers and children across the Islamic world, and all the world, share the same fears and aspirations. In poverty, they struggle. In tyranny, they suffer. And as we saw in Afghanistan, in liberation they celebrate. (Applause.)

America has a greater objective than controlling threats and containing resentment. We will work for a just and peaceful world beyond the war on terror.

The bicentennial class of West Point now enters this drama. With all in the United States Army, you will stand between your fellow citizens and grave danger. You will help establish a peace that allows millions around the world to live in liberty and to grow in prosperity. You will face times of calm, and times of crisis. And every test will find you prepared -- because you're the men and women of West Point. (Applause.) You leave here marked by the character of this Academy, carrying with you the highest ideals of our nation.

Toward the end of his life, Dwight Eisenhower recalled the first day he stood on the plain at West Point. "The feeling came over me," he said, "that the expression 'the United States of America' would now and henceforth mean something different than it had ever before. From here on, it would be the nation I would be serving, not myself."

Today, your last day at West Point, you begin a life of service in a career unlike any other. You've answered a calling to hardship and purpose, to risk and honor. At the end of every day you will know that you have faithfully done your duty. May you always bring to that duty the high standards of this great American institution. May you always be worthy of the long gray line that stretches two centuries behind you.

On behalf of the nation, I congratulate each one of you for the commission you've earned and for the credit you bring to the United States of America.

May God bless you all. (Applause.)

2002 Profile

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:46:10 GMT

Class of 2002
Class Profile

At time of admission

Volume of Applicants

                               Men   Women
Applicant Files Started.... 10,559   1,881
Nominated..................  3,610     631
Qualified..................  1,900     345
          (academically, physical aptitude)
Admitted...................  1,054     192

Rank in High School Class

First Fifth..... 74%
Second Fifth.... 20%
Third Fifth.....  5%
Fourth Fifth....  1%
Bottom Fifth....  0%

American College Testing (ACT) Assessment Program Scores*

Range     Eng     Math   Sci Reas    Read
31-36     11%      28%      19%       41%
26-30     61%      59%      49%       39%
21-25     26%      13%      30%       17%
16-20      2%       0%       2%        3%
11-15      0%       0%       0%        0%
Mean      27       29       27        29
*Includes only scores used as a basis for admission.

College Board Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) Scores*

Range     Verbal     Math
700-800      17%      21%
600-699      47%      57%
500-599      34%      22%
400-499       2%       1%
300-399       0%       0%
Mean        624       644
*Includes only scores used as a basis for admission.

Academic Honors

Class Valedictorians........................    78
Class Salutatorians.........................    38
National Merit Scholarship Recognition......   233
National Honor Society......................   732

Activities

Boys/Girls State Delegate...................   224
Class President or Student Body President...   222
School Publication Staff
  School Paper Editor, Co-Editor of Staff...   191
  Yearbook Editor or Co-Editor..............   159
Debating....................................   155
Dramatics...................................   168
Scouting Participants.......................   556
  Eagle Scout (men) or Gold Award (women)...   139
Varsity Athletics........................... 1,121
  Letter Winner............................. 1,116
  Team Captain..............................   774

Geographical Distribution
The Class of 2002 includes cadets appointed by Congress from every state in the United States, as well as others appointed from military service sources. Several international cadets under sponsorship of their respective countries also entered the Class of 2002. The countries represented include Croatia, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Nicaragua, Panama and Turkey.

2002

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:44:58 GMT

Class of 2002

Class Information

GradSpeech03

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:43:24 GMT

Class of 2003

Class of 2003 Graduation Speaker – Vice President Dick Cheney

(Applause) Thank you. Thank you all. General and Mrs. Lennox, members of Congress, Secretary Brownlee, Academy staff and faculty, distinguished guests, officers, cadets, and graduates, it's a pleasure to be back at West Point, and a high privilege to stand before the newest officers in the United States Army. (Applause.) I commend each of you for this achievement, and for the years of hard effort that brought you to this day. And I'm also honored to extend to the class of 2003 the personal congratulations of your Commander-in-Chief, President George W. Bush. (Applause.)

Each time I've visited West Point, I come away with renewed appreciation for this fine Academy and for the great history and traditions that can be traced to these 16,000 acres along the Hudson. I've been especially looking forward to the visit. You don't know how long I've been waiting to see the new Hoffman press box we keep hearing about. (Laughter.) Each West Point class is remembered in a certain way. Last year's group, as you may have heard, was the Bicentennial Class. You've stepped out of their shadow, and left your own mark on this institution. You've set a unique standard of West point discipline, courtesy of "B.J. Hall, Barracks Linebacker." (Laughter.) What I want to know is, where was B.J. when you all were smoking on the Mess Hall steps? (Laughter.) That was a hundred night ago, and the prescribed restrictions have been served. But I'm told that some minor restrictions remain in the Corps, and the fate of those cadets rests in my hands. President Bush and I discussed this matter. (Laughter.) He felt very strongly that we should be lenient. Me, I could have gone either way. (Laughter.) But in the end we agreed, and at his direction I hereby grant amnesty to all cadets -- (applause). There's a qualifier here. (Laughter.) I hereby grant amnesty to all cadets on restriction for minor conduct offenses. (Laughter.) And I leave the definition of "minor" to the generosity of General Lennox. (Laughter.)

It's been almost four years since you arrived here on R-Day, 1999. From that day to this, no one has believed in you more than your mothers and fathers. They share in your achievement, and are rightfully proud of the officers you've become. I'd say a round of applause is in order for the parents of the West Point class of 2003. (Applause.) The commission given to you today is testimony to the superb training you've received, and to the confidence your country has placed in you. Officers from this class will soon be leading units at military posts around the world. And these responsibilities come to you at a crucial hour in our nation's history. It was in your third year that the United States was attacked by terrorists. The struggle that began that day will affect your careers, and the life of our nation, for many years to come. On September 11th, 2001, we learned that threats which gather for years in secret can suddenly appear in our own cities. We discovered that our future is closely tied to the fate of nations and peoples on the other side of the earth, and indifference only increases the danger. In a moment of tragedy, our nation was called to wage a global and unrelenting campaign to eliminate the terrorists and the threats they pose. And in this war, we are winning. (Applause.) In the 20 months since the attacks, the United States has freed two nations from oppression and terror. We destroyed the al Qaeda's grip on Afghanistan, removed the repressive Taliban regime from power, and nearly half of al Qaeda's leadership has been captured or killed. In Iraq, a regime that supported terrorists, brutalized its own people, and threatened its neighbors and the peace of the world, is no more. (Applause.) The battle of Iraq was a major victory in the war on terror, but the war itself is far from over. We cannot allow ourselves to grow complacent. We cannot forget that the terrorists remain determined to kill as many Americans as possible, both abroad and here at home, and they are still seeking weapons of mass destruction to use against us. With such an enemy, no peace treaty is possible; no policy of containment or deterrence will prove effective. The only way to deal with this threat is to destroy it, completely and utterly. And President Bush is absolutely determined to do just that. (Applause.) September 11th, 2001 marks a turning point in world affairs. Before 9/11, all too many nations tended to draw a distinction between the terrorist groups and the states that provided these groups with support. They were unwilling to hold these terror-sponsoring states accountable for their actions. After 9/11, President Bush decided that the distinction between the terrorists and their sponsors should no longer stand. The Bush Doctrine asserts that states supporting terrorists, or providing sanctuary for terrorists, will be deemed just as guilty of crimes as the terrorists themselves. (Applause.) If there is anyone in the world today who doubts the seriousness of the Bush Doctrine, I would urge that person to consider the fate of the Taliban in Afghanistan, and of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq. (Applause.) As cadets, you've studied the methods and technologies that are transforming warfare. As Army officers, you will help to lead the transformation of our military as we confront the threats of a new era. To defend our country from terrorists and terror states, the American armed forces will continue to gain in speed, agility, precision, and every advantage we need to dominate the field of battle.

