500th Night Banquet 2014

you you ladies and gentlemen may I have your attention please ladies and gentlemen please stand for the arrival of the official party you good evening ladies and gentlemen I'm cadet Cara Warren vice president for the class of 2015 and your master of ceremonies for this evenings events I would like to welcome you all to the 500th night banquet for the class of 2015 let me begin by introducing you to our official party the class of 2015 is honored to welcome our guest speaker for the evening Admiral William McRaven the superintendent of West Point and his wife Lieutenant General Robert Caslon and mrs. Caslon also seated at the head tables this evening on the kamala of cadets and his wife Brigadier General Richard Clarke and mrs. Clarke the Dean of the academic board and his wife Brigadier General timothy Trainor and Colonel retired Brazel the command sergeant major for United States Military Academy and his wife command sergeant major Delbert Byers and mrs. Byers the command sergeant major the United States Corps of Cadets command sergeant major Robin Duane and ms Grimm and other distinguished guests joining us this evening please remain standing for this evening's invocation to be delivered by cadet crystal on Yama and remain standing for this evenings toasts ladies and gentlemen please bow your heads with me if you so choose Heavenly Father thank you for allowing us to gather together tonight in celebration of 500 night we give thanks for bringing us this far in our West Point journey and we look forward to what the next 500 days hold we are humbled by the many opportunities you have given us to grow develop and most importantly serve let us not forget the lessons we have learned and prepares for the challenges to come help us encourage and love our friends to our left and to our right and inspire us to not only work towards our graduation but to leave this place better than we found it in your name we pray amen ladies and gentlemen please charge your glasses for this evenings toasts ladies and gentlemen I propose a toast to the President of the United States ladies and gentlemen I propose a toast to the United States Army ladies and gentlemen I would like to propose a toast to the United States Military Academy class of 2015 I propose a toast to our guests ladies and gentlemen please ensure that your glasses are charged with water for the fallen comrade toast as you entered the dining room this evening you may have noticed a small table in a place of honor it is set for one military member to represent each of the military services this table is our way of recognizing the members of our profession of arms who are absent from our myths the table is small symbolizing the frailty of one prisoner alone against his oppressors the tablecloth is white symbolizing the purity of their motives in answering our nation's call to arms the chair is empty they are missing the napkin is black the American color for mourning the single rose reminds us of the hearts of loved ones it is tied with a yellow ribbon to symbolize the everlasting hope for a joyous reunion with those yet unaccounted for the single candle flame represents an eternal flame for their sacrifices the slice of lemon on the bread plate reminds us of their bitter fate there is also salt symbolic of the tears endured by the missing and their loved ones the wine glass is inverted our distinguished comrades cannot toast with us this night or join in our festivities honored guests ladies and gentlemen as we song we toast please remain silent to our comrades killed in action missing in action or prisoners of war ladies and gentlemen this concludes the fallen comrade observance please be seated and enjoy your meal at this time allow me to welcome our class president cadet will Goodwin Admiral McRaven general caslen distinguished guests in the class of 2015 it's an honor to stand before you tonight as we come together to celebrate this milestone in our time as cadets 50 years ago almost to this day our affiliate class of 1965 started a new tradition with an event marking 500 nights to graduation when 1965 joined together for the first 500th night in January of 1964 the nation in the Corps of Cadets faced a time of mourning and uncertainty following the loss of President Kennedy a mere two months prior in the wake of such great tragedy the class decided that it was time for a celebration and they petitioned the superintendent for a chance to come together and look ahead to the future and 500th night was born President Kennedy himself said that changes the law of life and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future 2015 on this cold January night more than 50 years later these words still ring true to our own West Point journey it's easy to become lost in our day-to-day routines here at West Point and lose perspective becoming victims in the present it's even easier to look back at the challenges that we've faced together over the last two years and wonder if we could have done things differently in the past tonight though we're here to celebrate and look ahead to our shared future both over the next five hundred days at West Point and upon graduation when we open a new chapter as second lieutenants in our nation's army we have