Air Force Academy – Saying extremists are “waging war against society itself,” Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld urged Air Force Academy graduates today to persevere through difficult times.
Rumsfeld did not mention the war in Iraq by name during his 14-minute speech but praised the 879 graduates for their willingness to join what he called a long war against extremists.
He cadets the United States has a history of overcoming adversity and cited World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War and combat in Afghanistan.
“Most would prefer to live when times are calm, when we might all peacefully go about our lives,” he said. “Each of you have stepped forward to meet a dangerous threat …. That is an enormous responsibility. Yours is a noble calling.” After all the cadets had marched across the stage to get their diplomas, the Thunderbirds aerial stunt team roared over Falcon Stadium as the graduates sailed their hats into the air.
Rumsfeld also planned to tour the nearby North American Aerospace Defense Command, which monitors missiles, planes and spacecraft, and the U.S. Northern Command, which is responsible for protecting U.S. territory.
Cadet Jennifer Young, 22, of Fredericksburg, Va., said her time at the elite school north of Colorado Springs went quickly.
“It’s surreal and wonderful. You spend four years thinking you can’t wait to graduate and you get to this final year and time speeds up and you wonder how you got here,” Young said as she lined up for the march into the stadium before the ceremony.
Ryan Baker, 22, is moving to the Army after graduation from the academy and will train to become an infantry officer. He expects to spend a year in Iraq after that.
“I figure if I do my job, we’ll all come home safe,” said Baker, of White Plains, N.Y.