Military transformation will be the work of decades, and a responsibility of every branch of our armed forces. Yet we are well along in making these changes, as all the world witnessed in the battle of Iraq. That campaign followed a carefully drawn plan, with fixed objectives and the flexibility to meet them. Our military displayed vast new capabilities that were not yet operational 12 years ago, when I was Secretary of Defense. With less than half the ground forces used in Desert Storm, and two-thirds of the air power, our military achieved a far more difficult objective in less time and with fewer casualties. (Applause.) Historians and military planners will study the battles in Iraq for years to come, but the basic reasons for its success are known already. The most obvious factor was speed. Our soldiers and Marines raced to Baghdad across 350 miles of hostile terrain in one of the fastest advances in history. The rapid advance prevented the enemy from mounting a coherent defense, from turning unconventional weapons against our forces, from harming its neighbors with Scud missiles, and from destroying the bridges, dams, and oil fields it had wired with explosives.

Precision technology was also crucial in the defeat of Saddam's army and the liberation of Iraq. Tomahawk missiles fired from our ships were more accurate than those used in Desert Storm, and could be re-targeted in a matter of hours instead of days. American artillery groups could rely on satellite guidance and computerized targeting. A dozen years ago, only 20 percent of our air-to-ground aircraft could hit targets with precision munitions. In this battle, all of our air-to-ground aircraft had precision-guided capabilities. Thanks to all of these advances, we were able to destroy the command centers of the Iraqi regime, while minimizing civilian casualties and leaving Iraq's economic infrastructure largely intact. (Applause.) Situational awareness was vital to our victory in Iraq. Throughout the history of warfare, commanders have wanted to know two basic facts: The exact location of the enemy, and the exact location of friendly forces. Yet, rarely has such knowledge been available. In Desert Storm, for example, only our air commanders had anything near a real-time picture of operations. In this year's battle, all of our component commanders shared a real-time computer display of air, land, and sea forces. This allowed our military to integrate joint operations more effectively than ever before. Desert Storm was essentially two distinct campaigns: A 38-day air war followed by a brief ground war. The battle for Iraq was a single unified campaign. All of our air, land, sea and special operations forces shared the same intelligence, the same information, and the same objectives.

We will never forget that in this conflict, as in all of our conflicts, the most important ingredient for success was the men and women who served, beginning with our Secretary of Defense, Don Rumsfeld, our outstanding theater commander, General Tommy Franks, and the men and women of our armed forces, including our Special Operations Forces, the Third Infantry Division, the First Marine Expeditionary Force, the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions, and the air and naval units that supported them. (Applause.) Thanks to them, U.S. and coalition forces maintained the initiative at every stage of the conflict, controlled its pace, and so determined its outcome. With our victory in Iraq, we have removed a threat to our country and to our friends in the region. And all nations, friend and foe alike, can be certain that the United States military is second to none, and our Commander-in-Chief is, indeed, a man of his word. (Applause.) The fundamental interest of this nation requires that we confront and defeat aggressive threats. Yet as President Bush has said, "We find our greatest security in the advance of human freedom. We stand for the values that defeat violence, and the hope that overcomes hatred." In the Middle East, where ideologies of hatred and murder have caused such great suffering, the United States will use our influence and idealism to bring a new era of freedom and prosperity. We seek the Middle East where the creative gifts of men and women can come to life once again, a region that no longer breeds and exports the kind of bitterness that can bring violence to our own country and to the rest of the world.

And across the world, America's support of freedom expresses the deepest commitment of our founding -- the conviction that liberty is the birthright of every person, in every land. For generations, graduates of this Academy have served and defended the cause of freedom. (Applause.) Many have also died for their country, including two recently in Iraq: Captain James Adamouski of the Class of 1995, and Lieutenant Colonel Dominic Baragona of the Class of '82. Their lives ended far from this place they loved, but in full service to the ideals of duty, honor, country they learned here at West Point. (Applause.) I also want to acknowledge the presence here today of First Lieutenant John Fernandez, the former captain of the Academy lacrosse team who graduated two years ago, and who was recently badly wounded last month in an engagement twenty miles south of Baghdad. (Applause.) John demonstrated great courage in the course of that engagement, and we are grateful that he could be with us today, along with his wife and parents.

For every West Point class, as General MacArthur said, the ideals learned here "build your basic character, they mold you for future roles as the custodians of the nation's defense." Now this class assumes its place in America's defense, and MacArthur's words to the Corps of Cadets still define the calling of a West Point officer: Whatever else changes, "your mission remains fixed, determined, inviolable -- it is to win our wars."

Wherever you are posted, wherever your career leads you, I trust you will always remember how others see the uniform of the United States. Your service might take you to the most stable place in the quietest of times, but that uniform is a reminder of what assures stability and keeps the peace. At other times, your service may take you to dangerous places; and there, the sight of an American in uniform will bring fear to the violent and hope to the oppressed. (Applause.) This nation is grateful that four years ago, every man and woman graduating today made a life-changing decision. You left the comforts and familiar surroundings of civilian life, and devoted yourselves to one of the noblest professions in a free country -- the profession of arms.

You made that commitment, and you've kept it. In these four years you were tested mentally, physically, and morally. You've mastered a demanding course of study. You've lived by a strict code of honor. You have succeeded. And soon, as leaders of platoons and sections, you will have responsibility for other young Americans who have volunteered to serve and sacrifice in the United States Army. The President and I are confident that every one of you will bring credit to your uniform, and take care of your soldiers.

I thank you for giving your country the best years of your lives. America has prepared you. America is counting on you. And today, America is proud of you. To the men and women of the United States Military Academy Class of 2003: Good luck and Godspeed. (Applause.)

2003 Profile

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:42:20 GMT

Class of 2003
Class Profile

At time of admission

Volume of Applicants

                               Men   Women
Applicant Files Started..... 9,782   1,708
Nominated................... 3,392     628
Qualified................... 1,654     312
   (academically, physical aptitude)
Admitted....................   946     188

Rank in High School Class

First Fifth..... 73%
Second Fifth.... 20%
Third Fifth.....  6%
Fourth Fifth....  1%
Bottom Fifth....  0%

American College Testing (ACT) Assessment Program Scores*

Range     Eng     Math   Sci Reas    Read
31-36     18%     29%      19%       40%
26-30     50%     54%      50%       40%
21-25     28%     17%      30%       19%
16-20      4%      0%       1%        1%
11-15      0%      0%       0%        0%
Mean      27      29       27        29
*Includes only scores used as a basis for admission.

College Board Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) Scores*

Range     Verbal     Math
700-800      18%      22%
600-699      49%      53%
500-599      28%      24%
400-499       5%       1%
300-399       0%       0%
Mean        627      641
*Includes only scores used as a basis for admission.

Academic Honors

Class Valedictorians.........................   82
Class Salutatorians.........................    31
National Merit Scholarship Recognition......   227
National Honor Society......................   648

Activities

Boys/Girls State Delegate...................   196
Class President or Student Body President...   208
School Publication Staff
  School Paper Editor, Co-Editor of Staff...   168
  Yearbook Editor or Co-Editor..............   132
Debating....................................   174
Dramatics...................................   262
Scouting Participants.......................   503
  Eagle Scout (men) or Gold Award (women)...   137
Varsity Athletics........................... 1,001
Letter Winner............................... 1,001
Team Captain................................   674

Geographical Distribution
The Class of 2003 includes cadets appointed by Congress from every state in the United States, as well as others appointed from military service sources. Several international cadets under sponsorship of their respective countries also entered the Class of 2003. The countries represented include Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Nicaragua, Romania, Slovenia, South Korea and Turkey.

