By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON – Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey,
the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, returned to his high school alma
mater today to encourage the John S. Burke Catholic High School graduating
class to embrace new opportunities in a demanding, fast-changing world.
The chairman addressed the graduates of
the school, based in Goshen, N.Y., in an auditorium at the U.S. Military
Academy at West Point, N.Y., from which he graduated in 1974.
“Push yourself to explore space you
haven’t considered before, to lead where leadership is required and to keep
options open -- because life will deal you changes and challenges you’ll have
to figure out,” Dempsey told the 2012 class.
“The future will find you,” he said. “Be
ready.”
Dempsey and his wife Deanie both are
Burke High graduates, and he was inducted into the school’s hall of fame in
2003. He told the new graduates today he’s never forgotten his roots, and how
his own high school experiences prepared him for what was ahead.
Recognizing the many high achievers in
this year’s class, the chairman cautioned them not to rest on past
accomplishments. “No matter how successful you’ve been up to this point, you
need to keep working to be better than you think you can be,” he said.
It’s a lesson he said he learned quickly
after arriving at West Point with his solid Burke record. “I realized that I
had to keep getting better,” he said. “I realized that never settling for
mediocre is one of our enduring national traits. As a nation, we dare to be
great.”
Dempsey urged the students to be willing
to take the risks as they “push the envelope” and embrace new opportunities.
“Many of you will exceed your wildest
imaginations,” he said. But in doing so, he encouraged them to stay true to
their moral compasses and never lose sight of their values. “Prioritize what’s
most important to you,” and keep those priorities in order, he said.
As they apply the lessons they’ve
learned to overcome obstacles they confront, Dempsey urged the class to serve,
whether in the military or other endeavors. He congratulated those headed to
military academies or ROTC units, and said other graduates may find their
calling to serve in other vocations.
Dempsey said he looks forward to seeing
the new graduates make a difference and impact society as they help influence
the future.
“Your life takes on meaning only as the
causes to which you attach yourself have meaning,” the chairman said. “The
greatest value of a life is to spend it for something that lives after it. “
“In the end, you become what you are
through some cause you have made your own,” he concluded.
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