WEBVTT 00:00.810 --> 00:04.010 My many thanks for that uh outstanding 00:04.019 --> 00:07.019 introduction . You're a tough act to 00:07.030 --> 00:10.369 follow madam president , 00:12.590 --> 00:14.646 madam president . That sounds pretty 00:14.646 --> 00:18.209 good . Uh I'll see you in 20 00:18.219 --> 00:21.840 years in Washington and 00:21.850 --> 00:24.180 hello , Fayetteville State University . 00:31.319 --> 00:33.430 It's great to be back in Fayetteville 00:34.270 --> 00:36.669 for years . I served just down the road 00:36.680 --> 00:40.110 at Fort Bragg . And so for me being 00:40.119 --> 00:42.369 here , feels just like coming home , 00:44.549 --> 00:46.605 Bragg is home to some of the world's 00:46.605 --> 00:50.560 finest war fighters and their 00:50.569 --> 00:53.310 strength is a reflection of this 00:53.319 --> 00:56.520 community . I want to thank the people 00:56.529 --> 01:00.229 of Fayetteville for making this place 01:00.470 --> 01:02.830 such a special place for our troops and 01:02.840 --> 01:06.129 their families and 01:07.519 --> 01:09.519 is a pretty special place for me as 01:09.519 --> 01:12.879 well . For more than 40 years , I've 01:12.889 --> 01:15.000 been happily married to a woman who I 01:15.000 --> 01:18.019 met right here in Fayetteville . My 01:18.029 --> 01:20.800 favorite Bronco Charlene Austin class 01:20.809 --> 01:23.160 of 82 . Yeah . 01:30.379 --> 01:32.546 So as I was preparing for the speech , 01:32.546 --> 01:34.889 I , I asked Charlene for some advice 01:36.069 --> 01:39.569 and she suggested that I start with an 01:39.580 --> 01:41.636 important question and it's the same 01:41.636 --> 01:43.802 question that you've heard a couple of 01:43.802 --> 01:45.969 times this morning . But let me see if 01:45.969 --> 01:47.969 I can get this right . Can I get an 01:47.969 --> 01:48.969 attitude check . 01:52.720 --> 01:55.809 No . Right . 01:56.970 --> 02:00.680 Right . You know that 02:00.690 --> 02:04.050 Bronco pride , it's everywhere in this 02:04.059 --> 02:07.650 crowd today . You can feel it from your 02:07.660 --> 02:10.539 professors and your deans and your 02:10.550 --> 02:14.179 mentors . You know , since that 02:14.190 --> 02:16.520 first university studies class , they 02:16.529 --> 02:20.240 have challenged you and mentored you 02:20.250 --> 02:22.679 and pushed you to be your very best . 02:23.850 --> 02:25.906 So let's hear it for your professors 02:25.906 --> 02:27.406 and the university staff . 02:33.649 --> 02:35.850 Really glad to be here with Chancellor 02:35.860 --> 02:39.839 Alison . He's a special guy and I 02:39.850 --> 02:42.210 want to thank him for his great work to 02:42.919 --> 02:46.330 make the whole S U community F S U 02:46.339 --> 02:49.960 community stronger from 02:49.970 --> 02:53.229 military connected students to adult 02:53.240 --> 02:56.360 learners to first generation students . 02:57.779 --> 03:00.479 And you've worked to offer free 03:00.490 --> 03:02.649 undergraduate tuition to military 03:02.660 --> 03:05.610 students and veterans . That's just 03:05.619 --> 03:07.839 outstanding in my view . So let's give 03:07.850 --> 03:08.850 him a hand . 03:14.940 --> 03:18.160 That's a huge day for the families and 03:18.169 --> 03:20.447 friends who have gathered here as well . 03:21.460 --> 03:24.639 They have cheered you on , they have 03:24.649 --> 03:28.110 sacrificed for you and they have 03:28.119 --> 03:30.309 encouraged you every step of the way 03:31.169 --> 03:34.559 because they believe in you and they 03:34.570 --> 03:36.860 believe in the power of education , 03:38.649 --> 03:41.119 even though they're pretty excited to 03:41.130 --> 03:43.241 be done with paying the tuition bills 03:43.241 --> 03:46.160 as well . But this graduation belongs 03:46.169 --> 03:48.225 to them as well . So let's make some 03:48.225 --> 03:49.502 noise for the families 03:58.050 --> 04:00.050 and I'm sure that you remember that 04:00.050 --> 04:02.580 tomorrow ? It's mother's day , right ? 