2003

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:41:04 GMT

Class of 2003

Class Information

GradSpeech04

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:38:17 GMT

Class of 2004

United States Military Academy Commencement
As Delivered by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld
Michie Stadium, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY
Saturday, May 29, 2004

Thank you, General Lennox; thank you very much.

Secretary Les Brownlee, Representative Kelly, Former Representative Gilman, distinguished guests, Senator Tom Daschle - we're pleased you are here, General Brooks, General Kaufman, faculty and staff.

We have seen the family and friends of the Class of 2004 recognized, as we should. And I say greetings to that section as well.

And the Corps of Cadets, I guess they have you right up there [CHEERS]. You're looking good.

And most especially "For Country and Corps, 2004." [CHEERS].

I thank you for this honor. It's a privilege to be here in the shadows of some of the greatest leaders of our age, and to celebrate today with the leaders who will follow in their footsteps and help shape America's future.

Now, I know that every cadet has performed exceptionally well. And I assume that none of you has received a demerit or a punishment tour. But the Commander-in-Chief has nonetheless asked me to do something that probably won't apply to any of you. But on the chance that it might, I hereby grant each of you complete amnesty for any minor conduct offenses.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

Graduates of the Class of 2004, you are among the select to finish this intense program that is the Academy. I know you will carry with you many memories -- of "Beast" Barracks. The "best summer of your life" at Camp Buckner. [LAUGHTER] And possibly even walking the Area.

Today, that journey ends. And you have our admiration and our respect. So ladies and gentlemen, please join me in hailing these who soon will be the newest second lieutenants in the greatest Army on the face of the Earth.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE, STANDING OVATION FOR GRADUATES]

This is a very special day for your families as well. They come from all across the fifty states and American Samoa, and I'm told Cameroon, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Jordan, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, and Taiwan. You know how important their support has been. And most of all, you have benefited from their love, their confidence, their reassurance. So God bless them all.

Many years ago, there was a West Point graduate from my home state of Illinois. He marched on the same Plain as you, took similar classes, and no doubt wondered about his future, as you may have from time to time. He was not an exceptional student, I'm told. Nor did he seem marked for greatness. Interestingly, his name was incorrectly transcribed on his record.

That name was Ulysses S. Grant.

Somehow, history put Grant into a place, at a critical time, and in a critical moment. I have no doubt that West Point instilled in him those special qualities of leadership necessary to one day help preserve our Union.

In the years ahead, history may well call upon you at a critical time, in a critical moment -- and you will be ready.

Recently, a journalist visited West Point and became so impressed that he stayed for several years. David Lipsky was amazed to find a place in this country where students talked openly about the importance of character, the love of country, and the need to make sacrifices so that our nation could endure.

Interestingly, he found that West Point cadets were the happiest of any college students he had studied. [LAUGHTER]. That may surprise some of you. But he discovered something important - that there is a relationship between personal fulfillment and "Duty, Honor, Country."

Mr. Lipsky took the title of his book from something President Theodore Roosevelt once said about the Academy. Roosevelt said, "Of all the institutions in this country, none is more absolutely American; none . more . democratic.. Here we care nothing for . birthplace . creed, nor . social standing.. Here you come together as representatives of America in a higher . sense than can possibly be true of any other institution ."

It is these "absolutely American" values that have led West Point graduates throughout history to distinguish themselves in the defense of our nation.

I suspect that when you first arrived in July of 2000, you imagined that your most challenging time as a professional Army officer might involve activities like enforcing the peace in the Balkans. But as we have seen, life is not predictable.

A few years ago, for example, a young man sat in one of your chairs. He was probably dreaming about his upcoming graduation leave. Some of you may remember K.C. Hughes, Class of 2001.

Well, fast-forward to Iraq, a year ago last Thursday. A pickup truck charged one of his platoon's control points, firing AK-47s. As his Soldiers fired back, Hughes raced from a quarter mile away and began evacuating six wounded. Other enemies arrived in a follow-on attack.

Directing fire and helping to pull his troops to safety, he was shot in his shoulder and back, yet he continued leading the counterattack. He refused to be evacuated until his wounded were rescued. He made it out, and was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor.

The civilized world will win the global war against terror because of people like Lieutenant Hughes, and because of those of you here today.

What the terrorists do not see is that America -- our free society -- needs and has multiple leadership centers from all sectors of society. Enemies have tried many times to pull us apart. They will not succeed.

I know you understand this, because every person in this stadium has a personal connection to leadership -- and to leadership of a nation at war.

Since you arrived here, our world has changed dramatically. That change started on September 11th of your Yearling year, when terrorists converted commercial airplanes into guided missiles, striking the Twin Towers. I was in my office when a third plane hit the Pentagon. A fourth went down in a Pennsylvania field, thanks to some brave souls on board -- one of whom left us with that battle cry: "Let's roll!" And that is exactly what our country did.

Our Commander-in-Chief moved rapidly to strengthen ties with new friends and send forces abroad. As radicals and extremists attempted to hijack a religion and send us their worst, America sent its best.

President Bush formed an 80-nation global coalition. In less than three years, this coalition of civilized nations has overthrown two vicious regimes, liberated 50 million people, disrupted terrorist cells across the globe, and thwarted many terrorist attacks.

Yet despite those successes, the truth is, we are closer to the beginning of this struggle -- this global insurgency -- than to its end.

Today, civilized societies face adversaries unlike any we've known. They seek no armistice; they have no territory to defend; they have no public to answer to. They threaten us through shadowy networks not easily weeded out. And they have a powerful advantage: A terrorist needs to succeed only occasionally; but as defenders, we need to be successful always.

Our task is further complicated by our openness, our trust -- indeed the very trust that makes us the most productive, free society in the world -- but which also makes us uniquely vulnerable to those who would try to take advantage of that trust and our freedoms.

It is impossible to defend against attacks in every place, at every time, against every conceivable technique. So the only way to prevail in this struggle is to root out the terrorists before they develop still more powerful means to inflict damage on still greater numbers of innocent people.

To confront this new challenge, our nation and its military have had to adapt. Since the Cold War ended, we've been about the task of refocusing our military to meet the new challenges of this 21st Century.

Now that effort has taken on added urgency.

Your Army has been doing a truly outstanding job under the leadership of Les Brownlee and Pete Schoomaker. It's adapting to deal with asymmetrical threats, counter-terrorism, peacemaking, peacekeeping, postwar reconstruction and stability operations, and new special operations assignments. The mindset is expeditionary, emphasizing a return to that "Warrior Ethos" - mission first, never accepting defeat, and never leaving a fallen comrade.

Let me offer an example. Almost a hundred years ago, the Division replaced the Corps as the basic unit of combined arms. Today, Army leadership has concluded that technology can bring the needed capabilities down to the Brigade-level, making deploying units more modular, interchangeable, and adaptable.

We've also been rethinking our global posture. After the Cold War, U.S. forces remained essentially where they were, in a static defense posture, arranged to defend against a Soviet Empire that no longer exists. Today, dangers come from enemies that are unpredictable, who can strike around the globe with little or no warning. So we've fashioned a set of concepts to help guide America's responsibilities in this new world, working in close consultation with our allies and with the Congress. You'll be hearing more about this in the coming months. But let me set out some priorities:

* Foremost is strengthening our partnerships with our existing allies and working with new ones; * Developing greater flexibility to deal with the unexpected; * Focusing on more rapidly deployable capabilities, rather than simply presence or mass; * And working within and across regions. * And I would add, having our forces where they are wanted.

