AF secretary to Class of 2013: Next chapter of your story begins today

  • Published
  • By Don Branum
  • Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  A total of 1,024 cadets graduated from the Air Force Academy May 29, following a commencement address by Secretary of the Air Force Mike Donley.

Donley congratulated the graduates on overcoming the stringent physical and mental challenges they faced through their four-year Academy experiences.

"Getting into the Academy is a highly competitive and selective process, and members of this class entered with some of the highest aptitude scores in the Academy's history," Donley said. "Our country has invested in your talent and your promise. We expect you to continue to excel in your Air Force careers."

Graduates also overcame an H1N1 virus outbreak during Basic Cadet Training in 2009 and the Waldo Canyon Fire in 2012. Donley said the Air Force will rely on the newly minted lieutenants to adapt to a future that will include reduced budgets, instability in several parts of the world and other unforeseeable challenges.

"You are entering our Air Force at an extraordinary time," Donley said. "Air Force capabilities are in high demand. Although military operations in Iraq are complete, and operations in Afghanistan are drawing down, instabilities still persist. We expect Air Force capabilities to remain central to our nation's security in the years and decades ahead.

"The Air Force is changing rapidly, and you will have a front-row seat. You can adapt to new realities without clinging to the baggage of the past," Donley continued. "You will take cyber capabilities to a level that our generation cannot imagine. Whatever the future may bring, we have no doubt that you and your fellow Airmen are up to this challenge."

Donley encouraged the graduates to rely on mentorship, not just from senior officers, but also from NCOs.

"Find a (good) senior NCO, buy him a cup of coffee and soak in his wisdom," Donley said. "Our NCO corps is the envy of militaries around the world. Your relationships with senior NCOs will help you more rapidly gain the leadership experience you need to ensure mission success at all levels."

However, graduates must also strive to uphold the Air Force core values and their oaths of office, Donley said. He charged them to help improve the Air Force's culture and climate.

"Our reputation is at risk by irresponsible and even criminal behavior in our ranks," Donley said. "Sexual assault is an affront to our core values. ... You're aware of Air Force efforts to deter it, to encourage reporting, to support victims and to hold perpetrators accountable. This is your Air Force, and changing behavior depends on changing, at every level, the climate and culture in which we live, both on and off duty."

Graduates' oaths of office give them a common ground with every other military officer, the secretary said.

"For as long as you serve, this oath will also bind you together: with generations before you who have worn our nation's cloth and sacrificed their personal comfort and even their lives in defense of freedom. It will bind you in the challenges this nation has faced together, and it will bind you to the security and future defense of our nation."

Every Airman has a story, Donley said. Cadets' stories started when they first became inspired to serve, and commencement marks the beginning of a new chapter in that story.

"Know that we are very proud of you," he said. "Our leadership team is committed to your success, and there is no Air Force leader, past or present, who does not envy each of you. Now is the time to write a story that lives your dream. Write a story that upholds the core values. Write a story that fulfills your oath of office. Write a story that takes ... this experience and does something great for our Air Force."

The Class of 2013 graduation ceremony included the dedication of a plaque to Dr. Dean Wilson, who for 33 years served as the Academy's registrar.

Wilson "was a pillar to this institution," said Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Mike Gould. "He was a tremendous leader and a compassionate mentor to so many. ... He will be greatly missed."