04:05.759 --> 04:07.419 So for all the moms and the 04:07.429 --> 04:10.539 grandmothers and the godmothers , let's 04:10.550 --> 04:11.661 give it up for them 04:20.489 --> 04:22.656 above all graduates . And you've heard 04:22.656 --> 04:24.767 this a couple of times this morning . 04:24.767 --> 04:26.989 But I got to say it again . I hope that 04:26.989 --> 04:29.260 you are proud of what you've achieved 04:29.769 --> 04:32.579 because we are all deeply proud of you . 04:33.630 --> 04:35.408 You've made it through a global 04:35.408 --> 04:37.820 pandemic . You got through college 04:37.829 --> 04:41.369 algebra , you put in the 04:41.380 --> 04:43.820 study hours at Chestnut library . 04:45.239 --> 04:48.989 And if you're here today , that means 04:49.000 --> 04:51.470 that you paid off every last parking 04:51.480 --> 04:51.970 ticket 04:59.549 --> 05:01.771 you've learned from your professors and 05:01.771 --> 05:04.019 your coaches , you've learned from your 05:04.029 --> 05:06.920 classmates , you've shown fierce 05:06.929 --> 05:09.529 determination and some of you have held 05:09.540 --> 05:12.570 down full time jobs just to get here 05:12.579 --> 05:16.019 today . And some of you help your kids 05:16.029 --> 05:18.140 finish their homework before starting 05:18.140 --> 05:21.739 your own . You've developed 05:21.750 --> 05:25.089 resilience every time that you were 05:25.100 --> 05:27.989 almost on time for class , 05:29.089 --> 05:31.256 but got stuck waiting for that endless 05:31.256 --> 05:33.480 freight train to stand to pass by , you 05:33.489 --> 05:36.649 know who you are . So let's hear it for 05:36.660 --> 05:38.339 the class of 2023 . 05:47.250 --> 05:49.929 Now I'm standing , I know that I'm 05:49.940 --> 05:52.109 standing between you and some serious 05:52.119 --> 05:52.980 celebrating 05:57.779 --> 06:01.109 what I'd like to take a few minutes to 06:01.119 --> 06:03.063 talk to you this morning about the 06:03.063 --> 06:06.260 importance of service because one of 06:06.269 --> 06:08.213 the things that makes Fayetteville 06:08.213 --> 06:10.619 State so special is its proud tradition 06:10.630 --> 06:11.859 of public service . 06:14.839 --> 06:17.061 I'm thinking today of a young man named 06:17.061 --> 06:19.489 Andrew Johnson who attended the school 06:19.500 --> 06:23.170 in the early 19 forties . His dream was 06:23.179 --> 06:26.920 to fly an airplane and at that time , 06:27.700 --> 06:30.209 that was nearly unheard of for African 06:30.220 --> 06:33.769 Americans like him , but he 06:33.779 --> 06:36.859 insisted and he persisted 06:38.040 --> 06:39.984 and eventually he joined the elite 06:39.984 --> 06:42.040 group known as the Tuskegee airmen . 06:43.489 --> 06:45.600 And during World War II , they fought 06:45.600 --> 06:48.380 for America from the skies even while 06:48.390 --> 06:50.589 being forced into segregated and 06:50.600 --> 06:52.920 substandard quarters and dining halls 06:52.929 --> 06:55.380 and bathrooms . Back on the ground , 06:58.799 --> 07:01.021 they were often treated as second class 07:01.021 --> 07:04.429 citizens , but there was nothing second 07:04.440 --> 07:06.679 class about their service . 