Of special note to you is that this approach should translate into somewhat fewer moves over a career, with less disruptions to spouses and families. It's correctly said that we recruit Soldiers, but we retain families. We are keeping that reality in mind.

In short, we will be keeping our existing commitments in this still dangerous and untidy world, but we will better arrange them for an era of the unexpected.

In Iraq, we are facing a "test of wills" -- with an enemy that seeks to derail the Iraqi people's path to self-government. The extremists know that the rise of a free, self-governing Iraq, at peace with its neighbors, respectful of all religions, and committed to representative government, would deal them a decisive blow. They fear that one day the Middle East might shed itself of tyranny and violence, and carve a new future that does not include them.

This cause is an international one, important to all civilized societies. Success depends on encouraging friends and allies with whom we are so interdependent, to not be terrorized by threats, or isolated by fears.

As have the brave generations of the past, you, too, will face the enemies of freedom. Because of who you are, and because of what this Academy stands for, there is no doubt of your success.

And let me add a word about the young men and women you will have the privilege to lead: "The American Soldier," Time magazine's Person of the Year. They are the sons and daughters of America, and some of the finest people you will ever meet. Take good care of them. Lead them. Respect them.

Your love for Soldiers must be as unconditional as it is for your own families. Use the skills you've learned here to bring out the very best in them, including respect for others. And always fall back on the moral clarity of the Honor Code that you've learned here. In its spirit is the ultimate system of trust I spoke of earlier - the roots of a civil society.

This afternoon, I will be attending the dedication of the World War II Memorial in Washington. The heroes of that conflict went overseas to defend freedom. They believed in freedom, and they knew it was worth fighting for.

Today, the duty to defend freedom falls to you. It will take you across the globe as well; and it will call upon you to live the lessons that you've learned here at the Academy. I know that you will answer that call with courage and the spirit that is America. We are counting on you. Serve our nation well!

And in the years to come, I hope you will remember the love you feel around you today from family and friends, from classmates and teammates, from the faculty who supported you.

I speak to you on behalf of a President, and on behalf of a nation that is deeply grateful to you -- for your service, for your dedication, for your sacrifice.

"For Country and Corps, 2004," my congratulations. Our country's future is in capable hands. God bless you; God bless your wonderful families; and God bless the United States of America.
[APPLAUSE]

2004 Profile

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:36:43 GMT

Class of 2004
Class Profile

At time of admission

Volume of Applicants

                                 Men    Women
Applicant Files Started....... 8,989    1,901
Nominated..................... 3,353      641
Qualified..................... 1,969      352
   (academically, physical aptitude)	
Admitted......................   993      195

Rank in High School Class

First Fifth..... 72%
Second Fifth.... 19%
Third Fifth.....  7%
Fourth Fifth....  2%
Bottom Fifth....  0%

American College Testing (ACT) Assessment Program Scores*

Range    Eng    Math   Sci Reas   Read
31-36    14%    26%      19%	  41%
26-30    55%    57%      48%	  42%
21-25    27%    17%      32%      16%
16-20     3%     0%       1%       1%
11-15     0%     0%       0%       0%
Mean     27     28       27       29

College Board Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) Scores*

Range       Verbal    Math
700-800        15%     22%
600-699        49%     53%
500-599        33%     24%
400-499         3%      1%
300-399         0%      0%
Mean          621     641
*Includes only scores used as a basis for admission.

Academic Honors

Class Valedictorians..............................  63
Class Salutatorians...............................  39
National Merit Scholarship Recognition............ 182
National Honor Society............................ 686

Activities

Boys/Girls State Delegate.......................   217
Class President or Student Body President.......   222
School Publication Staff
  School Paper Editor, Co-Editor of Staff.......   157
  Yearbook Editor or Co-Editor..................   134
Debating........................................   147
Dramatics.......................................   201
Scouting Participants...........................   513
  Eagle Scout (men) or Gold Award (women).......   155
Varsity Athletics............................... 1,045
  Letter Winner................................. 1,045
  Team Captain..................................   508

Geographical Distribution
The Class of 2004 "new cadets" included 1,179 U.S. citizens from every state in the nation plus 8 foreign cadets for a total of 1,187 new cadets. There were 195 females, 103 African-Americans, 92 Hispanics, and 9 Native Americans. The foreign cadets were from Cameroon, the Philippines (2), Jordan, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Kazakhstan and Taiwan.

2004

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:35:15 GMT

Class of 2004

Class Information

2005

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:33:01 GMT

Class of 2005

Class Information

Class of 2005 entering profile
Graduation Speaker Remarks

GradSpeech07

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:18:15 GMT

Class of 2007

Commencement Speech
Vice President Dick Cheney
Saturday, May 26, 2007

(As Delivered)

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. General Hagenbeck; members of Congress; Military Academy faculty and staff; distinguished guests; officers, cadets, members of the Class of 2007:

Thank you all for the welcome to West Point. I'm delighted to be here again, and to join in today's ceremony, and to stand before the newest graduates of the greatest military academy in the world. (Applause.)

Today the Class of 2007 leaves behind its leadership duties to the Corps of Cadets, and takes up leadership duty to the United States of America. As a class they've brought honor to Cadet Gray. As commissioned officers they'll bring the same honor to Army Blue. Graduates, this is a proud moment in your life, and in the life of our country. I count it a privilege to be in your company, and I bring warmest congratulations from our Commander-in- Chief, President George W. Bush. (Applause.)

There is one item of business to take care of today. Apparently some members of the Corps of Cadets are still on restriction for minor offenses. And I guess you're looking for a little compassion. Such matters are to be decided by the President himself, and so he and I had a discussion about it. He took the strong view that we ought to be lenient. Me, I could have gone either way. (Laughter.) But the President is in charge, so at his direction, I hereby grant amnesty for all cadets on restriction for minor conduct offenses. (Applause.) Now here's the fine print: For the definition of "minor offenses," you've got to check with General Hagenbeck. (Laughter.)

Like every Academy graduate who came before, each of you will leave here with a rucksack full of memories. After you've gone out Thayer Gate for the last time, I have a feeling you'll cherish above all the friendships you've made here. You'll remember the training and testing that you've faced together, as well as the challenges you faced alone. Wherever you go in life, you'll hear the voice of the BTO telling you to keep your elbows off the table. (Laughter.) You'll think of Lake Frederick whenever you get soaked in the rain. And of course, you'll think of your dean, General Finnegan, every time you see a pair of "really cool running shoes." (Laughter.)

A friend of mine, General Norman Schwarzkopf, once said that if you "ask any West Pointer what day they remember best ... almost all of them will say it's that first day" -- R-Day -- maybe the longest in your cadet life. You didn't know any of your classmates, you weren't sure of all that lay ahead of you in Beast Barracks. If you had doubts, you overcame them. If you had fears, you mastered them. Inside of you was a basic confidence -- a sense of who you were, and of the officer you hoped to become.

But your making as an officer didn't really begin on R-Day. The process started out much further back, over many years of guidance from the ones who know you best and care about you the most. For them, too, this is an incredibly proud day. So may I suggest a grateful round of applause for the moms and dads of the Class of 2007. (Applause.)

I wish that all Americans could visit and see with their own eyes our service academies. Year in and year out, the academies prepare the finest of young Americans to protect our people, to defend the land we call home, and to serve the ideals that define this nation. In an often cynical age, the armed forces and their academies are all the more exceptional. The values of a military education -- the sense of rectitude, the devotion to duty, and the daily acceptance of personal responsibility -- are a credit to the students and to the instructors, and an example for our entire country.

