DVIDS – News – President Biden tells graduates to prepare for world change

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, COLORADO – President Joe Biden told the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Class of 2023 on June 1 that they will soon help transform the rapidly changing world that awaits them. .

The president said the world is at a “tipping point” and the new second lieutenant is ready to rise to the challenge.

“The decisions we make today will determine what the world looks like decades from now,” Biden said. “No graduate can choose the world after graduation. But some classes, once every few generations, enter a point in our history where they have a chance to actually change the trajectory of the country. You will face that tipping point today, a moment that will confirm that the future we are building is fundamentally consistent with our values ​​and protects American interests. I know it will happen.”

Most diverse class ever

Biden delivered the commencement speech for the Class of 23 at the academy’s commencement ceremony at Falcon Stadium, addressing 921 graduates, faculty and staff, and thousands of friends and relatives. He praised the diversity of the class. Biden said this year’s class had the highest graduation rate of women and minorities in the academy’s history. Women made up 29 percent of the class, and minorities made up 31 percent of graduates. He noted that the academy accomplished this feat during the 75th anniversary of the Women’s Military Integration Act and the 50th anniversary of the creation of an all-volunteer military.

The Rector also encouraged the graduates to demonstrate their character and leadership to meet the challenges that lie ahead.

“The power of our example”

“I have always believed that America is strongest when we lead not by the example of our strength, but by the power of our example,” Biden said. “The same applies to your own leadership experience. No matter what changes or difficulties come your way, your character, moral clarity, and ability should never waver.”

Before Mr. Biden took to the podium, Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark praised the resiliency of the ranks, particularly the officer they chose as a role model for their response during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lt. Col. Leo. compared with that shown. K. Sourceness. Each class selects one model airman who has achieved outstanding service in the Air Force.

The exemplar for this year’s class was a Vietnam-era fighter pilot who led a flight of four F-105 Thunderbirds on a mission over North Vietnam on April 19, 1967. Despite the extreme danger, Thornes was left stranded when one of his wingmen was shot down. He shot down one MiG-17 and shot down four more when he spotted a MiG-17 over the crashed aircraft. Thornes later received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions. Eleven days later, he was shot down and captured, remaining a prisoner of war for over six years.

Thornes, who died in 2017, “never flinched or failed,” Clark said, paraphrasing the last two lines of Airman’s Creed.

survive and thrive

“During your time at the Academy, I witnessed first-hand the struggles the Class of 2023 faces and how you reflect the exemplary qualities,” Clark said. Told. “Like Leo Thornes, you never flinched or failed. In your first year, you found yourself in the middle of a pandemic and we sent you home in his March. , I made them learn. [virtually]. Deans, staff, and faculty pivoted and transitioned from an in-person curriculum to distance learning. Other universities were forced to close, but we couldn’t because your country needed you. ”

Clark added, “I’m so proud that you didn’t just survive, you survived. You grew.”