President Obama Warns Sexual Assault in the Military Amounts to National Security Threat

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President Barack Obama delivered the commencement address at the U.S. Naval Academy Friday, telling 2013 graduates they must be determined to prevent sexual assaults and help restore the country’s trust in the military.

excerpt:

Every day, our civil servants do their jobs with professionalism — protecting our national security and delivering the services that so many Americans expect. But as we’ve seen again in recent days, it only takes the misconduct of a few to further erode the people’s trust in their government. That’s unacceptable to me, and I know it’s unacceptable to you.

And against this backdrop, what I said here four years ago remains true today: Our military remains the most trusted institution in America. When others have shirked their responsibilities, our Armed Forces have met every mission we’ve given them. When others have been distracted by petty arguments, our men and women in uniform come together as one American team.

And yet, we must acknowledge that even here, even in our military, we’ve seen how the misconduct of some can have effects that ripple far and wide. In our digital age, a single image from the battlefield of troops falling short of their standards can go viral and endanger our forces and undermine our efforts to achieve security and peace. Likewise, those who commit sexual assault are not only committing a crime, they threaten the trust and discipline that make our military strong. That’s why we have to be determined to stop these crimes, because they’ve got no place in the greatest military on Earth.

So, Class of 2013, I say all this because you’re about to assume the burden of leadership. As officers, you will be trusted with the most awesome of responsibilities — the lives of the men and women under your command. And when your service is complete, many of you will go on to help lead your communities, America’s companies. You will lead this country. And if we want to restore the trust that the American people deserve to have in their institutions, all of us have to do our part. And those of us in leadership — myself included — have to constantly strive to remain worthy of the public trust.

As you go forward in your careers, we need you to carry forth the values that you’ve learned at this institution, because our nation needs them now more than ever.

We need your Honor — that inner compass that guides you, not when the path is easy and obvious, but when it’s hard and uncertain; that tells you the difference between that which is right and that which is wrong. Perhaps it will be a moment when you think nobody is watching. But never forget that honor, like character, is what you do when nobody is looking. More likely it will be when you’re in the spotlight, leading others –the men and women who are looking up to you to set an example. Never ask them to do what you don’t ask of yourself. Live with integrity and speak with honesty and take responsibility and demand accountability.

We need your Honor and we need your Courage — yes, the daring that tells you to move toward danger when every fiber of your being says to turn the other way. But even more than physical courage, we need your moral courage — the strength to do what’s right, especially when it’s unpopular. Because at the end of the day and at the end of your career, you want to look in the mirror and say with confidence and with pride, I fulfilled my oath; I did my duty; I stayed true to my values.

read entire transcript of remarks: http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/05/24/transcript-obama-address-at-naval-academy/

related:

‘An Outrage’ – The President Addresses The Pentagon’s Latest Figures On Rape In The Military (VIDEO)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/05/10/the-latest-pentagon-figures-on-rape-in-the-military-sparks-unequivocal-response-from-the-president/


President Barack Obama congratulates Alexis Marisa Werner with open arms during the United States Naval Academy commencement ceremony in Annapolis, Md., Friday, May 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

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1. .

[MadrasT]

2. K&R

[Cha]

3. Good for PBO.. addressing this at

Commencement.. it's that Important!

thanks bigtree

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4. it's a big deal to those who this issue directly affects to raise this issue to the emerging gen

. . . a big deal to most of the rest of us too, Cha!