Of course, as West Pointers, you belong to the very first of all of our academies, a place in steady service to the United States for more than two centuries. There's a saying here -- that "much of the history we teach was made by the people we taught." By training the senior leadership of the Army, this institution has been absolutely critical to fighting and winning America's wars. If there had never been a Long Gray Line, I doubt that America would still be a free nation today. Dwight Eisenhower, class of 1915, stated the case perfectly. "West Point," he said, "is a national asset beyond all price."

It is rare in West Point history for a class to join during wartime, and to graduate in the midst of that same war. But this, too, is part of the story of the Class of 2007. You came here knowing these four years would pass; the courses would be finished; this day of commissioning would arrive -- and you would then become responsible for the well being of men and women under your command. You are trained and prepared for battlefield leadership. And you follow in the path of many alumni already in the fight. More than 25 graduates of this Academy now on active duty have earned the Silver Star. And in Iraq, the Multinational Force is led by a superb officer, General Dave Petraeus, class of 1974. (Applause.)

In the group that graduates today, and among the cadets watching from the stands, we have dozens of future officers that are already combat veterans. You've been to Iraq and Afghanistan. You've seen the enemy and his tactics. You've been part of an Army that has faced unprecedented challenges; an Army at war that is, without question, the finest ever fielded by the United States of America. (Applause.)

We're fighting a war on terror because the enemy attacked us first, and hit us hard. Scarcely 50 miles from this place, we saw thousands of our fellow citizens murdered, and 16 acres of a great city turned to ashes. Others were killed within view of the White House, at the headquarters of our military at the Pentagon. Many heroes emerged that day, both on board an aircraft over Pennsylvania and among the rescue teams, and they, too, died in the hundreds.

These are events we can never forget. And they are scenes the enemy would like to see played out in this country over and over again, on a larger and larger scale. Al Qaeda's leadership has said they have the right to "kill four million Americans, two million of them children, and to exile twice as many and to wound and cripple thousands." We know they are looking for ways of doing just that -- by plotting in secret, by slipping into the country, and exploiting any vulnerability they can find.

We know, also, that they're working feverishly to obtain ever more destructive weapons, and using every form of technology they can get their hands on. And this makes the business of fighting this war as urgent and time-sensitive as any task this nation has ever taken on. As the Director of National Intelligence, Admiral Mike McConnell, said recently, "The time needed to develop a terrorist plot, communicate it around the globe, and put it into motion has been drastically reduced. The time line is no longer a calendar, it is a watch."

For nearly six years now, the United States has been able to defeat their attempts to attack us here at home. Nobody can guarantee that we won't be hit again. But we've been safe because a lot of very dedicated professionals have been working relentlessly to protect the homeland. Our government has used every legitimate tool to counter the activities of an enemy that likely has cells inside our own country. We've improved our security arrangements, reorganized intelligence capabilities, surveilled and interrogated the enemy, and worked closely with friends and allies to track terrorist movements.

All of these steps have been necessary to harden the target and to protect the American people. But we've also understood, from the early hours of September 11th, that we cannot wage this fight strictly on the defensive. We have to go after the terrorists, shut down their training camps, take down their networks, deny them sanctuary, and bring them to justice. In that effort, some of the most difficult and dangerous work has been carried out by the U.S. Army. America is the kind of country that stands up to brutality, terror, and injustice. And you are the kind of people we depend on to get the job done. (Applause.)

The standards of this Academy only highlight the deepest and most fundamental difference between the United States and our sworn enemies. A month ago, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Pace, spoke to this class about each officer's duty to follow a moral compass in all of his or her actions. In these four years you have learned the rules of warfare and professional military ethics. You've studied the tenets of morality. You've reflected on the seven Army values: of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. You have lived by a code of honor, and internalized that code as West Point men and women always do.

As Army officers on duty in the war on terror, you will now face enemies who oppose and despise everything you know to be right, every notion of upright conduct and character, and every belief you consider worth fighting for and living for. Capture one of these killers, and he'll be quick to demand the protections of the Geneva Convention and the Constitution of the United States. Yet when they wage attacks or take captives, their delicate sensibilities seem to fall away. These are men who glorify murder and suicide. Their cruelty is not rebuked by human suffering, only fed by it. They have given themselves to an ideology that rejects tolerance, denies freedom of conscience, and demands that women be pushed to the margins of society. The terrorists are defined entirely by their hatreds, and they hate nothing more than the country you have volunteered to defend.

The terrorists know what they want and they will stop at nothing to get it. By force and intimidation, they seek to impose a dictatorship of fear, under which every man, woman, and child lives in total obedience to their ideology. Their ultimate goal is to establish a totalitarian empire, a caliphate, with Baghdad as its capital. They view the world as a battlefield and they yearn to hit us again. And now they have chosen to make Iraq the central front in their war against civilization.

In Iraq today, the al Qaeda network that struck America is one of the elements trying to destroy a democratic government. They are surging their capabilities, attacking Iraqi and American forces, and killing innocent civilians. America is fighting this enemy in Iraq because that is where they have gathered. We are there because, after 9/11, we decided to deny terrorists any safe haven. We are there because, having removed Saddam Hussein, we promised not to allow another dictator to rise in his place.

And we are there because the security of this nation depends on a successful outcome. The war on terror does not have to be an endless war. But to prevail in the long run, we must remove the conditions that inspire such blind, prideful hatred that drove 19 men to get onto airplanes and come to kill us on 9/11. We know from history that when people live in freedom, answering to their own conscience and charting their own destiny, they will not be drawn to the ideologies of hatred and violence. We know, as well, that when people are given the chance to live in freedom, most of them will make that choice.

The people of Iraq now have a chance to secure their country's future. More than 300,000 of them have joined security forces -- despite all the threats, and murders, and car bombs at recruiting stations. And when it was time for national elections, the Iraqi people defied the killers and voted at a higher rate of turnout than we have here in the United States. In the struggle against terror, no country has had more battlefield deaths, or lost more civilians, than Iraq itself. They and their elected leaders are striving to preserve democracy against direct attack by merciless enemies. And they can know that our country, as in other times and other places, stands firmly for the cause of democracy.

The stakes are high on both sides, and it is still tough going in that country. General Petraeus has said the operational environment is the most complex and challenging he's ever seen. Yet there's reason for confidence as more locals get into the fight, as more good intelligence comes in, as the government stays focused on the hard work of national reconciliation.

There is another reason for confidence in this effort. The single most reliable fact of this war is the skill and courage of the American soldiers fighting it. You're about to become leaders in an amazing Army -- an all-volunteer force that has carried out tough missions in a time of great need for our country. They have endured long deployments, separation from family, and loss of comrades. They have fought boldly and courageously, from the cold mountains of Afghanistan to the dust and heat of the Middle Eastern desert. Now they're going to look to you for leadership, and it'll be your job to provide that leadership and to take care of them.

With your commissions, a great deal will be expected of you. And you're entitled to expect some things in return. You deserve the tools and the backing to do your work, wherever duty takes you. At the same time, you deserve the support that makes life easier for your loved ones, because uniformed service is a shared commitment, and nobody in America shows more patience and understanding than our military families. (Applause.)

Down in Washington, D.C., we air differences and argue back and forth on matters of policy. It's always that way, and there's nothing wrong with it. But we need to remember that when all the speeches are given, and the debates fall silent, and the decisions are made, it falls to men and women like you to bear the battle. May all of us who sit at desks and set policy never fail to appreciate that. (Applause.)

