Swearing In of 121st Foreign Service Class

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to welcome you today to the Dean Acheson Auditorium. Secretary Powell generally likes to be the one to swear in new Foreign Service classes, but as you may have noticed in the newspapers, he had to attend to some pressing business in Japan and China.

So it is my honor to preside today as the “pretend Secretary” and to deliver to you some good news and some bad news. You’ve finished with the exams. You’re done lingering on the lists. You’ve wrapped up an arduous orientation course in which you’ve mastered everything from how to maintain your composure in an embassy under siege to how to fill out your time sheet correctly. And in this world today, you may well need to know how to do both.

In any case, today is something like a graduation. And that’s the good news: you’ve finally arrived. Congratulations. The bad news is that this is not your destination. This is just the point of departure. From this day forward, you are setting off on a remarkable journey, one that may take you to the farthest corners of the earth. One that may bring you face to face with life-changing adventures. One that will test the skills you acquire along the way and all the character you bring with you to the job. You have chosen a career that will often be demanding and difficult, but rarely dull. And there will be many rewarding memories.

You have also chosen to join a rich history and proud tradition of statecraft at a very busy time for this institution and a time of turbulence for the nation. For us, as a Department, the war we are fighting today against terrorism speaks to a paradox that has always been at the heart of our mission. It is our job to open the United States to the rest of the world, both figuratively, in the foreign policy we make, and literally, in encouraging and enabling visitors and immigrants to come here and American citizens to travel abroad. And yet at the same time, it is also our job to protect our people and our country from threats; to stop criminals from entering our ports and to keep them from harming our people and our property. Secretary Powell often says that this means our people serve as both a first line of offense and a first line of defense for the nation.

You step onto this unique playing field equipped with a rich diversity of interests and backgrounds. Some of you are just out of college. Others have decades of professional experience in business, the military, other government agencies – and as a tour guide. You come from 37 states and 7 other countries. Some of you even come from California, which is practically another planet. But all of you share a common characteristic: in joining the Foreign Service – this band of brothers and sisters – you have chosen to live an uncommon life. A life of service to the public interest. And it is that commitment to service that truly links you together, to all of your new colleagues in the Department, and to a long and distinguished line of peers that stretches back through the centuries.

Now, as you prepare to divide into cones and disperse into Bureaus, I encourage you to view your areas of expertise as focal points rather than exclusionary zones. Keep in mind that we are one coherent workforce, united in a common cause, and that you need to be literate in all areas of business in this building in order to be truly effective. And from your first day on the job, practice the art of leadership. It will serve you well now and make you a true virtuoso as you progress in your career. Let the light of your enthusiasm lead the way ahead and inspire all your colleagues and always, always, take care of each other and of your families. You will sustain each other through many challenging days. Indeed, to those family members who are present, you are, in a very real way, joining the Department of State, too. And so today, we welcome you to our family, as well.

All of you should take tremendous pride in knowing that you have chosen to live a life of significance at a turning point in the history of our nation. And now, if all of you are ready, I am ready to swear you in to the Foreign Service of the United States.
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