Words of Advice for the Class of '09
The Value of Military Service and the Impact
of the Iraq, Afghanistan Wars Figured Heavily
in a Number of 2009 Commencement Addresses.
As military servicemembers and veterans consider their educational plans for the coming year, Military Advanced Education gathered together excerpts from a few speeches that touched on the nature of military conflict, the importance of advanced education and the greater role that today’s military servicemembers can potentially play in society—in or out of uniform.
FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ
RYAN CROCKER, WHITMAN COLLEGE:
“For America and Americans, as the first decade of the 21st century draws to a close, there is an ever-greater need to understand the world as it is, not as we may want it to be. It is not a unipolar world, as our adversaries assert and we ourselves may once have hoped. It’s a nonpolar world. A world in which we may be the dominant element, but we are by no means the determinative one. The Cold War, for all of its terrors, provided a stable framework for the post-World War II international order. That framework collapsed with the Soviet Union 20 years ago, and with it, a new disorder was born. It is no coincidence that Iraq, no longer checked by Moscow, invaded Kuwait in 1990. It is therefore a world that must be understood in its own messy, complicated terms, where local and regional realities are always ready to ambush the most sophisticated international strategies. It’s a world in which there are few easy choices. In Iraq, we tend to forget the unprecedented challenge that Saddam Hussein posed to the integrity of the United Nations system itself. And if we were wrong to move without many of our traditional allies, perhaps they were wrong to give us little option except to do so. And maybe, just maybe, we both learned something.
“And it is a long war. It started for me, not on 9/11 and in its aftermath, but in Beirut, more than a quarter of a century ago, when the Embassy and Marine barracks were bombed. And if it is a long war, it follows that there are real enemies, whether personally or nationally; not all the world wishes us well, and some fights have to be fought. The challenge, the challenge you will face, is knowing which ones, when and how. It is therefore essential to know our adversaries as well as our allies. They know us. And with that knowledge, including studies of politics, of history, of culture and especially of language, to be ready to ask the hard questions. What happens the day, the month, the year after, in a region and in a world where our adversaries may not even start to fight until after we think we have won. But when we are committed, we need to stay committed. Both our allies and our adversaries have drawn dangerous conclusions over the years concerning our commitment and our consistency.
“In 2002, America voted for a war in Iraq. In 2006, America voted against that war. But you can’t rewind the film. The going has been very difficult, and when I arrived in Baghdad in early 2007 it was somewhere beyond difficult. But sometimes in life, you just have to put your head down and push on. And here’s a lesson from a long war: Perseverance does not always require hope, but it can create hope. And both perseverance and hope require a sense of strategic patience. It wasn’t only [Whitman College namesake] Marcus Whitman’s plans that required time and distance. It’s America’s plans.
“So that’s a couple of my lessons from a long war in hard places. And whether you know it or not, class of 2009, you’ve already gone a long way toward absorbing these lessons, thanks to your education here at Whitman.”
DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT M. GATES,
U.S. MILITARY ACADEMY AT WEST POINT, N.Y.:
“I’ve come to believe that few people are born great leaders. When all is said and done, the kind of leader you become is up to you, based on the choices you make. And in the time remaining, I’d like to talk about some of those choices, and how those choices will be shaped by the realities of this dangerous new century. “I would start with something I tell all the new generals and civilian executives that I meet with at the Pentagon. It is a leadership quality that is really basic and simple—but so basic and simple that too often it is forgotten: and that is the importance, as you lead, of doing so with common decency and respect toward your subordinates. Harry Truman had it right when he observed that one of the surest ways to judge someone is how well—or poorly—he treats those who ‘can’t talk back.’
“In this country, going back to its earliest days, the American soldier has been drawn from the ranks of free citizens, which has implications for how those troops should be led and treated.
“[An] anecdote from our country’s founding [captures] the independent thinking of the American soldier and the greatness of the Army officer who led them. During the [American] Revolution, a man in civilian clothes rode past a redoubt being repaired. The commander was shouting orders but not helping. When the rider asked why, the supervisor of the work detail retorted, ‘Sir, I am a corporal!’
“The stranger apologized, dismounted, and helped repair the redoubt. When he was done, he turned toward the supervisor and said, ‘Mr. Corporal, next time you have a job like this and not enough men to do it, go to your commander in chief, and I will come and help you again.’ Too late, the corporal recognized George Washington. The power of example in leadership.
“It has always been one of the hallmarks of the U.S. military to push decision-making down to the lowest possible level. In Iraq and Afghanistan, we rely on our junior- and mid-level combat leaders to make judgments—tactical, strategic, cultural, ethical—of the kind that much more senior commanders would have made a generation ago.