Last night, President Bush signed into law the war supplemental that we worked hard to achieve. As we look to the future, I want to say this to the graduates, and to all the men and women of the Corps, and to the families gathered in this stadium today: Whatever lies ahead, the United States Army will have all the equipment, supplies, manpower, training, and support essential to victory. I give you this assurance on behalf of the President. You soldier for him, and he will soldier for you. (Applause.)

With each man and woman who passes through this Academy, the mission of West Point -- to build a "leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the nation". Today, the 26th of May, 2007, West Point has again fulfilled that mission, with nearly one thousand exceedingly well prepared second lieutenants.

Many in this country dream of becoming commissioned officers in the United States Army. Yet of these, only a small fraction ever reach that goal. The ones who have done so today have chosen a motto for their class: "Always Remember, Never Surrender." Those are not idle words for a group in which more than 70 percent are going into combat arms. And it makes everyone in this stadium all the more proud to witness your commissioning. (Applause.) We admire the Class of 2007 for the men and women you are, and for the officers you've now become.

As we meet, members of the United States armed forces are serving in nearly 80 different countries -- from the broader Middle East, to Europe, to Southeast Asia, to Latin America, and to Africa. At every post, they serve honorably to keep the commitments of our great nation. We're a country that proclaims high ideals. And more than that, we're a country that stands up for those ideals, by defending the innocent, bringing hope and relief to the helpless, and confronting the violent. This world we live in is a better place for the power, and influence, and the values of the United States of America. Americans are rightly proud of our country. We're a patriotic people, and we show that devotion in many different ways. And the bravest way of all is to take up the profession of arms.

On your first day of Army life, each one of you raised your right hand and took an oath. And you will swear again today to defend the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That is your vow, that is the business you're in. Your country has prepared you, and now your country is counting on you. I know that each one of you will serve with skill, and carry yourself with honor, and take care of your soldiers, because that is the way of the West Point officer.

Thank you for your service. Godspeed to the United States Military Academy Class of 2007. (Applause.)

GradSpeech06

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:29:32 GMT

Class of 2006

Commencement Speech
President George W. Bush

(As Delivered)

Thank you for the warm welcome--General Lennox, Secretary Harvey, Members of the United States Congress, Academy staff and faculty, distinguished guests, proud family, and, most importantly, the class of 2006.

On the way in, General Lennox showed me what you did to his car. [Laughter] I told him, "That's a fine looking vehicle"--[laughter]-- "but you need to stay away from Marine One." [Laughter]

I see a lot of "Gray Hogs" out there--a few "Century Men" too. During your 4 years at this Academy, I'm told, there are about 18,000 opportunities to be late for class, drill, march, or inspection--and many of you availed yourselves of those opportunities. [Laughter] Others got written up just for having bad haircuts. No matter what reason you got slugged, help is on the way. In keeping with longstanding tradition, I hereby absolve all cadets who are on restriction for minor conduct offenses. I leave it to General Lennox to define exactly what "minor" means. [Laughter]

It's a privilege to stand before the future leaders of the United States Army. You have worked hard to get to this moment. You've survived the hardest Beast on record--the "best summer of your lives" in Buckistan--countless hours in the House of Pain. In 4 years, you've been transformed from "bean- heads" to "yuks" to "cows" and "Firsties." And today you will become proud officers of the greatest Army in the history of the world. Your teachers are proud of you; your parents are proud of you; and so is your Commander in Chief. Congratulations on a fantastic achievement.

This Academy has shaped your minds and bodies for the challenges that lie ahead. You worked hard in the classroom and on the playing field to prepare for the rigors of combat. One cadet described the West Point attitude this way: "First I'll beat Navy and Air Force, and then I'll beat the enemies of freedom on the battlefield."

The field of battle is where your degree and commission will take you. This is the first class to arrive at West Point after the attacks of September the 11th, 2001. Each of you came here in a time of war, knowing all the risks and dangers that come with wearing our Nation's uniform. And I want to thank you for your patriotism, your devotion to duty, your courageous decision to serve. America is grateful and proud of the men and women of West Point.

The reality of war has surrounded you since your first moments at this Academy. More than 50 of your fellow cadets here at West Point have already seen combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. And 34 times since your class arrived, you have observed a moment of silence in Washington Hall to honor a former cadet fallen in the war on terror. Each loss is heartbreaking, and each loss has made you even more determined to pick up their mantle, to carry on their fight, and to achieve victory. We will honor the memory of those brave souls. We will finish the task for which they gave their lives. We will complete the mission.

West Point has adapted to prepare you for the war you're about to enter. Since the attacks of September the 11th, 2001, this Academy has established a new combating terrorism center, a new minor in terrorism studies, with new courses in counterinsurgency operations, intelligence, and homeland security, and winning the peace. West Point has expanded Arabic language training, has hired new faculty with expertise in Islamic law and culture, brought in members of the 101st and 82d Airborne to train you and share their experiences on the frontlines in Iraq and Afghanistan. And each of you endured grueling Saturday training events where you practiced identifying IEDs, conducting convoy operations, and running checkpoints. By changing to meet the new threats, West Point has given you the skills you will need in Afghanistan and Iraq, and for the long war with Islamic radicalism that will be the focus of much of your military careers.

This Academy went through a similar period of change six decades ago, at the end of World War II. Some of West Point's greatest graduates--men like Eisenhower and Bradley, Patton and MacArthur--had just brought our Nation victory in Europe and Japan. Yet almost immediately, a new threat appeared on the horizon--the threat of imperial communism. And West Point, like America, had to prepare for a long struggle with a new adversary, one that would require the determination of generations of Americans. In the early years of that struggle, freedom's victory was not obvious or assured. In 1947, Communist forces were threatening Greece and Turkey; the reconstruction of Germany was faltering; mass starvation was setting in across Europe. In 1948, Czechoslovakia fell to communism; France and Italy appeared to be headed for the same fate, and Berlin was blockaded on the orders of Josef Stalin. In 1949, the Soviet Union exploded a nuclear weapon, giving our new enemy the ability to bring catastrophic destruction to our homeland. And weeks later, Communist forces won their revolution in China and claimed the world's most populous nation for communism. And in the summer of 1950, seven North Korean divisions poured across the border into South Korea, marking the start of the first direct military clash of the cold war. All of this took place in just the first 5 years following World War II.

Fortunately, we had a President named Harry Truman, who recognized the threat, took bold action to confront it, and laid the foundation for freedom's victory in the cold war. President Truman set a clear doctrine. In a speech to Congress, he called for military and economic aid to Greece and Turkey, and announced a new doctrine that would guide American policy throughout the cold war. He told the Congress, "It must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures." With this new doctrine, and with the aid to back it up, Greece and Turkey were saved from communism, and the Soviet expansion into Southern Europe and the Middle East was stopped.

President Truman acted boldly to confront new adversaries. When Stalin tested America's resolve with a blockade of Berlin, President Truman launched the Berlin Airlift, delivering supplies to the besieged city, forcing the Red Army to back down, and securing the freedom of West Berlin. Later, Truman again responded to Communist aggression with resolve, fighting a difficult war in Korea. Korean war saw many setbacks and missteps and terrible losses. More than 54,000 Americans gave their lives in Korea. Yet in the end, Communist forces were pushed back to the 38th Parallel, and the freedom of South Korea was secure.

President Truman acted boldly to help transform old adversaries into democratic allies. In Asia, his administration led the effort to help Japan change from a nation that had launched a surprise attack on America into a thriving democracy and steadfast ally. In Europe, he launched the Marshall Plan, an unprecedented effort to help Germany and other nations in Europe recover from war and establish strong democracies. The Marshall Plan cost about 100 billion in today's dollars, and it helped to save Western Europe from Soviet tyranny and led to the emergence of democratic allies that remain indispensable to the cause of peace today.

