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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE: Commencement Addresses 2015

  • "Cadets, you're at the start of your careers. And we cannot know, each of us, how many days we will walk this Earth. We can't guarantee we're all going to live to 100. But what we can do is live each day to its fullest. What we can do is look squarely at what will make the biggest difference for future generations and be willing to tackle those challenges."

    President Barack Obama Speech

  • "In the weeks, months and years to come, you'll be asked to bear burdens and make sacrifices you will never have dreamed of and you wondered whether you would be capable of ... And you will rise to the moment."

    Vice President Joe Biden Speech

  • "We trust you to win our nation's wars, to be leaders of character and competence and consequence. We trust you to leave our profession better than you found it."

    Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey

Video

Screen grab of Dempsey addressing graduates.

'Challenges Do Not End Today,' Dempsey Tells Graduates

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Photo Essays

Work Visits Naval Postgraduate School

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Speeches

Work Urges Naval Postgraduate School Grads to Lead in Changing World

The U.S. military must adapt to the changing world situation and the graduates of the Naval Postgraduate School must lead that change, Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work said in commencement remarks at the school in Monterey, Calif. Story

Chairman: National Defense University Graduates Ready for Future Challenges

In commencement remarks, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told National Defense University graduates that as they rise in rank and responsibility, they will face tests of their ethics and character. Story

James to Air Force Cadets: 'Lead Us Into The Future'

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James noted that changes in geopolitics, technology and threats had taken place since U.S. Air Force Academy graduates began four years of intense leadership training. Story

Dempsey Emphasizes Trust in West Point Address

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff reversed the first-salute tradition for new officers during the Class of 2015's U.S. Military Academy commencement. Story

Vice President Salutes Naval Academy's Graduating Class

As he addressed the U.S. Naval Academy's graduating class in Annapolis, Maryland, Vice President Joe Biden expressed pride in the midshipmen as they prepare to join a 170-year legacy of excellence. Story

Obama Outlines Climate Change, Future Challenges for Coast Guard Graduates

President Barack Obama, during his last presidential commencement address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, congratulated and welcomed the Coast Guard's newest wave of leaders. Story


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