Rumsfeld to grads: Your talents needed in war on terror
Dick Foster, Rocky Mountain News
Published May 31, 2006 at midnight
COLORADO SPRINGS — The talent and ingenuity that earned graduating cadets a place at the Air Force Academy will be called upon to face the nation’s challenges in the global war on terrorism, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld told the graduating class of 2006 this morning.
"Today, our country faces threats unlike any we have known. Extremists are trying to terrorize and intimidate free people into submitting to their will," Rumsfeld said.
"Their war is more than a contest between opposing sides or societies. These extremists are waging war against society itself, with only two outcomes in mind: control us or destroy us," Rumsfeld said.
"Your challenge will be to go beyond simply a change of a process here or a piece of equipment there," Rumsfeld said. "Ours is a nation born of ideas and raised on improbability. Your charge will be to challenge inherited assumptions, and cherished habits, and seek out better approaches. I urge you to make that the bedrock of your career," Rumsfeld said.
The secretary stood at the middle of the stage and shook hands with each senior as they received their diplomas. The class of 879 graduates will now enter the Air Force as 2nd lieutenants.
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