Historic graduation speech by First Lady Michelle Obama

[Historic NY]

WEST POINT — First lady Michelle Obama thanked West Point cadets for pledging to defend the United States and encouraged all citizens to honor and support military families.

"We all want to give something back to you and your families because we are inspired by you," Obama told more than 1,000 senior cadets. "We're inspired by the character reflected in your acceptance to this academy, and by the courage to serve during a time of war."

Obama delivered a historic speech Friday night to roughly 4,800 cadets, family members and military brass inside the Cadet Mess Hall.

Her address at the annual graduation banquet marked the first time that a first lady was invited to speak to the Corps of Cadets in West Point's 209-year history


http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110521/NEWS/105210334


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[Tarheel_Dem]

1. First I heard of this. Thanks for the headsup. (nt)

[opihimoimoi]

2. The CLASS HONORS Themselves with a Wise selection...

KnR

[bigwillq]

3. K and R (nt)

[Historic NY]

4. Admiral Mullen was the commencement speaker...just to clear this up a bit.

http://www.longislandpress.com/2011/05/21/more-than-1000-cadets-to-graduate-from-west-point/

“I guess we’ve been a little busy,” said Mullen, who is retiring at the end of September. “But that doesn’t excuse us from making the effort. That doesn’t excuse us from our own constitutional responsibilities — as citizens and as soldiers — to promote the general welfare, in addition to providing for the common defense.”

Mullen echoed some of the duty-related themes touched on Friday night by first lady Michelle Obama, who urged the graduating cadets at a banquet to keep in mind the families of the soldiers they will lead.

Mullen noted that the gray-clad graduates before him were just 11 or 12 during the Sept. 11 attacks — “getting your braces off” — and that the country has been at war for nearly half their lives.

“Yet, all of you made a choice, freely, to serve your country, to come here to West Point,” he said.

Graduates interviewed in the elated moments after they tossed their caps into the air said the