Change and tradition seem mutually exclusive, but balancing those will lead to success for the U.S. military, Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford told graduating cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., today.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was the commencement speaker before around 950 graduates of the class of 2018. He offered some advice to them based on his 41 years of military service.
The chairman thanked the cadets for volunteering to serve. Many of them were in day care when terrorists attacked the United States in 2001, sparking America's longest conflict. “You chose to join an Army at war,” he said. “To that point, today there are more than 178,000 soldiers actively supporting missions around the world. Many are in harm's way and they are joined by thousands more sailors, airmen and Marines. As we celebrate today, I ask you to keep them and their families in your thoughts and prayers.”
The cadets are being commissioned second lieutenants and will be called on to lead soldiers in that fight.
Embrace the Constant Changes
The chairman said he doesn't remember what the commencement speaker at his own graduation said, but he does remember wondering if he was going to measure up to the challenges when he entered the Marine Corps in 1977.
“The profession of arms is dynamic and…
