Madame Vice President told the soon-to-be commissioned Naval officers, "Our Constitution is not only something to defend; it is a guide. It is a guide for your service."
May 29, 2021

In this day and age, it shouldn't be historic, but of course, it is.

Vice President Kamala Harris delivered the commencement address at the U.S. Naval Academy yesterday, making her the first woman in the school's (almost) 175-year history to do so.

VP Harris touched on historic turning points in our past: "Think about it: There was the world before the stock market crashed in 1929 and the world after. The world before the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the world after. The world before the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and the world after. The world before the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and the world after."

She reminded them of our fragility: "Just think, a deadly pandemic can spread throughout the globe in just a matter of months. A gang of hackers can disrupt the fuel supply of a whole seaboard. One country's carbon emissions can threaten the sustainability of the whole Earth."

She recounted their role in rescuing our exhausted, battered nation from the pandemic: "Our military helped develop the technology that made the vaccine possible. Naval researchers also figured out how to use 3D knitting machines to make masks. Naval labs monitored the spread of the disease. And the Marine Corps and the Navy are leading on making the connection between the pandemic and medical readiness of our fighting forces for the future."

And while she propped them up with praise, reiterating the faith the citizenry places in them, she cautioned them, as well: "Because in your career, you may witness some of the worst of humanity. But promise that you will never forget the best of who we are, that you will never forget the ideals you stand for: duty, honor, loyalty. Fight for those ideals, and fight for our democracy."

As John King quipped on CNN, "Welcome to the 21st century, Naval Academy."

Indeed.

You can view the full speech below.

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