Instilling the Air Force core values.

Remarks at the Basic Military Training graduation day parade, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, