REMARKS FOR
THE HONORABLE NORMAN Y. MINETA
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION

UNITED STATES MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY COMMENCEMENT
KINGS POINT, NY

JUNE 21, 2004
10:00 AM

Thank you, Captain Schubert, for that kind introduction and for your strong leadership of the Maritime Administration. Our Nation is fortunate to have a Kings Point graduate at the helm during these extraordinary times.

Vice Admiral Stewart; Consul General Wallin; Senator Brock; Administrator Herberger; Flag Officers and Distinguished Guests; Leaders and Supporters of the Academy; Parents, Family and Friends; Ladies and Gentlemen – thank you all for that very warm welcome.

From the day that I was sworn in as the Secretary of Transportation, the midshipmen at the United States Merchant Marine Academy have been a continuous source of pride and inspiration to me, as I know they are to the parents, family, and friends who provide support and encouragement. So be sure to thank them today.

As the members of the Class of 2004 can attest, I come to Kings Point every chance that I get. It is not because I feel that I need to keep an eye on things. I know that Vice Admiral Stewart runs a tight ship. And Mrs. Stewart is a great First Lady at the Academy. No, I come to spend time with the midshipmen. And being with you always recharges me and fills me with confidence in the future of this great Nation.

You see, as President Bush said recently, “We live in historic times, when the will and character of America are being tested.”
We are fortunate to have a President who understands the nature of the threat that we face – who understands that it is our freedom and it is our way of life that are under attack and that those who cherish liberty must stand up in its defense and must see their commitments through, even when the course ahead is dangerous and demands sacrifice.

Our enemies believe that free societies are weak and that Americans are soft and decadent. But they have only to cross the threshold of Vickery Gate to know that America is home to men – and women – of exceptional character and uncommon valor.

Maybe it has something to do with the regimental values of the Academy – values that stress integrity from within, respect for others, courage in adversity, and service above self.

As midshipmen, you have poured your hearts and souls into this institution, 24/7, to complete four years of demanding academic study, compressed into three.

You have spent a year at sea to learn the ins and outs of the mariner’s trade.

The Academy’s “tough love” traditions have shaped awkward plebe candidates who reported for in-doc into the first-classmen sitting tall before us today in choker whites – strong of body, mind, and character.

Those traditions link the 180 members of today’s graduating class to the more than 20,000 Academy graduates who have proudly served the maritime industry and this great Nation in times of war, and in times of peace.

The Class of 2004 has already known both. The second class year had barely begun for you when the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001, forever changed our world.

Some of you took your places on the front lines in the War on Terrorism, even before you graduated. As your Service Secretary, I take tremendous pride in the quick response of the Academy on that fall morning and in the invaluable contributions that Kings Point made to rescue and relief efforts.

The Twin Towers were still standing when the fleet of vessels was dispatched to New York City to help in the evacuation. Twenty-one members of the 2004 Class were among the midshipmen, faculty, and staff who participated in the relief mission over the nine days that followed. Operating a fleet of the Academy’s small boats in New York Harbor, you transported emergency personnel – and tons of food, water, and medical supplies – from locations in Brooklyn and New Jersey to Ground Zero.

And again, as our Nation mobilized to fight terrorism at its source, merchant mariners were called upon to transport ammunition and other vital supplies to our troops. Among them were 28 members of this class, who took sea training assignments aboard U.S.-flag merchant ships supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
 
I would like to ask both groups to stand and be recognized. On behalf of the President and a grateful nation, thank you for your service.

And now, each of the members of this remarkable class has rung the bell after passing the license exam; you’ve lined up for your last official review as midshipmen.

And after the ceremonies and celebrations have been completed, after you claim your degrees and licenses and accept your commissions, each of you will head proudly toward your futures.

The opportunities that stretch before you are as vast as the seas you will sail.

Your training here at Kings Point prepares you not just to serve this Nation, but to lead – just as those before have led – on board ships, in corporate boardrooms, and in the halls of government in this country and around the world. Significantly, this class will be the first to have the opportunity to fulfill its service requirement by working for the federal government in any capacity with a maritime focus.

Whether you are going directly into active military service, or into the U.S. Naval Reserve while you serve the maritime industry at sea or on shore, each of you is carrying on a tradition of duty — the tradition of the seafarer, of the mariner – a tradition that predates the birth of our Nation, and that is inseparable from its proud history.

From the earliest days of our founding, America has always been a maritime Nation.

And so we remain today. Indeed, rarely in our history has the importance of our maritime operations been so clear, or the opportunities for mariners so great.

Today, we recognize our sea lanes as the logistical lifelines to the troops defending our freedoms abroad.

And for the world’s leading trading nation, those sea lanes serve as the primary arteries through which almost 95 percent of U.S. overseas cargo flows.

With the American economy surging forward – creating nearly one million new jobs in the last 100 days – the stage is set for a renaissance for the maritime industries and a growing role for the merchant mariners who link us to our trading partners around the world.

We have made a strong commitment to building a robust maritime system.

For the first time in recent memory, we are adding demonstrably to the number of ships sailing under the American flag. In the past two years, our efforts have attracted three modern and militarily useful vessels to the U.S.-flag fleet. Additionally, thousands of new sea-going jobs will be created when three new U.S.-flagged cruise ships are placed in service.

The Maritime Security Act, signed by President Bush last November, is another measure of our commitment. The $1.7 billion reauthorization of the Maritime Security Program will expand the fleet from 47 to 60 ships.

And there is more to come. At the Department of Transportation, we are working to develop the most comprehensive maritime review that the Nation has ever seen. This initiative, known as SEA 21, encompasses the entire marine transportation system – from ports to shipbuilding to mariner training. SEA 21 has the potential to modernize and enhance our maritime capacity, making it more secure and efficient while developing new areas of opportunity, such as short sea shipping.

Three weeks ago, I participated in the dedication of the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. It is a magnificent monument site, and the Merchant Marine is included, prominently. Cross the Rainbow Pool to the Atlantic Theater Arch, and the first two battles chiseled in the granite base are mariners’ battles – the Battle of the Atlantic and the Murmansk Run.
We know those mariners today as members of the “Greatest Generation.” And now, the torch that they once carried so proudly is being passed into your hands.

Let it light your way as you make your path in the world, equipped with the education, the skills, and the values that you have gained here at Kings Point. Yours is a great heritage… and a great future.

On behalf of our Commander in Chief, President George W. Bush, and Vice President Dick Cheney, congratulations King Point graduates!

May God bless you. And may God continue to bless the United States of America.

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