07:08.559 --> 07:10.503 The Tuskegee airmen flew more than 07:10.503 --> 07:14.320 15,000 successful missions in 07:14.329 --> 07:17.959 World War II and like so many Black 07:17.970 --> 07:21.779 Americans . Mhm . Throughout history , 07:22.440 --> 07:26.040 they defended our country with courage 07:26.049 --> 07:29.549 and discipline and honor . And after 07:29.559 --> 07:31.392 the defeat of Nazi Germany , the 07:31.392 --> 07:33.899 magnificent service of Lieutenant 07:33.910 --> 07:36.140 Colonel Andrew Johnson and the Tuskegee 07:36.160 --> 07:39.630 airmen could no longer be denied . 07:42.540 --> 07:46.119 In 1948 President Truman ordered 07:46.130 --> 07:48.600 equal treatment and opportunity in the 07:48.609 --> 07:52.299 US military . Now that didn't break 07:52.309 --> 07:54.980 down every barrier , but it did open 07:54.989 --> 07:58.670 new horizons were Black Americans . 07:59.779 --> 08:03.380 And this year we celebrate the 08:03.390 --> 08:07.260 75th anniversary of Truman's executive 08:07.269 --> 08:10.760 order which led 08:10.769 --> 08:14.309 qualified , banking , qualified 08:14.320 --> 08:18.070 patriots serve our country regardless 08:18.079 --> 08:19.760 of the color of their skin . 08:23.859 --> 08:26.269 And it paved the way , paved the path 08:26.279 --> 08:30.160 toward a US military 08:30.170 --> 08:32.809 where all brave Americans can rise as 08:32.820 --> 08:34.700 high as their talents and their 08:34.710 --> 08:38.299 initiative can take them . And I'm 08:38.309 --> 08:41.989 proud that in just a few minutes , we 08:42.000 --> 08:45.330 will recognize 17 graduates who will 08:45.340 --> 08:47.609 become America's newest second 08:47.619 --> 08:49.730 Lieutenants . Let's give them a round 08:49.730 --> 08:49.340 of applause . 09:01.700 --> 09:04.210 So graduate service deepens our 09:04.219 --> 09:07.809 democracy service brings us 09:07.820 --> 09:10.260 closer to the full promise of America's 09:10.270 --> 09:14.010 founding service builds on 09:14.020 --> 09:17.969 itself . And long after you after you 09:17.979 --> 09:20.479 graduate , excuse me , 09:29.080 --> 09:31.191 long after you graduate , I hope that 09:31.191 --> 09:34.510 you can carry forward the F S U legacy 09:34.520 --> 09:37.590 of service . I I don't just mean 09:37.599 --> 09:41.059 serving in uniform service is 09:41.070 --> 09:42.903 volunteering in your community . 09:45.440 --> 09:47.659 Making sure that every citizen gets a 09:47.669 --> 09:50.190 fair shot at the American dream 09:51.679 --> 09:54.409 is doing your part to make real our 09:54.419 --> 09:57.479 country's highest ideals of liberty and 09:57.489 --> 10:00.979 justice for all . And 10:03.109 --> 10:05.960 it's paying $136 10:07.479 --> 10:10.659 or two lots on Gillespie Street to 10:10.669 --> 10:14.190 start a school for black Children as 10:14.200 --> 10:16.539 this school's seven founders did back 10:16.549 --> 10:17.780 in 18 67 . 10:20.520 --> 10:23.119 Now , that kind of progress has never 10:23.130 --> 10:26.969 been easy . And I've seen that in my 10:26.979 --> 10:30.710 own life . I went to 10:30.719 --> 10:33.520 school high school , nearly two decades 10:33.530 --> 10:36.599 after President Truman integrated the 10:36.609 --> 10:39.210 military in about 15 years after the 10:39.219 --> 10:41.890 Supreme Court ruled that so called 10:41.900 --> 10:44.359 separate but equal schools violated our 10:44.369 --> 10:48.229 constitution . But we still 10:48.239 --> 10:51.289 lived in a painfully 10:51.570 --> 10:55.409 segregated society . I grew up in 10:55.419 --> 10:59.070 Georgia in the time of Jim Crow . Our 10:59.080 --> 11:02.260 local public high school had long been 11:02.270 --> 11:05.650 all white and one of my sisters and I 11:05.659 --> 11:08.369 were among the first black students to 11:08.380 --> 11:11.140 integrate it . And so those were some 11:11.150 --> 11:14.809 pretty ugly days and the first year was 11:14.820 --> 11:17.950 especially tough . But I am still 11:17.960 --> 11:20.016 grateful to the people of goodwill , 11:20.016 --> 11:22.127 including the teachers and the school 11:22.127 --> 11:24.559 leaders and the public officials 11:26.229 --> 11:28.173 who made sure that my sister and I 11:28.173 --> 11:30.599 could get a good public education . 