WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:02.111 Ladies and gentlemen , please join me 00:02.111 --> 00:04.400 in a warm West Point Welcome for the 00:04.400 --> 00:07.280 first lady of the United States . Mrs 00:07.280 --> 00:08.850 Michelle Obama . 00:15.540 --> 00:16.540 Yeah , 00:22.840 --> 00:26.540 thank you . Thank you 00:26.540 --> 00:29.750 so much . Hello everyone . 00:30.740 --> 00:34.060 Thank you for this . Wonderful welcome . 00:36.640 --> 00:39.710 I want to thank general Hontoon for 00:39.710 --> 00:42.660 that . Very , very kind introduction . 00:43.240 --> 00:46.420 I also want to thank secretary 00:46.430 --> 00:50.270 Mccue The class of 1961 00:50.270 --> 00:53.390 bar presenters , all of our 00:53.400 --> 00:56.180 distinguished guests , all of the 00:56.180 --> 00:59.820 parents , families , friends who are 00:59.820 --> 01:02.600 joining us tonight . And of course I 01:02.600 --> 01:04.860 want to say thank you for inviting me 01:04.860 --> 01:08.170 here to the United States Military 01:08.180 --> 01:12.060 Academy . It's breathtaking . This is 01:12.060 --> 01:14.660 my first visit to West Point . It will 01:14.660 --> 01:17.980 not be my last Yeah , 01:19.640 --> 01:23.500 yeah . And I 01:23.500 --> 01:26.260 am truly humbled to speak to you 01:26.260 --> 01:29.310 tonight on an evening that is so 01:29.310 --> 01:32.860 special for all of you for this academy , 01:34.440 --> 01:36.750 for your families , for this country . 01:38.040 --> 01:41.680 As I look around at the 01:41.690 --> 01:45.300 cadets in this room , very , 01:45.310 --> 01:47.366 very good looking group by the way , 01:49.140 --> 01:52.980 it is very clear to me that you all 01:52.990 --> 01:56.160 reflect everything we hope to see in 01:56.160 --> 01:58.750 ourselves and in our country , 01:59.940 --> 02:02.290 firmness of character and strength of 02:02.290 --> 02:06.250 heart , a strong body and a ferocious 02:06.250 --> 02:10.060 mind , A devotion to country and to 02:10.060 --> 02:13.120 family . And I know that this weekend 02:13.130 --> 02:16.440 is the product of 47 months of 02:16.440 --> 02:18.860 extraordinary effort and endurance from 02:18.870 --> 02:22.100 our day to your last exam , during t 02:22.100 --> 02:25.690 week for all of you . I know this has 02:25.690 --> 02:28.180 been a magnificent , magnificent 02:28.180 --> 02:31.760 journey . A journey full of academic 02:31.760 --> 02:34.970 and athletic victories . A journey that 02:34.970 --> 02:37.150 has taken you across the country and 02:37.150 --> 02:40.830 around the world . You've learned new 02:40.830 --> 02:43.090 skills and you've immersed yourselves 02:43.090 --> 02:45.290 and new cultures which will serve you 02:45.290 --> 02:47.960 well on today's battlefields , 02:49.240 --> 02:52.200 you've created a bionic foot , an 02:52.210 --> 02:55.970 exoskeleton and other robotics and 02:55.970 --> 02:58.140 cyber defense projects that will help 02:58.150 --> 03:01.320 troops in the field . Now in the area 03:01.320 --> 03:04.730 of sports , Your football team had its 03:04.730 --> 03:07.340 first winning season in 14 years and 03:07.340 --> 03:11.260 it's first bowl victory in 25 years . 03:11.640 --> 03:12.640 Yeah , 03:15.740 --> 03:19.240 your women's rugby team just brought 03:19.240 --> 03:21.810 home the national championship last 03:21.820 --> 03:24.660 weekend . All right . 03:26.540 --> 03:29.960 Mhm . And General Hontoon shared with 03:29.960 --> 03:32.182 me that most of the young women on that 03:32.182 --> 03:34.293 team never played rugby before coming 03:34.293 --> 03:38.160 to West Point . Amazing . And with your 03:38.160 --> 03:40.250 help , West Point earned its first 03:40.250 --> 03:42.630 victory in the Sandhurst competition in 03:42.640 --> 03:43.240 18 03:43.240 --> 03:49.150 years . 03:49.940 --> 03:53.560 But along with all of your successes , 03:54.440 --> 03:56.950 your journey has also been filled with 03:56.950 --> 04:00.310 plenty of challenges . You learn that 04:00.320 --> 04:03.790 crawling face first through the mud and 04:03.790 --> 04:06.270 enduring a long cold winter are not 04:06.270 --> 04:09.760 just metaphors . You've learned 04:10.140 --> 04:13.260 just how little sleep unique bob and 04:13.260 --> 04:16.660 how coffee and stomach to stay awake . 04:18.140 --> 04:21.900 You've cracked and until you thought it 04:21.900 --> 04:24.570 would burst and then you crammed in 04:24.570 --> 04:27.980 even more . And that is the beauty of 04:27.980 --> 04:31.260 West Point . It's a place where you 04:31.260 --> 04:33.480 learn that your greatest achievements 04:33.480 --> 04:36.910 will never come easily and they will 04:36.910 --> 04:40.740 never be achieved alone . You learn 04:40.740 --> 04:43.150 that duty , Honor and country are not 04:43.150 --> 04:46.260 simply words , but guide posts . 04:47.340 --> 04:49.620 They dictate what you ought to be , 04:49.630 --> 04:52.760 what you can be , what you will be . 04:53.840 --> 04:57.110 And you learn that there are times when 04:57.110 --> 05:00.920 we must stand up to defend our way of 05:00.920 --> 05:04.730 life when we must live out 05:04.740 --> 05:08.250 your class motto for freedom , We fight , 05:09.840 --> 05:13.680 We live in such times today . And you 05:13.680 --> 05:16.460 knew this from the moment you signed up , 05:17.940 --> 05:20.140 you knew that coming to this academy 05:20.140 --> 05:23.220 meant that you would likely be placed 05:23.230 --> 05:26.160 in dangerous situations on unknown soil . 05:27.640 --> 05:31.460 Yet you came anyway . You have seen 05:31.470 --> 05:34.110 cadets from the classes ahead of you 05:34.110 --> 05:36.750 pack their bags for Afghanistan or Iraq . 05:37.840 --> 05:39.951 Many of you have already served their 05:39.951 --> 05:43.190 yourselves . You hear updates 05:43.720 --> 05:46.120 not only from headlines and news feeds , 05:46.120 --> 05:48.960 but from emails and cell phone calls 05:48.960 --> 05:52.640 from friends . And yes , you've visited 05:52.640 --> 05:56.310 wounded friends . You've heard the 05:56.310 --> 05:59.170 bugles call each time a graduate of 05:59.180 --> 06:01.660 this academy has fallen in our wars . 06:03.240 --> 06:07.180 Yet you stayed anyway . Each of 06:07.180 --> 06:10.130 you has taken a journey here that is 06:10.130 --> 06:13.420 uniquely your own , but follows in the 06:13.420 --> 06:16.370 great tradition of West Point and 06:16.370 --> 06:19.980 tonight you're on the cusp of taking 06:19.980 --> 06:23.000 your rightful place in that long gray 06:23.000 --> 06:25.860 line . Now , this journey 06:26.840 --> 06:29.350 is a testament not just to you as 06:29.350 --> 06:33.190 individuals , but also to the families 06:33.200 --> 06:36.110 that surround you . Because your 06:36.110 --> 06:39.150 journey began long before you got that 06:39.150 --> 06:42.070 first military haircut and put on white 06:42.080 --> 06:45.760 over gray . Without your families , 06:46.340 --> 06:48.540 you never would have had the strength 06:48.540 --> 06:50.910 to tackle beast barracks . While your 06:50.910 --> 06:53.132 peers back home were enjoying a final , 06:53.132 --> 06:56.380 carefree summer . Before college , your 06:56.380 --> 06:59.150 families were the ones you called 07:00.140 --> 07:03.030 for shoulder to lean on or a kick in 07:03.030 --> 07:06.420 the pants . They've been there for you 07:06.420 --> 07:09.490 for every moment of triumph in every 07:09.500 --> 07:13.500 moment of challenge . Their unending 07:13.500 --> 07:16.440 love and support provide the very 07:16.440 --> 07:19.200 foundation that allows you to stand 07:19.200 --> 07:22.770 strong today . And that's what I really 07:22.770 --> 07:24.992 want to talk with you about tonight . I 07:24.992 --> 07:27.320 want to talk about what family can and 07:27.320 --> 07:30.250 will mean for you as leaders of our 07:30.260 --> 07:34.130 army and of our nation . Now I I 07:34.130 --> 07:36.352 grew up probably like many of you did . 07:36.940 --> 07:39.030 My family lived on the south side of 07:39.030 --> 07:40.919 Chicago on the top floor of a two 07:40.919 --> 07:43.860 family home . We didn't have much money 07:45.340 --> 07:47.930 but we had more than enough of what 07:47.930 --> 07:51.210 mattered . We had the unwavering love 07:51.210 --> 07:54.000 and support of family . We had a 07:54.000 --> 07:57.430 community that looked after us . We had 07:57.430 --> 07:59.910 parents who showed us by example that 07:59.920 --> 08:03.240 if we worked hard enough , if we kept 08:03.250 --> 08:05.720 ourselves grounded and held fast to 08:05.720 --> 08:09.180 certain core values then we could be 08:09.190 --> 08:12.790 anything that we dreamed of . My dad 08:12.790 --> 08:14.957 was diagnosed with M . S . When he was 08:14.957 --> 08:17.780 in his early thirties , it was an 08:17.780 --> 08:20.950 athlete as he grew older , he grew 08:20.950 --> 08:24.730 weaker and sicker , but I remember how 08:24.730 --> 08:27.010 he still got up and went to work every 08:27.010 --> 08:30.690 day . I remember how he would drag 08:30.690 --> 08:33.020 himself out to play in the park with me 08:33.020 --> 08:36.860 and my brother and he was a role model 08:36.860 --> 08:40.160 to our entire community just by being 08:40.160 --> 08:43.270 himself . He showed me what it means to 08:43.270 --> 08:46.450 be apparent a citizen and a leader 08:47.640 --> 08:49.696 and I know that each of you has your 08:49.696 --> 08:51.960 own family stories that shape you . 08:53.040 --> 08:55.880 Cadet Russ . Bergen was inspired by his 08:55.880 --> 08:59.820 father too . He saw how his dad went 08:59.820 --> 09:02.020 through chemo and radiation treatments 09:02.740 --> 09:05.770 but never complained , never felt sorry 09:05.770 --> 09:07.937 for himself and continued to work full 09:07.937 --> 09:11.030 time to provide for his family . And 09:11.030 --> 09:13.340 today , fortunately his dad is cancer 09:13.340 --> 09:16.480 free and Cadet Bergen is here at West 09:16.480 --> 09:18.760 Point , the best place he could imagine 09:19.140 --> 09:21.307 to live out the values that his father 09:21.307 --> 09:25.140 demonstrated every day . Then we have 09:25.140 --> 09:28.740 cadet judo who is the first generation 09:28.740 --> 09:32.340 american growing up , he'd accompany 09:32.340 --> 09:34.770 his grandfather on doctor visits as a 09:34.770 --> 09:37.520 translator and that's how he developed 09:37.520 --> 09:40.400 his passion for medicine , a passion 09:40.400 --> 09:42.710 that will take him to Harvard medical 09:42.710 --> 09:46.570 School next year . Yeah . And so many 09:46.570 --> 09:49.050 of you come from military backgrounds 09:49.440 --> 09:52.160 like today ? S Christine , Christina , 09:52.540 --> 09:56.040 vinnie and Megan snook who each have 09:56.050 --> 09:58.470 multiple family members that graduated 09:58.470 --> 10:01.600 from this academy cadet eren Anthony 10:01.600 --> 10:04.160 can trace her family's military history 10:04.160 --> 10:07.800 to the 16 hundreds but 10:07.800 --> 10:11.050 cadets , no matter how you've grown up , 10:12.140 --> 10:14.570 no matter how you define family , all 10:14.570 --> 10:17.550 of you have someone in your life who 10:17.550 --> 10:21.010 believed in you and pushed you , you 10:21.010 --> 10:23.290 had someone who taught you the values 10:23.290 --> 10:26.590 and lessons that will sustain you when 10:26.590 --> 10:29.830 times get tough or you are unsure of 10:29.830 --> 10:32.860 what's ahead and some of those people 10:32.860 --> 10:35.960 are here with you tonight . So to the 10:35.960 --> 10:39.020 parents , I can only 10:39.020 --> 10:42.390 imagine the joy you'll feel tomorrow 10:42.390 --> 10:44.800 when you see your sons and daughters in 10:44.800 --> 10:46.967 their officer's uniforms for the first 10:46.967 --> 10:50.150 time . I can only imagine 10:51.010 --> 10:53.580 the pride that comes from knowing that 10:53.580 --> 10:56.760 your kids are the kind of kids that 10:56.770 --> 10:58.760 everyone dreams of raising . 11:00.540 --> 11:04.310 But as parents I can also imagine what 11:04.310 --> 11:06.366 else might be on your mind tonight . 11:07.340 --> 11:10.320 You all read the papers , you all 11:10.320 --> 11:12.209 understand what your Children has 11:12.209 --> 11:14.230 signed up for . You know what their 11:14.230 --> 11:16.452 next assignment is . And in the back of 11:16.452 --> 11:18.452 your mind you're probably wondering 11:18.452 --> 11:20.563 where the assignments after that will 11:20.563 --> 11:22.690 take them . And those concerns are 11:22.690 --> 11:26.470 natural but it is a testament to 11:26.470 --> 11:29.650 your strength , your patriotism and 11:29.650 --> 11:31.761 your unconditional love that you have 11:31.761 --> 11:35.710 proudly supported these cadets every 11:35.710 --> 11:39.660 step of the way and cadets . 11:40.640 --> 11:42.630 I want you all to know that these 11:42.630 --> 11:45.460 people will always be there for you 11:46.740 --> 11:49.150 as I've seen in my own life and heard 11:49.160 --> 11:51.750 from troops all across this world . 11:53.040 --> 11:56.200 Your family will be your rock , whether 11:56.200 --> 11:59.730 you're right next to them or cross an 11:59.730 --> 12:03.730 ocean and soon many of you will be 12:03.730 --> 12:06.860 building families of your own very soon 12:06.860 --> 12:09.170 for some of you . I hear that in 12:09.170 --> 12:11.800 addition to all the graduation 12:11.800 --> 12:14.022 preparations , many of you are planning 12:14.022 --> 12:16.360 weddings as well and some honeymoons . 12:16.740 --> 12:19.200 So congratulations to all of you as you 12:19.200 --> 12:22.540 prepare for the big day and no matter 12:22.540 --> 12:25.170 where your career takes , you know that 12:25.170 --> 12:27.059 your families will be there right 12:27.059 --> 12:30.850 alongside you because our force 12:31.440 --> 12:35.360 is a force of families and that's 12:35.360 --> 12:37.970 become more clear even in just a 12:37.970 --> 12:41.720 generation during Vietnam , most of our 12:41.720 --> 12:45.660 troops were young , single men and most 12:45.670 --> 12:47.781 of those who were married had spouses 12:47.781 --> 12:50.320 who stayed at home . But today more 12:50.320 --> 12:52.376 than half of our service members are 12:52.376 --> 12:56.060 married , 40% have two or more kids . 12:56.440 --> 12:59.640 And most military spouses are employed 12:59.650 --> 13:02.290 outside of the home . That's what 13:02.300 --> 13:04.411 today's military families look like . 