“The Army has always needed agile and adaptive leaders with a broad perspective and range of skills. Now, in an era where we face a full spectrum of conflict—where high-intensity combat, stability, train-and-equip, humanitarian, and high-end conventional operations may be occurring in rapid sequence or simultaneously—we cannot succeed without military leaders who are just as full spectrum in their thinking.
“We will not be able to train or educate you to have all the right answers—as one might find in a manual—but you should look for those experiences and pursuits in your career that will help you at least ask the right questions. ...
“Just over a half-century ago, no less an Army institution than General Eisenhower said here at West Point: ‘Without the yeast of pioneers, the United States Army, or any other organization of men’—and today we would add women—‘cannot escape degeneration into a ritualistic worship of the status quo.’ Keep Ike’s admonition in mind in the years ahead—be a pioneer in the assignments you take, the learning you pursue, the assumptions you question.”
U.S. AIR FORCE GENERAL LANCE SMITH (RET.),
FORMER COMMANDER OF U.S. JOINT FORCES
COMMAND, VIRGINIA TECH:
“As you prepare to step into the great chaotic unknown of today’s world with all of its challenges and mystery, I thought I would share several observations I’ve made over the years viewing our country from both at home and abroad—mostly from abroad. “Let me begin by saying how proud I am to be an American— that seems to be harder and harder for some to say today. But this is a great country and a unique force for good in the world. “I have no idea why we continue to beat ourselves up and apologize for our every action.
“We have done more to free people from tyranny and poverty than any other nation on Earth and refuse to be proud of that, yet are happy to kick ourselves in the rear for every mistake we make, big or small.
“Because of our efforts, millions of young girls are in school in Afghanistan today; Iraq is rid of a vicious dictator and his sons; Kuwait is a sovereign nation again; millions are surviving the scourge of AIDS and malaria in Africa; numerous agencies, including the UN, are able to provide services to their constituents thanks to our massive contributions; and the list could go on ad infinitum.
“It is media and political hype that the U.S. is hated around the world. It is just not true.
“Some do dislike us, of course—the western way of life is a powerful threat to many, particularly religious leaders, who don’t share our liberal views. These leaders influence many, but they won’t like us no matter what we do.
“We are aggressive actors on the world stage, and not all action we take is going to be lauded by everyone in the international community or even within our own country. Some will no doubt be impacted negatively by our actions, and they won’t like us much, but most aren’t the kind of friends we want anyway—we don’t need to be loved by everyone.”
U.S. ARMY GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS,
COMMANDER, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND,
GEORGIA GWINNETT COLLEGE:
“The many pressing challenges we face—from reviving the economy to overcoming poverty, from achieving renewable energy to improving American education—demand young leaders who will provide energy, commitment and example. ...
“You might suspect that someone wearing a uniform would think of service in terms of military service. But service comes in many forms. Whether in the commercial sector or in local political arenas, on the health care front or in the educational arena, there is much work worth doing.”
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA,
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY:
“We’ve become accustomed to the title of ‘military super-power,’ forgetting the qualities that earned us that title—not just a buildup of arms, or accumulation of victories, but the Marshall Plan, the Peace Corps, our commitment to working with other nations to pursue the ideals of opportunity, equality and freedom that have made us who we are.
“We’ve become accustomed to our economic dominance in the world, forgetting that it wasn’t reckless deals and get-rich-quick schemes that got us there; but hard work and smart ideas—quality products and wise investments. So we started taking shortcuts. We started living on credit, instead of building up savings. We saw businesses focus more on rebranding and repackaging than innovating and developing new ideas and products that improve our lives.
“All the while, the rest of the world has grown hungrier and more restless—in constant motion to build and discover—not content with where they are right now, determined to strive for more.
“So graduates, it is now abundantly clear that we need to start doing things a little differently. In your own lives, you’ll need to continuously adapt to a continuously changing economy: to have more than one job or career over the course of your life; to keep gaining new skills—possibly even new degrees; and to keep taking risks as new opportunities arise.
“And as a nation, we’ll need a fundamental change of perspective and attitude. It is clear that we need to build a new foundation—a stronger foundation—for our economy and our prosperity, rethinking how we educate our children, and care for our sick, and treat our environment.”
OTHER 2009 COMMENCEMENT SPEAKERS
- Chicago School of Professional Psychology: Major L. Tammy Duckworth, assistant secretary, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Florida A&M University: Former President Bill Clinton
- Florida State University: Lieutenant General Jay Garner (Ret.), former head of the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance in Iraq
- Franklin & Marshall College: Former Secretary of State Colin Powell
- High Point University: Colonel Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin (Ret.), former astronaut
- New York University: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
- Villanova University: Admiral William Fallon (Ret.), former head of U.S. Central Command
- Widener University: Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Pa.