11:32.700 --> 11:36.619 I still remember their quiet resolve in 11:36.630 --> 11:40.580 our civic spirit and they taught 11:40.590 --> 11:44.400 me that service means standing firm on 11:44.409 --> 11:46.909 the American principle that all people 11:46.919 --> 11:50.640 are created equal and service 11:50.650 --> 11:53.570 means demanding equality of opportunity 11:53.580 --> 11:57.280 for all of our Children . And 11:57.289 --> 12:00.270 service means setting an example . 12:02.080 --> 12:04.799 And for me that example came from one 12:04.809 --> 12:08.630 of my uncles , he proudly served 12:08.640 --> 12:10.973 during the Vietnam war as a green beret . 12:12.479 --> 12:14.849 Now that would have been impossible . 12:14.859 --> 12:18.400 Just a few years earlier , I still 12:18.409 --> 12:20.520 remember him coming home wearing that 12:20.520 --> 12:22.520 green beret and sporting those jump 12:22.520 --> 12:25.280 boots . And I saw him and I thought to 12:25.289 --> 12:28.150 myself , you know , I've just got to do 12:28.159 --> 12:31.630 that . I gotta have some of that . And 12:31.640 --> 12:35.229 so his service led to my service . 12:36.210 --> 12:39.580 It led me to the US Army for a brief 41 12:39.590 --> 12:40.580 year career . 12:43.510 --> 12:47.010 And today I am deeply 12:47.020 --> 12:50.890 honored to be with you as your 12:50.900 --> 12:52.750 Secretary of Defense . 13:04.580 --> 13:06.747 Now , I know that the road forward may 13:06.747 --> 13:10.590 seem steep and I know that many of you 13:10.599 --> 13:14.150 see the distance between where America 13:14.159 --> 13:17.520 is and where America should be 13:19.299 --> 13:21.030 and what America can be . 13:23.179 --> 13:26.960 But America's real promise is our 13:26.969 --> 13:30.929 democracy and our democracy needs you 13:32.250 --> 13:34.900 each and every one of you 13:37.330 --> 13:39.869 as a poet , Archibald MacLeish once 13:39.880 --> 13:43.659 said , democracy is never a 13:43.669 --> 13:47.479 thing done . Democracy 13:47.489 --> 13:50.809 is something that a nation must be 13:50.820 --> 13:54.799 doing . So you've got 13:54.809 --> 13:57.929 careers to start , you have 13:57.940 --> 14:00.900 obligations to meet , you've got 14:00.909 --> 14:04.469 mountains to climb and I know that many 14:04.479 --> 14:08.070 of you and your families had to already 14:08.080 --> 14:10.320 dig deep just to make it here today . 14:12.929 --> 14:14.707 But I hope that you will always 14:14.707 --> 14:17.669 remember your duty to help those who 14:17.679 --> 14:20.510 are less fortunate . And I hope that 14:20.520 --> 14:23.210 you will always remember the words of 14:23.219 --> 14:25.380 the great civil rights leader , Benny 14:25.390 --> 14:28.630 Lou Hamer , who once said nobody is 14:28.640 --> 14:30.859 free until everybody's free . 14:39.989 --> 14:42.950 A degree from an H BC U means lifelong 14:42.960 --> 14:45.599 pride and lifelong responsibility . 