so much to look forward to over the next 500 days and so many people to be thankful for as we look around the mess hall this evening so tonight and this weekend please enjoy each other's company and especially the company of our guests who have traveled from across the country in some cases around the world to be with us this evening the class of 1965 will be the first to tell you via email of course that they knew how to throw a party back in the day I trust that we will not let them down in our own celebrations this weekend so please stay safe I think Admiral McRaven would agree with who you nice that if your celebrations keep you out later than zero dark thirty tonight be sure that you have a plan to get home safely ladies and gentlemen without further ado please join me in a warm welcome for the 59th superintendent the United States Military Academy Lieutenant General Robert L Caslon jr. okay well very well said great thoughts thank you very much well welcome distinguished guests and family and friends of the great class of 2015 and welcome for those we lead 2015 great job 500 days actually someone told me it's four hundred ninety days who would ever ever thought nevertheless tonight is a significant threshold as you enter your final four hundred ninety days before your commissioning it's a day of celebration indeed perhaps also a day of reflection of wherever you've come these last two and a half years maybe it's a day of commitment or recommitment but whatever it is know the opportunity for leadership is on the table waiting for you to pick it up your nation our nation will need you and you're going to answer the call to duty and you'll be ready to go and you'll be great so 2015 well done congratulations we're very proud of you tonight is my distinct honor to introduce our guest speaker Admiral William H McRaven the commander of US Special Operations Command headquarters Donna MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa Florida but operating worldwide as the commander Admiral McRaven is responsible for accomplishing the SOCOM mission which is to provide fully capable special operating forces from all services to defend the United States in its interests and to synchronize planning of global operations against terrorist networks as a naval ROTC graduate from the great University of Texas and so very glad your ROTC Navy if you were our archrival Academy down there at Maryland if the someone else would have been here right now or you'd be up here by yourself and we'd all be done at I call already just kidding of course well maybe not but seriously Admiral McRaven is commanded at every level within the Special Operations community including assignments a seal platoon commander squadron commander at Naval Special Warfare Development Group Task Force commander during Desert Shield and Desert Storm Task Group commander and CENTCOM area of responsibility commander of SEAL team three Commodore of Naval Special Warfare Group one commander of Special Operations Command in Europe commander Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg North Carolina but probably most noteworthy Admiral McRaven is credited for organized and executing operation Neptune spear the Special Ops raid that led to the death of Osama bin Laden on may 2nd 2011 and that is worth the plaus of itself so it is clearly my honor to welcome this great leader to our Academy class of 2015 will you please join me in a warm welcome for one of our military's very best Admiral William McRaven commander of Special Operations Command sir thank you well thank you very much good evening general and mrs. Caslon gentle mrs. Clarke Joel trainer Colonel Brazel command sergeant major distinguished guests and most important class of 2015 Bob thanks so very much for that overly generous introduction and I will tell you that I am truly truly honored to be here tonight to address the future leaders of the United States Army but as a graduate of a state school in Texas who majored in journalism because I couldn't do math or science or engineering or accounting and whose academic prowess resulted in a graduating GPA of 2.9 of which I was very proud I am I am somewhat intimidated by the thought of giving any advice to any cadet on anything nevertheless after almost 37 years in the service a number of those with the army there may be something I can offer so tonight as you begin the final 500 days of your time in the United States at the United States Military Academy I would like to give you a sailors perspective on the army not the army of the Hudson not the army of the history books not the Army portrayed in the countless murals across campus but the army you will enter in 500 days the army upon which the future of this nation rests the army that you will shape and the army that you will lead so if you will humor this old sailor I will tell you what I've learned from my time and serving with the army in the past 12 years I have worked for the great generals of this generation Dempsey Petraeus Odierno McChrystal Austin Rodriguez and Daly all graduates of the Military Academy each man different in his own way Dempsey a man of great humor and compassion whose quick wit and keen tactical sense allowed him to secure Baghdad as a division commander lead