It is with great admiration and respect that I read posts on this thread of
DVC families talking about thier members going overseas to protect our way of life. The dedication to country reminded me of a speach I read that I thought might be worth sharing.
It is the Commencement speech given by Seaman Anthony McCarty at graduation of Class 90, US Navy Information Specialist "A" School on 31 may 2002.
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"Today I was asked to speak to you all, as a representative of class 90.
I was asked to speak on our reasons for joining, our inspiration, our spirit, and any wisdom we've picked up along the way. These are all heart-felt subjects, full of emotion for all of us. Bear with me if I get a little corny.
I believe we all joined for our own reasons. After all, we came into the
Navy as individuals. Whether it be because of money for college,
patriotism, family tradition, need to prove oneself, or that Wendy's
wasn't hiring, we all came into the service with our own hopes and dreams and desires. For whatever reasons we had, we all made the same decision, heard the same promises from our recruiter, signed on the same dotted line, and took the same oath. From that moment on, we were united by that choice, the choice to leave our friends, family and lives, and literally
sail off to distant shores.
Joining when I did, I'm always asked if September 11th was the reason I
joined the Navy. For more than a few of the sailors in the audience, I'm
sure it was the reason. It was hard not to look at the scenes on TV and
not want to do something, anything, to stop the things we all saw from
ever happening again. I had already joined by then, I was in DEP (Delayed
Entry Program) at the time. I was staring at the TV, and it slowly dawned
on me that what I was seeing was what I would be up against for the next four years of my life. I realized that I would, more than likely, be going
up against the people who did this.
Staring at the scene of the airliners ramming into the World Trade Center
again and again, I felt like a kid who had been called out on a dare. I
realized I would be responsible to stop things like this from happening
again.
More than anything else here today, I hope that you grasp the fact that
you matter. One day, or even everyday, you will be asked to make decisions that will change the world in some way. You will be asked to make a
difference in someone's life, or the world in general. If you do a good
job, then good things will happen. Do a bad job, and someone, somewhere,
will pay for it.
Here at IS "A" School, we've heard time and again that we are at war. But
it's a war unlike anything the Navy has fought before. It's not a war at
sea, they have no Navy, and we have the greatest fleet that's ever been
afloat.
It's not a war in the air, they have no air force, and we would fly circles around them even if they did. It's not a war on the land, they have no standing army as such, and when we do meet them on the ground, it's a matter of how few causalities we might take, not a matter of if we will win. This is a war fought in the caves of third world countries, in the streets of our major cities, in the communications in the airwaves, in the depths of the internet, in quiet nighttime covert operations, and on the screens of CNN. The only way they can beat us is by being smarter than us, trickier than us, by coming up with something we hadn't thought of, or hadn't prepared for. The only way they can beat us is by having better intelligence than us. In short, as the newest members of the Intelligence Community, the war is ours to win or lose.
Instead of running from this responsibility, I hope you embrace it. In the civilian world people do
astounding things to prove to themselves that they matter, that the
choices they make affect the
world. They do almost anything to feel excitement and be challenged. They
go to movies, they ride roller coasters, they abuse alcohol, they marry someone they shouldn't,
they climb mountains, they join motorcycle clubs, and do anything at all
to feel like their life has consequences and excitement in it. I think it
would amaze most IS " A" students to find out how many people truly do
envy you.
You're young, you're intelligent, you're in a war with a horrible enemy that needs to be stopped, and you're in a position to truly affect that conflict. You have the love and thanks of a grateful country. You have a job that can lead you to anywhere on Earth, doing anything. You have all the elements of a great story in your life. Without taking away from the seriousness of what you do, or ! sounding like a recruiting commercial, you truly have the chance to live an adventure, if you choose to look for it.
By far the greatest challenge in writing this speech was trying to define
the spirit I've seen in both my class, IS "A" School, and the Navy as a whole. I've meet so many people who give of themselves selflessly and seemingly on instinct. One person in particular I would like to thank is Chief Jordan, on behalf of all the BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition / School) candidates.
This is a man who wakes up every morning at 0330, Monday through Friday, and leads us in two hours of intense PT (Physical Training). He does this for no other reason than he doesn't want a group of young men to give their all and fail. But he is by no means the only person I've seen give
themselves in small acts of heroism everyday.
I've seen the staff and instructors teach their trade with patience,
humor, and devotion. I've seen in it in my classmates and shipmates. It's
humbling to look around you and see so many people who give of themselves. It makes you want to try harder to be a better person, just to fit in.
I realize I don't have the words to grasp the spirit I've met in many of
the people here at IS "A" School. There are some Eastern philosophies that
teach that some ideas are too big for words, that we should never try to
explain some truths, because one is doomed to never to be able to do them
justice. All you do is demean it, turn it into some little sound bite. I
feel that applies here. I'm not that poetic, I don't have the words. So,
like any good IS with nothing to say, I plagiarized. There's one quote I
have kept with me since I joined the Navy. Months before I left for Boot
camp, I had the chance to go to Coronado, CA and tour the BUD//S facility. My recruiter was a SEAL and a BUD/S instructor, and he pulled some strings for me. There is a T-shirt shop in Coronado, one that sells shirts to all
the graduating members of various BUD/S classes. Each class has their own T-shirt design, and there is a book filled with all the patterns of the
T-shirts, some of them going back decades. Most of them were Hoo-yah macho stuff, or funny little witticisms, but there was one that stood out in my
mind. I memorized it, and put up in my locker at BUD/S.
It came the closest to capturing for me what it is to be in the Navy, and
to do the job all of us in IS "A" School will start to do. On the back of
the T-shirt was a silhouette of a lone man, holding a rifle, standing
watch on a hill. Above him was a small quote, and these are the words I'll
leave you with. It was quote from the Bible, Isaiah 6:8: "And I heard the
voice of the Lord say, "Whom shall I send, and whom will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am. Send Me"."
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God bless all our DVC family members who are protecting and serving us, our prayers are with you for your speedy and safe return.
It was a big plane with the middle rows. It had about 15 people on it.
