John's Commissioning Remarks
FREEDOM LOOKING FORWARD
Second Lieutenant (Select) John Deniston
If ROTC is a family, I would like to welcome you to our living room—the curious landscape of Sunken Gardens. While today’s location was undoubtedly chosen with hopes of showcasing our tropical training environment, this smorgasboard of sidewalk, stairs, and grass holds a special four-year significance for those that have just sworn the oath of office. Our first scramble down these stairs was undoubtedly a frantic moment of bewilderment—but our final ascent of these steps is a proud confirmation of our purpose in training and a commencement of our launch into action.
Sharing this vantage point, we find a multitude of memories hovering mere steps from these seats. If time allowed, we’d each recall the empowering moment when, for the first time, each of us alone took control of marching a flight, likely just here or over there. Or perhaps we’d share a glimpse of the admitted absurdity and hilarity forged through furious bouts of Frisbee and volleyball—correction, please, “Air Force rules” Frisbee and volleyball. Catch me after the formalities and I’ll even tell you how great I felt during my first experience with the Physical Fitness Test—particularly how much better one feels after depositing their “lunchtime cookies” on the lawn just over there. Indeed, we’ve encountered struggle and victory, frustration and leadership, beginning and now completion within these hallowed grounds, these fields of friendly strife.
More seriously, though, I am privileged to share this moment of collective introspection on such a consequential occasion. Together, we find ourselves at both the onset of a new personal beginning and at the cusp of an inflection point in our nation’s history—a moment of continuing conflict in the world, unfolding transformation within the Air Force, and indelible change in the possibility and adversity of the road ahead. Some are fond of comparing a pause such as this to previous vital American moments, such as the Summer 1865 imperative for national reconciliation, or the January 1942 sense of patriotic duty, or even the late 1989 infatuation of global optimism.
Today I contend that while nobly nostalgic, such descriptions are ultimately idle and circular: for ours is a moment unlike any other and while the comfort of hindsight assures us of palatable outcomes from each of these preceding eras, the tracks leading to the horizon of our future ominously twinkle with unspanned chasms of challenge—gaps that will only be bridged by the conviction and determination of leaders such as those we recognize today. As we step forward on this journey—fulfilling our own conviction of the pursuit of truth, purity, and excellence—my classmates and I ask for your partnership in propelling three observations into shared obligations for action.
First, we are profoundly grateful for that investment that each of you, our beloved family and friends, have poured into our lives. Long before marching and marathons, it was your steady arms that first put us on our feet. The military codified it with the Six Steps of Problem Solving, but it was you that taught us to separate right from wrong and better from best. And before we learned the hallowed respect of today’s salute, you showered us with love in a simpler currency of hugs and bedtime stories.
Indeed, we stand today proud of what we built with the tools you gave us—but we are acutely aware of our nation’s lingering need for role models such as you. New endeavors, from wedding vows, to real estate investment, to higher education decisions, will surely solidify our continued reliance on your wisdom, but we see in our younger brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends a growing need for the same mentorship you gave us. You succeeded in our lives—we challenge you to compound this legacy by actively locating other blossoming souls to guide, encourage, and grow.
Second, and symbiotically attached to this investment in the next generation, is a challenge to intentionally define our true America. Many of my classmates and I have been privileged to spend a portion of the preceding four years studying and traveling abroad. While infinitely worthwhile, we’ve found these experiences to be occasionally frustrating for reasons far beyond the language barrier and the absence of our Angelino cars and freeways. Irritation erupts when we discover that the America much of this world knows—an America exported in media and entertainment, known in financial absorption and consumerism, and caricatured in disrespect and incivility leaking from our own domestic debates—is a far different than the America we know, a polar opposite of the America we have chosen to serve. Surely this disconnection between the purity of apple pie and baseball versus lewd entertainment and sensationalized news is not an ill to be cured by one gathering of patriots on one Saturday afternoon—but we must do our part.