13:05.140 --> 13:08.100 They are military spouses who pursue a 13:08.100 --> 13:11.460 career , raised their kids alone and 13:11.460 --> 13:14.750 still find time for night school . They 13:14.750 --> 13:17.360 are Children who move from town to town , 13:18.040 --> 13:20.680 constantly adjusting to new schools and 13:20.680 --> 13:24.290 making new friends . They're blue star 13:24.290 --> 13:27.760 moms who wake up every morning and pray 13:27.760 --> 13:30.400 and pray that their child comes home 13:30.400 --> 13:33.830 safely . They are Gold star 13:33.830 --> 13:36.890 families who honor the memory of their 13:36.890 --> 13:40.120 loved ones while still channeling their 13:40.120 --> 13:42.160 strength and to serving others 13:43.940 --> 13:47.720 and graduates . This is why your role 13:47.720 --> 13:51.050 is so important . Soon you'll be 13:51.050 --> 13:54.180 serving not just for yourselves , not 13:54.180 --> 13:57.210 just for your own families , but for 13:57.210 --> 14:00.440 all of these families , you'll be 14:00.440 --> 14:02.710 helping your troops deal with the joy 14:02.720 --> 14:05.580 of a new birth and the disappointment 14:05.580 --> 14:07.580 of not being in the delivery room . 14:08.340 --> 14:11.240 You'll be helping a soldier cope with a 14:11.250 --> 14:13.250 family emergency halfway around the 14:13.250 --> 14:16.660 world and you'll see again and again 14:17.340 --> 14:19.830 that those family relationships are 14:19.830 --> 14:22.440 just as important to a soldier's 14:22.440 --> 14:25.160 success in anything that you can 14:25.160 --> 14:28.780 provide them in the field . And just as 14:28.780 --> 14:30.980 our troops need your leadership and 14:30.980 --> 14:34.060 support their families due to 14:35.140 --> 14:37.251 because they sacrifice and serve this 14:37.251 --> 14:39.473 nation right alongside anyone who wears 14:39.473 --> 14:42.790 our uniform . But America doesn't 14:42.790 --> 14:45.930 always see that . And they can thank 14:45.940 --> 14:47.884 our troops and airports in grocery 14:47.884 --> 14:50.218 stores because they're wearing fatigues , 14:50.218 --> 14:53.280 we can see them . But military families 14:53.280 --> 14:55.502 don't wear any kind of uniform and they 14:55.502 --> 14:59.350 just blend in And because only 1% of 14:59.350 --> 15:01.628 our country serves in the armed forces , 15:01.628 --> 15:04.430 a lot of Americans simply don't know , 15:04.440 --> 15:07.260 many if any military families . 15:08.340 --> 15:10.310 so they're not familiar with the 15:10.310 --> 15:12.440 resilience it takes to get through a 15:12.440 --> 15:15.730 long deployment . They have no idea the 15:15.730 --> 15:19.000 courage it takes simply to turn on the 15:19.000 --> 15:22.880 evening news . They don't fully 15:22.880 --> 15:25.460 realize the strength you need to move 15:25.460 --> 15:29.040 your family for the 4th or 5th Or six 15:29.040 --> 15:32.150 time in a decade . But 15:33.140 --> 15:35.307 even though people may not always know 15:35.307 --> 15:37.620 exactly what you're going through 15:37.620 --> 15:40.250 exactly how to help , I can assure you 15:41.040 --> 15:43.950 that they do want to help . Admiral 15:43.950 --> 15:46.560 mullen will be speaking to you tomorrow . 15:47.340 --> 15:49.860 He calls it the Sea of Goodwill . 15:51.240 --> 15:53.920 And believe me , I have seen that , see 15:53.920 --> 15:56.160 with my own eyes across the country , 15:57.140 --> 15:59.307 that's why I'm working with Jill biden 15:59.307 --> 16:01.473 a channel that sea of goodwill through 16:01.473 --> 16:03.362 an effort . We're calling joining 16:03.362 --> 16:06.000 forces nationwide campaign calling on 16:06.010 --> 16:09.070 all americans to recognize honor and 16:09.070 --> 16:11.410 support our military families , not 16:11.410 --> 16:14.770 just with words , but with 16:14.770 --> 16:18.710 deeds . We want your families to feel 16:18.720 --> 16:21.380 these efforts on the ground in your 16:21.380 --> 16:24.200 daily lives . So we're working across 16:24.200 --> 16:26.810 all sectors , asking everyone from 16:26.820 --> 16:28.820 government and business to faith 16:28.820 --> 16:31.010 communities and school districts to 16:31.010 --> 16:33.343 make commitments to you and your family . 16:33.740 --> 16:36.130 Already , people across this country , 16:36.140 --> 16:37.810 including many of our largest 16:37.810 --> 16:40.032 corporations and non for profits , have 16:40.032 --> 16:42.580 stepped up with real tangible 16:42.580 --> 16:45.610 commitments . And let me tell you when 16:45.610 --> 16:48.340 I meet a member of Congress or powerful 16:48.340 --> 16:51.440 Ceo and ask for their help . I've been 16:51.440 --> 16:54.610 blown away by their enthusiasm . They 16:54.610 --> 16:57.460 all want to help . They're all excited 16:57.460 --> 17:01.320 to do it and we haven't heard one 17:01.320 --> 17:04.450 Single Person Tell Us No . So 17:04.450 --> 17:07.550 graduates , I want you to know 17:08.600 --> 17:11.070 that while this country is asking so 17:11.070 --> 17:13.070 much of you . Once you pin on those 17:13.070 --> 17:16.490 gold bars , we are not asking you to do 17:16.490 --> 17:19.800 it alone . You have your 17:19.800 --> 17:22.500 families that are with you today and 17:22.500 --> 17:26.460 every day you have the many friends and 17:26.460 --> 17:28.670 family members outside these walls , 17:29.190 --> 17:31.160 the ones watching all around the 17:31.160 --> 17:34.380 academy and all of those who support 17:34.380 --> 17:36.436 you in your hometowns and across the 17:36.436 --> 17:39.930 country . And you have millions of 17:39.930 --> 17:43.180 folks who you don't even know and who 17:43.180 --> 17:45.830 you will never meet , who have your 17:45.830 --> 17:49.680 back from my husband right on down 17:49.690 --> 17:51.746 through the ranks of this military . 17:52.640 --> 17:55.420 From those powerful Ceos to all the 17:55.420 --> 17:57.531 teachers , the clergy , the neighbors 17:57.531 --> 17:59.660 that you deal with every single day . 18:01.140 --> 18:03.430 We all want to give something back to 18:03.440 --> 18:06.140 you and your families because we're 18:06.150 --> 18:09.400 inspired by you were 18:09.410 --> 18:12.890 inspired by the character reflected in 18:12.890 --> 18:16.160 your acceptance to this academy and by 18:16.160 --> 18:18.720 the courage to serve during a time of 18:18.720 --> 18:22.630 war . We're inspired by how over 18:22.630 --> 18:26.410 these past 47 months you have become 18:26.410 --> 18:29.570 not simply warriors , not simply 18:29.570 --> 18:32.970 scholars , You have all become 18:32.970 --> 18:36.900 leaders . You have come to embody 18:36.910 --> 18:40.780 duty honor country , just like all 18:40.780 --> 18:44.770 those who came before you . Fair Grant 18:45.240 --> 18:48.760 Eisenhower Schwartz cough . Those 18:48.760 --> 18:51.460 values stretch through generations and 18:51.460 --> 18:54.630 across this nation powering 18:54.640 --> 18:58.530 astronauts and engineers , Senators and 18:58.530 --> 19:01.360 Statesman , Business Leaders and five 19:01.360 --> 19:04.760 Star Generals . But tonight 19:05.340 --> 19:07.700 I'd actually like to end with a story 19:07.700 --> 19:11.510 of someone who lived long before your 19:11.510 --> 19:15.350 motto was adopted . Someone who was 19:15.350 --> 19:18.370 never a West Point cadet . But I think 19:18.370 --> 19:20.314 that's okay since this building is 19:20.314 --> 19:24.090 named after him In the 19:24.090 --> 19:27.970 summer of 1775 , we 19:27.970 --> 19:30.710 were barely two months removed from 19:30.720 --> 19:33.680 paul reveals ride and the shot heard 19:33.680 --> 19:36.560 around the world and the second 19:36.560 --> 19:38.560 Continental Congress was meeting in 19:38.560 --> 19:40.782 philadelphia to take control of the war 19:40.782 --> 19:44.490 effort . They decided to put the 19:44.490 --> 19:46.850 Continental Army under George 19:46.850 --> 19:50.260 Washington's command and he was to 19:50.260 --> 19:52.060 leave for boston immediately 19:54.240 --> 19:56.407 and the night before he was officially 19:56.407 --> 19:58.460 commissioned as Commander in chief 19:59.840 --> 20:02.960 before he left to lead thousands of men 20:04.840 --> 20:07.220 before he began to chart the course of 20:07.220 --> 20:09.550 freedom for our country and our world 20:10.840 --> 20:13.660 Washington sat down to draft a letter 20:14.740 --> 20:18.270 to his wife Martha in it . 20:19.540 --> 20:22.180 He writes , not of battle plans or 20:22.180 --> 20:24.670 great pride and personal achievement . 20:26.340 --> 20:28.770 He writes with , in his words , 20:29.740 --> 20:33.320 inexpressible concern because he's 20:33.320 --> 20:35.860 thinking about his wife . 20:37.640 --> 20:40.190 He's thinking about her being at home 20:40.190 --> 20:43.750 alone on their farm . So he 20:43.750 --> 20:47.280 asks her to be strong and he says he 20:47.280 --> 20:49.700 hopes that the time will pass as easily 20:49.700 --> 20:51.720 as possible because as he writes , 20:52.640 --> 20:55.260 nothing will give me so much sincere 20:55.260 --> 20:59.000 satisfaction as to hear this and to 20:59.000 --> 21:00.670 hear it from your own pin . 21:03.340 --> 21:06.590 Well , today's soldiers may write 21:06.600 --> 21:08.860 emails rather than pinning letters . 21:10.240 --> 21:12.240 They may be able to video chat with 21:12.240 --> 21:15.770 their kids at bedtime , but that 21:15.780 --> 21:19.230 abiding love that 21:19.240 --> 21:23.000 passionate devotion to family . That is 21:23.000 --> 21:25.100 what has sustained so many on 21:25.100 --> 21:28.630 battlefields here in America and around 21:28.630 --> 21:31.330 the world since the beginning of this 21:31.330 --> 21:35.160 nation . Your families , 21:35.940 --> 21:38.107 the ones here tonight and the ones you 21:38.107 --> 21:41.540 will build some day will always be at 21:41.540 --> 21:43.818 the forefront of your hearts and minds . 21:44.840 --> 21:47.130 And the only thing that will give you 21:47.130 --> 21:49.510 and your troops that sincere 21:49.510 --> 21:51.566 satisfaction that general Washington 21:51.566 --> 21:55.180 spoke of is knowing that they are 21:55.180 --> 21:59.120 safe . So alongside everything 21:59.120 --> 22:01.380 else you have learned and experienced 22:01.380 --> 22:03.810 here at the United States Military 22:03.810 --> 22:06.670 Academy , the calculus and the 22:06.670 --> 22:10.050 Shakespeare , the interim murals and 22:10.050 --> 22:13.300 leadership training . I ask you to 22:13.300 --> 22:16.110 remember that family has always been a 22:16.110 --> 22:19.880 centerpiece of our american history our 22:19.880 --> 22:23.490 story . I want you to remember that 22:23.490 --> 22:25.690 this country and all of its citizens 22:25.690 --> 22:27.860 stand ready to serve you and your 22:27.860 --> 22:30.980 families and I want you to remember 22:30.980 --> 22:33.760 that as long as we all do our duty , 22:34.740 --> 22:37.460 as long as we all serve with honor , 22:38.240 --> 22:40.184 then the fate of this country will 22:40.184 --> 22:43.200 never be in doubt . So again , 22:43.200 --> 22:47.070 congratulations to all of you . We 22:47.080 --> 22:50.750 are so very proud of You . May God 22:50.750 --> 22:52.850 bless you and your families on the 22:52.850 --> 22:55.000 journey ahead , and may God bless the 22:55.000 --> 22:57.670 United States of America . Thank you .