“Good evening, parents, family, friends and most importantly, the Class of 2029. Lieutenant General Gilland, my dear friend, sorry, Benjamin couldn't be here with us this evening. It would have been great to sit between you two and make this man. General Garcia, key of the rotor blade on this crest here behind me. General Reeves, thank you all for not only your invitation to you, Sergeant Majors, who are here as well. Please forgive me, I’m a son of a sergeant major. I'm sorry to have skipped you, most of all. I am absolutely honored to be here tonight, largely because I never thought I would be here again. Over the course of my 36 years, I've been here many, many times, whether it was sponsoring a football game the 7th ID which we lost horribly to San Jose State. I thought that would be the end of it, and I was called back for 500 night to speak to a class a few years ago, and every time they just keep pulling me back in that I'm more than happy to come because the energy that comes from young men and young women who have made a decision to do things that others won't and can't for themselves. So, to you, Class of 2029 as I open my remarks tonight, I would like for those not in your class to give you a round of applause what you (inaudible).
And as the Supe says I did not come to this academy, I was in prep school, so I don't know about these rules, but too, before I go any further, I've been told that as your guests tonight, I'm entitled to at least one “request.” So, in honor of the hard work and the undeniable grit of the Class of 2029, I would like to officially request that you grant Amnesty for all minor conduct offenses and one additional weekend pass for the entire Class of 2029.
The great thing is I don't even know if that is even going to work out. I’m probably better off saying, “hey I’m a four star, I’m telling you to.” Thanks Supe.
It's a true honor to stand before you and celebrate a significant milestone in the lives of these future leaders. I want to begin with the families. Parents, I know these past months have not been easy. Wonder what your kids are doing, where they're going and if they're okay. You’ve supported, encouraged, and loved your Plebes, you’ve helped them through the most difficult transition (inaudible), and tonight you see the results. (Audio cut off)
But to the Class of 2029: you're the ones who did the work. West Point isn’t just a school for you; it's a foundry for leadership that's going to carry you the rest of your lives.
Reflecting on your time here so far, you’ve faced trials that tested your mettle. You've endured physical exhaustion and those quiet moments of doubt in the barracks, but you managed to persevere. That tenacity has not just made you better cadets; it has forged the character, the character that's going to carry you through both good times and bad.
I want to share with you all an image and what I wrote down here is profound is not profound at all. You can laugh. That image is a picture. I would ask each of you to picture a bucket and think about your experience thus far. When you arrived here on R-day, that bucket was empty. Each experience since each challenge overcome, each lesson learned, and yes, each setback has added a smooth stone to that bucket. Year after year, that bucket will grow heavier. But Class of 2029, understand this: The weight is not a burden. It's the weight of responsibility willingly taken home.
As you go through life, you’ll continue to add stones to that bucket. What you do with those stones it really, really matters. So, remember success not shared. That's a failure, and failure shared — if it helps someone not fall in the same hole you just crawled out of — that’s success. No one behind you in the Long Gray Line should have to fall into the hole, the same hole that you just crawled out of.
Your buckets will not all look the same. But when you share from your buckets to others, it will enable you to carry that bucket with grace and humility and the strength of the person standing to your left and to your right. That's the same kind of thing that I got in 2016, when a young one star and myself are both in Iraq trying to put down ISIS in combat in Iraq and Syria. It's the same thing that that same person helped me as a young lieutenant to get to formation on time. It's the same thing that's helped me through some pretty difficult time that we've been talking to you all tonight that I got a dear Supe, Steve Hill, who is indeed a true friend. (Inaudible) Carrying buckets. You talk about your dad and how he carried buckets with me and for me for over two years. So, Annabelle and Ted, thank you for your career in life of service.
They say that the Long Gray Line is an unbreakable bond and exactly see why. Parents, they're still your kids, perhaps a bit more tired and constantly worried about their uniforms and their brass. But to each other, they’ve become everything. They're no longer just classmates. They are friends who become family. They're the ones who will be there for weddings and births and the toughest moments of service.
Cadets, this has been your “glue” year, the moment you stop being individuals, you became part of something greater. You've proven your resilience. You're learning to carry the weight of responsibility, and because of that, you're ready for the road ahead. 1155 days until graduation. You to London School in North Carolina, but that number is right, 165 weeks of leadership, six and a month, semesters, all with one mission, graduation. Parents, thank you for your unwavering support. Class of 2029, thank you for stepping up to serve. As I stand here today with more days of uniform behind me than ahead of me, I encourage you to celebrate how far you’ve come and remember: this is just the beginning of what stands to be the most extraordinary of all Journeys you can embark upon. Congratulations, hold the line: Class of 2029, may God bless our Corps of Cadets, our Army and our United States and as always, Go Army, Beat Navy!”