the Central Command as a three-star and today as the Chairman he presides over the greatest challenge in our military since World War two and he does so with tremendous reason intelligence and with a song in his heart Petraeus whose understanding of the strategic nature of war was unparalleled who saw opportunity and every challenge and who dared greatly in hopes of great victories his daily command decisions in Iraq and Afghanistan unquestionably saved the lives of thousands of young soldiers Odierno a soldier soldier who has a division and corps commander in Iraq fought with a fierceness one would expect of a great warrior and then as the commander in Iraq combined that fierceness with a diplomat's subtle hand to lead and shape the future of a sovereign Iraq and today he leads the greatest army in the world austan the quiet bear whose deep intellect and incomparable combat experience allowed him to think through every complex problem and to succeed where others might have failed McChrystal whose creative mind and intense drive for perfection changed forever how special operations would fight on the battlefield and changed how soft would be perceived by the nation and in doing so likely changed the course of the Armed Forces as well Rodriguez the every man's general who proves time and again that character matters that hard work perseverance persistence and toughness on the battlefield are always traits of success and dil daily whose boldness and innovation coupled with a Nightstalker sense of teamwork and aggressiveness began the revolution and special operations what did I learn about the army and watching these men and other great leaders like Keith Alexander Chuck Jacoby Mike Scaparrotti John Campbell Bob Caslon and rich Clark well I learned first and foremost that your allegiance as an officer is always always to the nation and to those civilian leaders who were elected by the people who represent the people the oath you took is clear to support and defend the Constitution not the institution not the army not the Corps not the division not the brigade not the battalion not the company not the platoon and not the squad the nation I learned that leadership is hard Carl von Clausewitz once said that everything in war is easy but the easy things are difficult leadership sounds easy in the books but it is quite difficult in real life I learned that it is difficult because it is a human interaction and nothing nothing is more daunting more frustrating more complex than trying to lead men and tough times those officers that do it well earn your respect because doing it poorly is commonplace you will be challenged to do it well I learned that taking care of soldiers is not about coddling them it's about challenging them establishing a standard of excellence and holding them accountable for reaching it I learned that good officers lead from the front I can't count the number of times that I saw Petraeus without body armor walking the streets of Mosul Baghdad or Ramadi to show the Dane to share the dangers with his men and to show the enemy that he wasn't afraid or McChrystal jockeying up to go on a long patrol with his Rangers of SEALs in Afghanistan Dempsey on a spur ride in Iraq Austin at the head of his division during the invasion of Iraq Odierno cigar and mouth rumbling through the streets of Basra Rodriguez and Daly always center stage during the tough fights in Iraq and Afghanistan I learned that if you're in combat move to where the action is the hottest spend time with the soldiers being miserable exhausted and scared if you're a Blackhawk pilot or a tank commander spend some time on the flight line or in the motor pool with the maintainer and the wrench Turner's whatever position or branch you are in find the toughest the most dangerous the shittiest job in your unit and go do it I learned that you won't get a lot of thanks in doing so I learned that you shouldn't expect it your soldiers are doing the tough job every day but I guarantee you you will learn a lot about your troops and they will learn a lot about you I learned that the great ones know how to fail in the course of your army career you will likely fail and fail often nothing so steals you for battle like failure no great leader I watched got it right every time but the great ones know that when they fail and let's pick themselves up learn from their mistakes and move on rudyard kipling the great british storyteller poet and soldier once wrote if you can keep your head when all about you are losing their there's and blaming it on you if you can trust yourself when all men doubt you but make allowances for their doubting too if you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two Impostors just the same yours is the earth and everything that's in it and which is more you'll be a man my son if you can't stomach failure then you will never be a great leader I learned the great army officers are risk takers but the greatest risk is not always on the battlefield but in standing up for what's right I have seen a young lieutenant stand up to a colonel when the officers behavior was out of line I've seen a captain challenge at general about a flawed battle plan I have seen many a general privately confront their civilian leadership and question