We are not cotton candy

As the past weekend’s patriotic passions and gratitude for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice subside, perhaps we’ll help keep the patriotic flame alive with these excerpts from the commencement address of Defense Secretary James Mattis to the 2017 graduating class of West Point.      — Ed.

I would never have imagined when I joined the military at age 18 that I’d be standing here, nor can you anticipate where you’ll be many years from now.

By the time this class was in first grade classrooms in every state in our union, our country had been thrust into a war by maniacs who thought by hurting us they could scare us. Well we don’t scare, and nothing better represents America’s awesome determination to defend herself than this graduating class.

Every one of you could have opted out. You’d grown up seeing the war on ’round-the-clock news. There was no draft. Colleges across this land would have moved heaven and earth to recruit you for schools that would never make such demands on you as West Point.

Today in honoring you graduates, in celebrating your achievements and giving thanks for your commitment, we can see clearly your role in our world.

You graduate the same week that saw the murder of 22 innocent young lives. Manchester’s tragic loss underscores the purpose for your years of study and training at this elite school. For today you join the ranks of those whose mission it is to guard freedom and to protect the innocent from such terror.

We must never permit murderers to define our time or warp our sense of the normal. You will drive home a salient truth: that free men and women will volunteer to fight, ethically and fiercely, to defend our experiment that we call, simply, “America.”

You graduates, commissioned today, will carry the hopes of our country on your young shoulders. You now join the ranks of an Army at war. Your oath of office connects you to the line of soldiers stretching back to the founding of our country. After four years at West Point, you understand what it means to live up to an oath; you understand the commitment that comes with signing a blank check to the American people, payable with your life.

So long as our nation breeds patriots like you, defenders who look past the hot political rhetoric of our day and rally to our flag, that Army tradition of serving our country will never die. We in the Department of Defense recognize that there are a lot of passions running about in this country, as there ought to be in a vibrant republic. But for those privileged to wear the cloth of our nation, to serve in the United States Army, you stand the ramparts, unapologetic, apolitical, defending our experiment in self-governance, you hold the line.

Every soldier in your platoon will know your name. Your responsibility is to know them. Learn their hopes and dreams. Teach them the difference between a mistake and a lack of discipline. If your troops make mistakes, look in the mirror and figure out how to coach them better.

When destiny taps you on the shoulder and thrusts you into a situation that’s tough beyond words … when you’re sick and you’ve been three days without sleep … when you’ve lost some of your beloved troops and the veneer of civilization wears thin, by having lived a disciplined life, you’ll be able to reach inside and find the strength your country is counting on.

You are privileged to be embarking on this journey. You will learn things about yourself that others will never know.

We can see the storm clouds gathering. Our enemies are watching. They are calculating and hoping America’s military will turn cynical. That we will lose our selfless spirit. They hope our country no longer produces young people willing to shoulder the patriot’s burden, to willingly face danger and discomfort. By your commitment you will prove the enemy wrong. We are not made of cotton candy. You are a U.S. soldier, and you hold the line.

So, fight for our ideals and sacred things. Incite in others respect and love for our country and our fellow Americans, and leave this country greater and more beautiful than you inherited it, for that is the duty of every generation.