As servants of our Army and our nation, we have been given a profound trust by the American people. That sacred trust is the care, welfare and very lives of their sons and daughters. We cannot and must not fail this awesome trust because to do so would be to endanger the life s blood of our nation s future. For whatever the need of values in our society at large, they are all the more necessary for us as soldiers and civilians who stand as sentinels on the frontiers of freedom. This attribute was eloquently expressed by Senator Edward Kennedy during his eulogy of his brother Robert who had fallen under an assassin's bullet.
Some men see things that are and ask why .
We do not remember the names of the countless individuals throughout history who always went along to get along. The lives of these great men and women embody our values and speak of love, integrity, sacrifice, selflessness, commitment and compassion. These visionaries of world history are also the examples I hold up to you, as you look within to explore your personal values and beliefs and as you strive each day for purpose and fulfillment. We must arm ourselves from within, instilling into our character the positive values of those great leaders who came before us. If we nurture these qualities by calling upon them often, then when the dark clouds of adversity, pain and suffering inevitably enter our lives, we shall stand strong and immovable as a mighty oak and prevail against the tempests which buffet our lives.