the merits of national decisions all army officers are expected to take risks in battle the truly great ones know that real victory is achieved when men and women of character take professional risks and challenge the weak need the faint of heart the indecisive or the bullies and finally in watching army officers young and old I learned the great ones are equally good at following as they are at leading following is one of the most underrated aspects of leadership and each of you will be asked to follow someone else the strength of good unit rests more on how well the officers follow the commander sometimes than how well they lead their own soldiers I've seen many a good battalion and company underachieve because someone in the officer ranks thought the commander was an idiot and quietly quietly worked to undermine his authority I guarantee you that in the course of your career you will work for leaders whom you don't like and you don't respect it will be easy to make fun of their idiosyncrasies their receding hairline their soft chin or their spouse but be very careful about getting too smug too opinionated and too righteous as long as the actions of your commander are moral legal and ethical then do everything you can to support the chain of command and avoid the rolling eyes the whisper campaigns and the junior officer dissension I learned that great army officers know how to follow and what about the soldiers you will lead in my career I have been fortunate to have served besides soldiers from the Screaming Eagles of the hundred and first division the paratroopers of the all-american division the big red one the first armored first cab 10th mountain first third and fourth Infantry Division all the regiment's of Special Forces and my beloved Army Rangers I learned that the greatest privilege the army can bestow upon you is to give you the opportunity to lead such magnificent men and women these soldiers are not without their challenges your soldiers will at time question your authority they will undermine your action they will mislead you frustrate you disappoint you and fail you but when the chips are down and I mean really down they will be there and they will inspire you with their courage their sense of duty their leadership their love and their respect in difficult times your soldiers will be everything you dreamed they would be and more all one has to do is look at the citations that accompany the actions of Sergeant South Winton Leroy Petry Robby Miller ty Carter Jared Monti Ross McGinnis Paul Smith and Clint romesha men whose unparalleled heroism above and beyond the call of duty was only apparent moments before their brothers and sisters were threatened I learned that your soldiers are at their best when their brothers and sisters in arms are threatened they are at their best when life deals them the hardest of blows and their indomitable spirit shines through in 2007 I visited the intensive care unit launched dual Germany where the Army was sending all of its most critically injured from Iraq as I walked into the sterile room clad from head to toe in a clean white garb a man lay naked on bed in front of me missing one leg above the knee part of the other foot removed he was swollen beyond recognition from the blast of an AED the doctor and attendants didn't know the man's unit or service I asked the man if he was a marine or a soldier unable to talk he pointed to his thigh there on what was left of his thigh was a tattoo 1st Infantry Division you're a soldier I remarked he nodded an infantrymen I said he smiled through what was left of his face and then he picked up a clipboard upon which he had been writing he looked me in the eye and he wrote on the paper I will be infantry again exclamation point and somehow I knew he would just like the young Ranger in the cache at Bagram who had both his legs amputated and was also unable to speak the nurse at his bedside said that he could sign his mother was deaf and he had learned sign language at a young age he was so very young and part of me must have shown a small sign of pity for this Ranger whose life had just been devastated with a picture of the hand gestures in front of me the Ranger barely able to move and in excruciating pain signed I will be ok a year later I saw him at the regimental change of command he was wearing his prosthetic shorties smiling from ear to ear and challenging the Rangers around him to a pull-up contest he was ok just like the young female sergeant who I visited Walter Reed this week she was seriously injured in a parachute accident with her father by her side she laughed it off like it was a scratch she'd been in the hospital for two months and she had rear years of rehabilitation ahead of her but she had no self pity no remorse no regrets just determination to get back to our unit these soldiers and tens of thousands like them will be the Warriors who lead you had better be up to the task because I have learned that they expect you to be good and most importantly I learned that they expect you to hold them to the very highest standards these soldiers join the service to be part of something special and if they are not held to a high standard if their individual efforts are no more important no more appreciated than the