14:47.950 --> 14:50.172 With all that this university has given 14:50.172 --> 14:53.789 you , we need for you to give something 14:53.799 --> 14:57.309 back in whatever way you choose , 14:58.650 --> 15:00.761 we need for you to become doctors and 15:00.761 --> 15:04.000 nurses who will heal the sick . We need 15:04.010 --> 15:06.320 you to become lawyers who will always 15:06.330 --> 15:09.549 fight for change . We need you to 15:09.559 --> 15:11.726 become entrepreneurs who will make our 15:11.726 --> 15:14.719 economy work for all Americans . 15:16.969 --> 15:19.929 We need you to become teachers will 15:19.940 --> 15:22.107 pass on the mighty gift of education . 15:24.000 --> 15:27.090 And yes , we need some of you 15:27.830 --> 15:31.479 to stand up and salute and to defend 15:31.489 --> 15:33.580 the United States by joining the 15:33.590 --> 15:35.757 greatest fighting force in the history 15:35.757 --> 15:36.757 of the world . 15:47.820 --> 15:51.390 And so you'll do it your way and you 15:51.400 --> 15:53.400 will contribute to something bigger 15:53.400 --> 15:56.429 than yourself . You know , 15:57.409 --> 15:59.631 whenever I think about what it means to 15:59.631 --> 16:02.489 serve , I think about one of my 16:02.500 --> 16:03.739 greatest mentors . 16:06.380 --> 16:09.469 Her name was Francis Hesselberg 16:11.440 --> 16:13.496 and she died last year at the age of 16:13.496 --> 16:16.989 107 . She led and 16:17.000 --> 16:19.167 transformed the Girl Scouts of America 16:20.809 --> 16:23.031 Fortune magazine named her , one of the 16:23.031 --> 16:25.500 world's 50 greatest leaders 16:27.109 --> 16:30.599 and Francis would always say to 16:30.609 --> 16:33.039 serve is to live . 16:35.039 --> 16:37.261 Now as you graduate today , I know that 16:37.261 --> 16:39.317 some of you are worried about what's 16:39.317 --> 16:43.299 next . That's normal . Absolutely 16:43.309 --> 16:47.000 normal . And chances are at some point 16:47.010 --> 16:48.899 in your life , you might question 16:48.899 --> 16:51.232 whether or not you're on the right path . 16:52.369 --> 16:55.609 But in those moments I'd ask that you 16:55.619 --> 16:58.890 think about serving others and you'll 16:58.900 --> 17:00.380 always have plenty to do 17:02.750 --> 17:05.280 and you'll feel deep and lasting pride 17:05.290 --> 17:09.109 as you do it . Because service 17:09.348 --> 17:12.839 nourishes the soul because to 17:12.849 --> 17:15.569 serve is to live 17:17.598 --> 17:20.788 in class of 2023 . You have inherited 17:20.798 --> 17:24.380 the legacy of those seven founders on 17:24.390 --> 17:27.890 Gillespie Street . You have inherited 17:27.900 --> 17:30.319 the freedom of Lieutenant Colonel that 17:30.329 --> 17:32.530 Lieutenant Colonel Johnson and so many 17:32.540 --> 17:36.469 others fought for and now it's 17:36.479 --> 17:40.170 your turn and it's your 17:40.180 --> 17:43.410 time . The spirit of 17:43.420 --> 17:45.810 service is right here in your school 17:45.819 --> 17:48.729 model race , non verbal , which 17:48.739 --> 17:51.170 translates into deeds , not words . 17:52.660 --> 17:54.827 And so you're about to walk across the 17:54.827 --> 17:57.410 stage to get your degree . Your 17:57.420 --> 18:01.270 challenge is to make it mean more much 18:01.280 --> 18:03.502 more than the words on that parchment . 18:04.660 --> 18:06.771 Your challenge is to match the word , 18:06.771 --> 18:10.050 those , those words of promise with 18:10.060 --> 18:13.339 deeds of service , to put your shoulder 18:13.349 --> 18:15.939 to the wheel and to answer the call to 18:15.949 --> 18:19.390 serve and to make America a 18:19.430 --> 18:21.060 more perfect union . 18:23.319 --> 18:26.050 Congratulations . Class of 2023 . 18:33.239 --> 18:35.510 May God bless you . May God bless your 18:35.520 --> 18:37.687 families and may God continue to bless 18:37.687 --> 18:38.869 the United States of America .