President Truman transformed our alliances to deal with new dangers. After World War II, he led the effort to form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the first peacetime alliance in American history. NATO served as a military bulwark against Communist aggression and helped give us a Europe that is now whole, free, and at peace.

President Truman positioned U.S. forces to deal with new threats. Despite enormous pressure to bring our troops home after World War II, he kept American forces in Germany to deter Soviet aggression, and kept U.S. forces in Japan as a counterweight to Communist China. Together with the deployment of U.S. forces to Korea, the military footprint Truman established on two continents has remained virtually unchanged to this day and has served as the foundation for security in Europe and in the Pacific.

President Truman launched a sweeping reorganization of the Federal Government to prepare it for a new struggle. Working with Congress, he created the Department of Defense, established the Air Force as a separate military service, formed the National Security Council at the White House, and founded the Central Intelligence Agency to ensure America had the best intelligence on Soviet threats.

President Truman made clear that the cold war was an ideological struggle between tyranny and freedom. At the time when some still wanted to wish away the Soviet threat, he brought Winston Churchill to Missouri to deliver his famous "Iron Curtain" speech. And he issued a Presidential directive called NSC-68, which declared that America faced an enemy "animated by a new fanatic faith" and determined to impose its ideology on the entire world. This directive called on the United States to accept the responsibility of world leadership and defend the cause of freedom and democracy--and that's exactly what the United States did.

By the actions he took, the institutions he built, the alliances he forged, and the doctrines he set down, President Truman laid the foundation for America's victory in the cold war. As President Truman put it towards the end of his Presidency, "When history says that my term of office saw the beginning of the cold war, it will also say that in those 8 years, we set the course that can win it." His leadership paved the way for subsequent Presidents from both political parties--men like Eisenhower and Kennedy and Reagan--to confront and eventually defeat the Soviet threat.

Today, at the start of a new century, we are again engaged in a war unlike any our nation has fought before. And like Americans in Truman's day, we are laying the foundations for victory. The enemies we face today are different in many ways from the enemy we faced in the cold war. In the cold war, we deterred Soviet aggression through a policy of mutually assured destruction. Unlike the Soviet Union, the terrorist enemies we face today hide in caves and shadows and emerge to attack free nations from within. The terrorists have no borders to protect or capital to defend. They cannot be deterred--but they will be defeated. America will fight the terrorists on every battlefront, and we will not rest until this threat to our country has been removed.

While there are real differences between today's war and the cold war, there are also many important similarities. Like the cold war, we are fighting the followers of a murderous ideology that despises freedom, crushes all dissent, has territorial ambitions, and pursues totalitarian aims. Like the cold war, our enemies are dismissive of free peoples, claiming that men and women who live in liberty are weak and lack the resolve to defend our way of life. Like the cold war, our enemies believe that the innocent can be murdered to serve a political vision. And like the cold war, they're seeking weapons of mass murder that would allow them to deliver catastrophic destruction to our country. If our enemies succeed in acquiring such weapons, they will not hesitate to use them, which means they would pose a threat to America as great as the Soviet Union.

Against such an enemy, there is only one effective response: We will never back down; we will never give in; and we will never accept anything less than complete victory. Like previous generations, history has once again called America to great responsibilities, and we're answering history's call with confidence. We're confronting new dangers with new determination and laying the foundations for victory in the war on terror.

In this new war, we have set a clear doctrine. After the attacks of September the 11th, I told a joint session of Congress, "America makes no distinction between the terrorists and the countries that harbor them. If you harbor a terrorist, you are just as guilty as the terrorists, and you're an enemy of the United States of America." In the months that followed, I also made clear the principles that will guide us in this new war: America will not wait to be attacked again; we will confront threats before they fully materialize; we will stay on the offense against the terrorists, fighting them abroad so we do not have to face them here at home.

In this new war, we have acted boldly to confront new adversaries. When the Taliban regime in Afghanistan tested America's resolve, refusing our just demands to turn over the terrorists who attacked America, we responded with determination. Coalition forces drove the Taliban from power, liberated Afghanistan, and brought freedom to 25 million people.

In Iraq, another tyrant chose to test America's resolve. Saddam Hussein was a dictator who had pursued and used weapons of mass destruction. He sponsored terrorists, invaded his neighbors, abused his people, deceived international inspectors, and refused to comply with more than a dozen United Nations resolutions. When the United Nations Security Council gave him one final chance to disclose and disarm, or face serious consequences, he refused to take that final opportunity. So coalition forces went into Iraq and removed his cruel regime. And today, Iraq's former dictator is on trial for his crimes, and America and the world are better off because Saddam Hussein is no longer in power.

In this new war, we have helped transform old adversaries into democratic allies. Just as an earlier generation of Americans helped change Germany and Japan from conquered adversaries into democratic allies, today, a new generation of Americans is helping Iraq and Afghanistan recover from the ruins of tyranny. In Afghanistan, the terror camps have been shut down; women are working; boys and girls are going to school; and Afghans have chosen a President and a new Parliament in free elections.

In Iraq, the people defied the terrorists and cast their ballots in three free elections last year. And last week, Iraqis made history when they inaugurated the leaders of a new Government of their choosing, under a Constitution that they drafted and they approved. When the formation of this unity Government--with the formation of this unity Government, the world has seen the beginning of something new: a constitutional democracy in the heart of the Middle East. Difficult challenges remain in both Afghanistan and Iraq. But America is safer and the world is more secure because these two countries are now democracies--and they are allies in the cause of freedom and peace.

In this new war, we have forged new alliances and transformed old ones for the challenges of a new century. After our Nation was attacked, we formed the largest coalition in history to fight the war on terror. More than 90 nations are cooperating in a global campaign to dry up terrorist financing, to hunt down terrorist operatives, and bring terrorist leaders to justice. Nations like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia that once turned a blind eye to terror are now helping lead the fight against it. And since September the 11th, 2001, our coalition has captured or killed Al Qaida managers and operatives in over two dozen countries and disrupted a number of serious Al Qaida terrorist plots, including plots to attack targets inside the United States. Our Nation is more secure because we have rallied the world to confront this threat to civilization.

The greatest threat we face is the danger of terrorists armed with weapons of mass destruction. To confront this danger, we launched the Proliferation Security Initiative, a coalition of more than 70 nations that are working together to stop shipments of weapons of mass destruction on land, at sea, and in the air, and to stop them from falling into terrorist hands. And building on the legacy of Harry Truman, we launched the most dramatic transformation of the NATO Alliance since its founding in 1949. Working with allies, we created a new NATO Response Force that will allow NATO to deploy rapid reaction forces on short notice anywhere in the world. And together we transformed NATO from a defensive alliance focused on protecting Europe from Soviet tank invasion into a dynamic alliance that is now operating across the world in the support of democracy and peace. For five decades, NATO forces never deployed outside of Europe. Today, NATO is leading security operations in Afghanistan, training Iraqi security forces in Baghdad, delivering humanitarian relief to earthquake victims in Pakistan, and training peacekeepers in Sudan. An alliance some said had lost its purpose after the cold war is now meeting the challenges of the 21st century.