efforts of a slacker then it will directly affect the morale of the unit and I have learned that nothing is more important than the morale of a unit MacArthur once said a morale that it cannot be produced by pampering or coddling an army and it is not necessarily destroyed by hardship danger or even calamity it will wither quickly however if soldiers come to believe themselves the victims of indifference or injustice on the part of their leaders the great leaders in the army never accept indifference or injustice and they only judge their soldiers based on the merit of their work nothing else is important not the soldiers size not their color not their general gender not their orientation not their religion not their ethnicity nothing is more important but how well your soldiers do their job I am confident that history will reflect that the young Americans who enlisted in the army after 9/11 were equal in greatness to their grandfathers and their great-grandfather's who fought in the world wars and in 500 days you will inherit these incredible soldiers be ready finally in watching the army for most of my career I learned that no institution in the world has the history the legacy the traditions nor the pride that comes from being a soldier I am envious beyond words I learned that whether you serve four years or forty years you will never ever regret your decision to have joined the United States Army you will serve beside the finest men and women in America you will be challenged every day you will fail you will succeed you will grow you will have adventures to fill 10 lifetimes and stories that your friends from home will never be able to understand your children and their children and their children's children will be incredibly proud of your service and when you pass from this earth the nation that you serve so well will honor you for your duty and your only regret will be that you could not have served longer and if for one moment you believe that because Iraq is over and Afghanistan is winding down that the future holds few challenges for you then you are terribly terribly mistaken because as long as there are threats to this great nation the army upon which the nation was founded will be the cornerstone of its security its freedom and its future and you as army officers will shape that future secure our freedoms and protect us from harm so what have I learned I learned that there is no more noble calling in the world than to be a soldier in the United States Army good luck to all of you as you complete the final five hundred days may god bless america and may we always have the privilege to serve her thank you very much Admiral McRaven sir on behalf of the class I'd like to present you with this West Point cadet saber as a small token of our appreciation the inscription reads Admiral William H McRaven 500th night guest speaker with sincere appreciation class of 2015 United States Corps of Cadets 18 January 2014 thank you sir thank you room ladies and gentlemen please ensure that your glasses are charged for the final toast ladies and gentlemen I propose a toast to the class of 2015 for those we please remain standing for the benediction offered by cadet Amanda Harrison please bow your heads with me if you so choose heavenly father as we celebrate this milestone in our cadet careers we thank you for the guests who could join us tonight for the hands that prepared our meal and for the fellowship we have enjoyed assist us in keeping our remaining 500 Knights at the academy in perspective and in remembering to cherish the close bonds that unite us I pray you continue to help us and our endeavour to live above the common level of life change our hearts Lord to become better able to serve as we advance towards our goal of graduation we give things with grateful hearts for the abundant blessings you have provided us and as this evening concludes we ask that you bless our class and our family and friends here with us tonight with safety throughout the remainder of the weekend we ask all this in your Holy Name Amen before we conclude this evening's festivities there are several people that the class would like to thank for making this evening possible and we ask that you please hold your applause until we read all of the names our sincere appreciation to tenant colonel alex Deborah our class adviser and our class officer in charge captain Jeff our for all of this direction and support and planning this event we would also like to thank the directorate of cadet activities the cadet hostess office and the many other organizations that made this evening such a success particularly we would like to recognize the mess hall staff for all of their hard work and preparing and serving this excellent meal ladies and gentlemen thank you for attending our 500th night banquet this concludes the formal portion of the evening remember that the wineglass is your memento so please take it with you we welcome you to visit historic column hall immediately following the bankrupt well the Benny havens van will be performing at the hop please drive safely and have a great night you

Channel: West Point - The U.S. Military Academy

Views: 155,985

Keywords:

Id: GJCXBwmcj60

Length: 38min 55sec (2335 seconds)

Published: Thu Feb 06 2014