They would not allow you to stand among the ranks of those who came before if you were not ready.”īullard added that their preparation does not end at graduation. The standards of this institution are rigorous.
“But, you have survived every trial, and I assure you that you have learned more than you think – and you are better prepared then you give yourself credit for. “You have been tested and pushed and challenged, likely sometimes to what you thought was your breaking point – physically, mentally and perhaps even spiritually,” he said. “Your challenges are many – and your future, our future, is wide open to so many potential possibilities.”īullard went on to say The Citadel has prepared them well. “You will now find yourself at the center of making that happen as our next generation of heroes of both future thought and future deed,” the OSI commander said. He described the times as having tremendous strategic ambiguity and that these new leaders must help us find our way through them.
“Future leaders, I give you this piece of history not to pull you back,” he said, “but to help you set a frame of reference to keep your gaze wide for the future you now own.”īullard told the 179 new second lieutenants and ensigns representing the five Armed Forces branches, they enter the military at an incredibly complex time in our Nation’s history and around the world. Embassies in Africa, and the game-changing events of 9/11 and the wars that followed, that transpired between his Citadel graduation and present day, and how he and his classmates’ careers, and our nation’s history, were shaped by the new national security posture that resulted from those tragic events. “In fact, I found it hard to believe 30 years have passed since I sat right where you are – wondering what the future would bring.”īullard recounted the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, bombings of the U.S. “I can’t begin to tell you what an honor it is to be back here with you on this incredibly special day,” Bullard said. Bullard, with his retirement nearing, returned to his alma mater as the OSI commander, to deliver the keynote address to the newly minted officers in the graduating Class of 2023, during their Military Joint Commissioning Ceremony in McAlister Field House May 5. Bullard entered the military as a Distinguished Graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program at The Citadel – The Military College of South Carolina. On May 15, 1993, then newly-commissioned 2nd Lt. For the Office of Special Investigations commander, the event rekindled fond memories of where his military career began nearly 30 years ago.
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