Sooner than later, many gathered here will deploy into harms way. I assert that the strongest support of the homefront will come in efforts to frame our actions on the battlefield as a result of our values forged at home—actions that are not the rampaging outcomes of a latchkey generation drunk on instant gratification and a virtual world without consequences, but instead actions that are the principled sacrifices of sons and daughters committed to a set of values more precious than our own lives. As one candidate recently articulated, ours is a nation that will move heaven and earth to rescue stranded hikers from Mount Hood, to save trapped miners in Pennsylvania, to stretch news of missing children across our highways. Ours is a culture that cherishes life—and this is what separates us from a cunning enemy willing to weaponize suicide.
Finally, we ask you to seize the unique freedom of this nation and extend it to its noblest ends—and stand confident that such a daily decision is the greatest reciprocation for the sacrifice of our armed forces. Long before learning today’s oath of office, each of us was introduced to another sacred oath, the Code of Conduct. This revered pledge—common to all of America’s men and women in uniform—begins, “I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.” We pray that such an ultimate sacrifice will not soon be asked of those gathered here—nor of our other comrades in arms. We stand ready, though, because we recognize the vitality and fragility of the city on a hill we have enjoyed—we know that we have slept peacefully only because of other strong souls willing to pursue justice on our behalf. And we know that to whom much has been given, much will be required. We ask you to join us in refusing complacency and reaching for a great and transcendent purpose. Live, laugh, and love—and regard your life not as a project of individual action, but as an unfolding story made possible by numerous unseen heroes.
Precisely twelve years and seven hours ago—on June 2, 1995—Air Force Captain Scott O’Grady, an experienced F-16 pilot, was shot down by Bosnian Serb forces while enforcing a no-fly zone and providing close air support to UN troops in Operation Deny Flight over Bosnia-Herzegovina. The harrowing rescue of Captain O’Grady six days after this incident entranced the nation with a spectacle illuminating the might of military power and the value of this single life. While this incident embodied many of the values we have unpacked today, I leave us not with a picture of tactical action, but instead a heartening hope of timeless wisdom. Speaking of his experience, Captain O’Grady would later write the echoing words: “It wasn't the reward that mattered or the recognition you might harvest. It was your depth of commitment, your quality of service, the product of your devotion -- these were the things that counted in a life. When you gave purely, the honor came in the giving, and that was honor enough.”
It is a privilege to share your uniform and your future. Thank you for sharing your lives.
Second Lieutenant (Select) John Deniston
If ROTC is a family, I would like to welcome you to our living room—the curious landscape of Sunken Gardens. While today’s location was undoubtedly chosen with hopes of showcasing our tropical training environment, this smorgasboard of sidewalk, stairs, and grass holds a special four-year significance for those that have just sworn the oath of office. Our first scramble down these stairs was undoubtedly a frantic moment of bewilderment—but our final ascent of these steps is a proud confirmation of our purpose in training and a commencement of our launch into action.
Sharing this vantage point, we find a multitude of memories hovering mere steps from these seats. If time allowed, we’d each recall the empowering moment when, for the first time, each of us alone took control of marching a flight, likely just here or over there. Or perhaps we’d share a glimpse of the admitted absurdity and hilarity forged through furious bouts of Frisbee and volleyball—correction, please, “Air Force rules” Frisbee and volleyball. Catch me after the formalities and I’ll even tell you how great I felt during my first experience with the Physical Fitness Test—particularly how much better one feels after depositing their “lunchtime cookies” on the lawn just over there. Indeed, we’ve encountered struggle and victory, frustration and leadership, beginning and now completion within these hallowed grounds, these fields of friendly strife.
More seriously, though, I am privileged to share this moment of collective introspection on such a consequential occasion. Together, we find ourselves at both the onset of a new personal beginning and at the cusp of an inflection point in our nation’s history—a moment of continuing conflict in the world, unfolding transformation within the Air Force, and indelible change in the possibility and adversity of the road ahead. Some are fond of comparing a pause such as this to previous vital American moments, such as the Summer 1865 imperative for national reconciliation, or the January 1942 sense of patriotic duty, or even the late 1989 infatuation of global optimism.
Today I contend that while nobly nostalgic, such descriptions are ultimately idle and circular: for ours is a moment unlike any other and while the comfort of hindsight assures us of palatable outcomes from each of these preceding eras, the tracks leading to the horizon of our future ominously twinkle with unspanned chasms of challenge—gaps that will only be bridged by the conviction and determination of leaders such as those we recognize today. As we step forward on this journey—fulfilling our own conviction of the pursuit of truth, purity, and excellence—my classmates and I ask for your partnership in propelling three observations into shared obligations for action.
First, we are profoundly grateful for that investment that each of you, our beloved family and friends, have poured into our lives. Long before marching and marathons, it was your steady arms that first put us on our feet. The military codified it with the Six Steps of Problem Solving, but it was you that taught us to separate right from wrong and better from best. And before we learned the hallowed respect of today’s salute, you showered us with love in a simpler currency of hugs and bedtime stories.
Indeed, we stand today proud of what we built with the tools you gave us—but we are acutely aware of our nation’s lingering need for role models such as you. New endeavors, from wedding vows, to real estate investment, to higher education decisions, will surely solidify our continued reliance on your wisdom, but we see in our younger brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends a growing need for the same mentorship you gave us. You succeeded in our lives—we challenge you to compound this legacy by actively locating other blossoming souls to guide, encourage, and grow.
Second, and symbiotically attached to this investment in the next generation, is a challenge to intentionally define our true America. Many of my classmates and I have been privileged to spend a portion of the preceding four years studying and traveling abroad. While infinitely worthwhile, we’ve found these experiences to be occasionally frustrating for reasons far beyond the language barrier and the absence of our Angelino cars and freeways. Irritation erupts when we discover that the America much of this world knows—an America exported in media and entertainment, known in financial absorption and consumerism, and caricatured in disrespect and incivility leaking from our own domestic debates—is a far different than the America we know, a polar opposite of the America we have chosen to serve. Surely this disconnection between the purity of apple pie and baseball versus lewd entertainment and sensationalized news is not an ill to be cured by one gathering of patriots on one Saturday afternoon—but we must do our part.
Sooner than later, many gathered here will deploy into harms way. I assert that the strongest support of the homefront will come in efforts to frame our actions on the battlefield as a result of our values forged at home—actions that are not the rampaging outcomes of a latchkey generation drunk on instant gratification and a virtual world without consequences, but instead actions that are the principled sacrifices of sons and daughters committed to a set of values more precious than our own lives. As one candidate recently articulated, ours is a nation that will move heaven and earth to rescue stranded hikers from Mount Hood, to save trapped miners in Pennsylvania, to stretch news of missing children across our highways. Ours is a culture that cherishes life—and this is what separates us from a cunning enemy willing to weaponize suicide.
Finally, we ask you to seize the unique freedom of this nation and extend it to its noblest ends—and stand confident that such a daily decision is the greatest reciprocation for the sacrifice of our armed forces. Long before learning today’s oath of office, each of us was introduced to another sacred oath, the Code of Conduct. This revered pledge—common to all of America’s men and women in uniform—begins, “I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.” We pray that such an ultimate sacrifice will not soon be asked of those gathered here—nor of our other comrades in arms. We stand ready, though, because we recognize the vitality and fragility of the city on a hill we have enjoyed—we know that we have slept peacefully only because of other strong souls willing to pursue justice on our behalf. And we know that to whom much has been given, much will be required. We ask you to join us in refusing complacency and reaching for a great and transcendent purpose. Live, laugh, and love—and regard your life not as a project of individual action, but as an unfolding story made possible by numerous unseen heroes.
Precisely twelve years and seven hours ago—on June 2, 1995—Air Force Captain Scott O’Grady, an experienced F-16 pilot, was shot down by Bosnian Serb forces while enforcing a no-fly zone and providing close air support to UN troops in Operation Deny Flight over Bosnia-Herzegovina. The harrowing rescue of Captain O’Grady six days after this incident entranced the nation with a spectacle illuminating the might of military power and the value of this single life. While this incident embodied many of the values we have unpacked today, I leave us not with a picture of tactical action, but instead a heartening hope of timeless wisdom. Speaking of his experience, Captain O’Grady would later write the echoing words: “It wasn't the reward that mattered or the recognition you might harvest. It was your depth of commitment, your quality of service, the product of your devotion -- these were the things that counted in a life. When you gave purely, the honor came in the giving, and that was honor enough.”
It is a privilege to share your uniform and your future. Thank you for sharing your lives.
posted by Sugar at 3:46 PM
0 comments
