Sec of Denfene Robert Gates spoke to VMI graduates....

LEXINGTON, Va., May 16, 2008 – Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates was the choice of speakers for the graduating class at the Virginia Military Institute at its commencement on May 16 in Cameron Hall. The day before, 52 percent of the 246 members of the class commissioned into the U.S. military. Gates congratulated the graduates on making it from the Rat Line to the finish line at an institution more demanding than most colleges and universities. He added that he’s impressed by the increasing number of men and women from VMI who commission into the military – it’s a tribute to the values the Institute instills in its students, he said. “It is precisely during these trying times that America needs its best and brightest young people, from all walks of life, to step forward and commit to public service,” said Gates. “While the obligations of citizenship in any democracy are considerable, they are even more profound, and more demanding, as citizens of a nation with America’s global challenges and responsibilities, and America’s values and aspirations.” Since 2001, 75 cadets have been mobilized during their cadetship, 41 of them in Iraq or Afghanistan. Ten are currently on active duty, called by their National Guard or Reserve units to duty in Iraq. More than 1,200 VMI graduates have served in Iraq or Afghanistan, and 8 did not come home, said Gates. He encouraged the graduating class to follow in the footsteps of alumni like Gen. George C. Marshall, who came out of retirement when called to continue serving his country, and Army Col. Jonathan Ives, a mobilized reservist from the Class of 1980. As commander of Task Force Cincinnatus in northern Afghanistan, Ives, like the Afghan national security forces he works with, takes up arms when he must and puts them down when he can. “The citizen-soldier is no myth,” said Gates. “He is real, and I have seen him in my travels around the world.” Gates called upon the graduate to heed the trumpet’s call no matter what career path they take. “If in the 21st century, America is to be a force for good in the world; if America is to continue to be a beacon for all who are oppressed; if America is to exercise global leadership consistent with our better angels, then the most able and idealistic of your generation must step forward and accept the burden and the duty of public service,” he said. “I promise you that you will also find joy and satisfaction and fulfillment.” For members of a graduating class who will pursue careers of leadership in the military and civilian sectors, a visit from a major national leader was an inspirational way to end their cadetship. Prior to being named secretary of defense, Gates was president of Texas A&M University, director of Central Intelligence Agency, and assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser at the White House for President George H.W. Bush.