In this new war, we're positioning our forces to meet new threats. For more than a half a century, American forces essentially had remained in the same places that President Truman deployed them. So 2 years ago, I announced the largest transformation of our global force posture since the start of the cold war. Over the coming decade, we will move U.S. forces from cold war garrisons in Europe and Asia and reposition them so they can surge quickly to trouble spots anywhere. We will deploy advanced military capabilities that will increase U.S. combat power across the world, while bringing home between 60,000 and 70,000 troops now stationed overseas. By taking these steps, we will reduce stress on our military families, raise the pressure on our enemies, and ensure that when you put on the uniform of the United States Army, you are ready to meet any threat. In this new war, we've undertaken the most sweeping reorganization of the Federal Government since the start of the cold war. We created a new Department of Homeland Security, merging 22 different Government organizations into a single department with a clear mission: to protect America from future attacks. We created the new Director of National Intelligence, which has led a broad restructuring of our Nation's intelligence agencies for the threats of the 21st century. We have transformed the FBI into an agency whose primary focus is stopping terrorism, and reorganized the Department of Justice to help us meet this new threat. We passed the PATRIOT Act, which broke down barriers that prevented law enforcement and intelligence agencies from sharing vital information on terrorist threats.

At the Department of Defense, we created a new Northern Command responsible for homeland defense, a new Strategic Command responsible for defending America against long-range attacks. We transformed the Special Operations Command, more than doubling its budget, adding thousands of new troops, and making it the lead command in the global war on terror. And we're undertaking the largest transformation of the Army in more than 100 years. Since the turn of the last century, the Army has been organized around the division structure designed by Napoleon. Today, we're replacing that division structure with a 21st century Army built around modular brigade combat teams that will be interchangeable and available to work for any division commander. These brigades will make our Army faster and lighter and more agile and more lethal, and it will make you more effective in the defense of freedom.

We have made clear that the war on terror is an ideological struggle between tyranny and freedom. When President Truman spoke here for the 150th anniversary of West Point, he told the class of 1952, "We can't have lasting peace unless we work actively and vigorously to bring about conditions of freedom and justice in the world." That same principle continues to guide us in today's war on terror. Our strategy to protect America is based on a clear premise: The security of our Nation depends on the advance of liberty in other nations. On September the 11th, 2001, we saw that problems originating in a failed and oppressive State 7,000 miles away could bring murder and destruction to our country. And we learned an important lesson: Decades of excusing and accommodating the lack of freedom in the Middle East did nothing to make us safe. So long as the Middle East remains a place where freedom does not flourish, it will remain a place where terrorists foment resentment and threaten American security.

So we are pursuing a forward strategy of freedom in the Middle East. I believe the desire for liberty is universal, and by standing with democratic reformers across a troubled region, we will extend freedom to millions who have not known it and lay the foundation of peace for generations to come.

We're still in the early stages of this struggle for freedom and, like those first years of the cold war, we've seen setbacks and challenges and days that have tested America's resolve. Yet we've also seen days of victory and hope. We've seen people in Afghanistan voting for the first democratic parliament in a generation. We have seen jubilant Iraqis dancing in the streets, holding up ink-stained fingers, celebrating their freedom. We've seen people in Lebanon waving cedar flags and securing the liberty and independence of their land. We've seen people in Kyrgyzstan drive a corrupt regime from power and vote for democratic change. In the past 4 years alone, more than 110 million human beings across the world have joined the ranks of the free--and this is only the beginning. The message has spread from Damascus to Tehran that the future belongs to freedom, and we will not rest until the promise of liberty reaches every people and every nation.

Now the class of 2006 will enter the great struggle, and the final outcome depends on your leadership. The war began on my watch, but it's going to end on your watch. Your generation will bring us victory in the war on terror. My call to you is this: Trust in the power of freedom, and be bold in freedom's defense; show leadership and courage, and not just on the battlefield. Take risk; try new things; and challenge the established way of doing things. Trust in your convictions; stay true to yourselves--and one day, the world will celebrate your achievements.

I have confidence in the final outcome of this struggle, because I know the character and determination of the men and women gathered before me. We see that character and determination in a cadet named Patrick Dowdell. It was Patrick's dream to attend West Point, and he applied straight out of high school, but he did not get in on his first try. After being turned down, he wondered if he was cut out for the Academy. His father, New York Fireman Kevin Dowdell, encouraged Patrick to apply again. Kevin wrote letters to his Congressman on behalf of his son. And he spent long hours working with Patrick on his application-- right up to September the 9th, 2001. Two days later, Kevin Dowdell raced across the Brooklyn Bridge with his fire rescue unit to the burning World Trade Towers--and he never returned.

After the attack, Patrick spent months digging at Ground Zero looking for his dad--and thinking about the dream that they had shared about his future. He was determined to fulfill that dream. And in the summer of 2002, Patrick arrived here at West Point as a new cadet, and today he will receive his degree and his commission.

A few weeks ago, Patrick's mom, RosEllen, attended another graduation ceremony--at the New York City Fire Academy, where her other son, James, followed his father's footsteps as one of New York's bravest. And today RosEllen is with us to see Patrick join the ranks of America's bravest, as an officer in the United States Army.

We live in freedom because young Americans like Patrick and all the cadets here today have stepped forward to serve. You have chosen a difficult and dangerous vocation, and America is grateful for that choice. Today you will accept a sacred trust: You will lead America's sons and daughters on the battlefield in a time of war. Our Nation is counting on you as we count on no other group of young leaders in our country. The last 4 years have tested you in ways you never imagined, and you leave here well prepared for the challenges you will face.

There's a saying at West Point, that much of the history you teach here was made by the people you taught here. Now the class of 2006 will leave for the battlefield, and you will make history. Never falter; never falter; never quit. Bring honor to the uniform and pride to your country. May God bless you, and the class of 2006.

2006 Profile

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:28:18 GMT

Class of 2006
Class Profile

Volume of Applicants

                                 Men   Women
Applicant Files Started....... 8,514   2,330
Nominated..................... 3,233     586
Qualified..................... 1,576     290
   (academically, and in physical aptitude)
Admitted......................   999     198

Rank in High School Class

First Fifth...... 74%
Second Fifth..... 20%
Third Fifth......  5%
Fourth Fifth.....  1%
Bottom Fifth.....  0%

American College Testing (ACT) Assessment Program Scores*

Range    Eng    Math   Sci Reas   Read
31-36    18%    26%    21%        42%
26-30    52%    57%    44%        43%
21-25    28%    16%    33%        14%
16-20     2%     1%     2%         1%
11-15     0%     0%     0%         0%
Mean     28     28     27         30

College Board Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) Scores*

Range       Verbal    Math
700-800        15%     24%
600-699        50%     57%
500-599        33%     18%
400-499         2%      1%
300-399         0%      0%
Mean          626     649
*Includes only scores used as a basis for admission.

Academic Honors

Class Valedictorians..............................  72
Class Salutatorians...............................  49
National Merit Scholarship Recognition............ 190
National Honor Society............................ 748

Activities

Boys/Girls State Delegate.......................   237
Class President or Student Body President.......   233
School Publication Staff
  School Paper Editor, Co-Editor of Staff.......   174
  Yearbook Editor or Co-Editor..................   120
Debating........................................   166
Dramatics.......................................   174
Scouting Participants...........................   575
  Eagle Scout (men) or Gold Award (women).......   151
Varsity Athletics
  Letter Winner................................. 1,038
  Team Captain..................................   712

Geographical Distribution
The Class of 2006 includes cadets appointed by Congress from every state in the United States, as well as others appointed from military Service sources. Several international cadets under sponsorship of their respective countries also entered the Class of 2006. The countries represented include Saint Lucia, Costa Rica, Croatia (2), El Salvador, Singapore, Slovenia, Taiwan and Turkey.

2006

Willie Potter — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:26:42 GMT

Class of 2006

Class Information

Class of 2006 entering profile

Graduation Information

2006 Commencement Speech, President George W. Bush