(C) Florida Phoenix
This story was originally published by Florida Phoenix and is unaltered.
 . . . . . . . . . .



Biden delivers speech during Air Force Academy graduation in Colorado Springs [1]

['Lindsey Toomer', 'More From Author', '- June']

Date: 2023-06-02  

President Joe Biden gave a commencement address during a ceremony Thursday at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He congratulated each member of the class of 2023 after they received diplomas in the academy’s 65th graduation ceremony.

Hundreds of families crowded into Falcon Stadium on the Air Force Academy campus under a cloudy sky, supporting the graduating class as cadets celebrated their work over the last four years. After delivering the commencement address, Biden shook hands with all 921 graduates before they took the oath of office, officially becoming second lieutenants.

Cadets attend the Air Force Academy for four years and upon graduation receive a bachelor’s degree and are eligible to enter careers with either the Air Force or Space Force. The academy operates as a military organization as well as a university, with a combination of experiences common at both typical military bases and civilian universities.

In his address, Biden emphasized to the graduates that they are not just commissioning into the Air Force or Space Force — rather, they are entering a joint force that he said works closely to defend the U.S. He credited the families of the graduating class for supporting them throughout their lives and time at the academy.

“You taught them how to stand up, never bow, never bend, never yield,” Biden said. “You inspired them to put integrity first, to choose service over self — it sounds like hyperbole, but it’s literally what you did — to pursue excellence in all they do. But I know you’re bursting with pride at what they’ve already accomplished.”

The president also gave a shout out to the academy graduates who he works with daily, including his Air Force One pilots and his Air Force and Space Force military aides.

“It’s no exaggeration to say I trust my life through academy graduates,” Biden said.

Lt. Gen. Richard Clark, superintendent of the Air Force Academy, explained the significance of a graduating class’s exemplar — someone whose qualities the class hopes to emulate, chosen in its first year. The class of 2023’s exemplar is Lt. Col. Leo Thorsness, a fighter pilot in the Vietnam War who received the Medal of Honor for his service. Every time a speaker said “class of 2023” throughout the ceremony, the graduates chanted “Thor” in his honor.

“When one of his wingmen was shot down, despite extreme danger and personal risk, he decided to stay and to protect his wingmen and to protect the rescue effort,” Clark said. “Like Leo Thorsness, you did not falter and you did not fail. You saw challenges like no other class before you.”

Pandemic shutdown

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/06/02/biden-delivers-speech-during-air-force-academy-graduation-in-colorado-springs/

Published and (C) by Florida Phoenix
Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/floridaphoenix/