ANNAPOLIS GRADS URGED TO LIVE BY `A HIGHER CODE OF CONDUCT'.Byline: Michael Janofsky The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times A troublesome school year at the United States Naval Academy United States Naval Academy, at Annapolis, Md.; for training young men and women to be officers of the U.S. navy or marine corps. George Bancroft, Secretary of the Navy, founded and opened (1845) it as the Naval School at Annapolis. here ended Friday with Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the highest ranking overall military officer of the United States military, and the principal military adviser to the President of the United States. , telling the 1996 graduating class that as naval officers, they have chosen to live by ``a higher code of conduct.'' Speaking at the academy's graduation and commissioning ceremonies, Shalikashvili stressed the importance of leadership and integrity, qualities that have been questioned this year because of several criminal incidents involving midshipmen. ``Integrity is our anchor in the stormy sea of temptation, manipulation and moral relativism,'' Shalikashvili told the 918 graduates, sitting in their formal white uniforms on folded chairs in the football stadium. ``For us, integrity is both morally right and also militarily practical.'' He added, ``You must be a beacon of integrity.'' As he did on Tuesday at a memorial service at the National Cathedral in Washington, Shalikashvili paid tribute to the Navy's highest-ranking officer, Adm. Jeremy M. Boorda, who committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest on May 16 amid questions about whether he had improperly worn certain combat decorations on his uniform. Shalikashvili told the graduates that the admiral ``did so much to keep our Navy the finest in the world.'' Boorda, as the chief of naval operations chief of naval operations n. pl. chiefs of naval operations Abbr. CNO The ranking officer of the U.S. Navy, responsible to the secretary of the Navy and to the President. , had been scheduled to administer the oath of office An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before undertaking the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations. to the graduates. Instead, they were sworn in by Adm. Jay L. Johnson Admiral Jay L. Johnson, USN, is a retired United States Navy officer who served from 1996-2000 as 26th Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). He succeeded to the position following the death of Admiral Jeremy M. Boorda. , the acting chief of naval operations. But the major thrust of Shalikashvili's speech was reminding the graduates that the Navy depends on the high quality of its officers, an allusion to several controversies involving the Navy and the academy in recent years, including sexual harassment, drug use and cheating. After the latest incident, in which two seniors were charged this spring with breaking and entering breaking and entering v., n. entering a residence or other enclosed property through the slightest amount of force (even pushing open a door), without authorization. If there is intent to commit a crime, this is burglary. , the academy's superintendent, Adm. Charles R. Larson Charles R. Larson is a retired four-star Admiral of the United States Navy. Larson received a Bachelor of Science Marine Engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1958. He twice served as Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. , suspended all weekday liberty for a week to encourage the academy's 4,000 students to discuss problems on the campus and recommend ways to maintain its high standards. Recognizing the criticism, which included a charge by an academy professor that midshipmen had become ``immersed in an ethically corrupting system,'' Shalikashvili said: ``Those of us who choose to wear America's uniform choose as well to live by a higher code of conduct and to surrender ourselves to public scrutiny. And that is entirely proper, for America entrusts the lives of its sons and daughters in our care.'' He also dwelt dwelt v. A past tense and a past participle of dwell. on what he described as the three most important attributes that great leaders share: competence, caring and character. Navy Secretary John H. Dalton also addressed the graduates and urged them to honor Boorda's death by holding the Navy in the same high esteem he did. In introducing Shalikashvili, Dalton praised him for nearly four decades of service in the Army. ``He only made one mistake,'' Dalton said of the general. ``He chose the wrong service.'' Shalikashvili opened his remarks by saying that he at least deserved ``some credit for wearing my whites.'' CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Gen. John Shalikashvili presents diplomas to graduat es of the Naval Academy in Annapolis, following a tribute to the late Adm. Boorda. The New York Times |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion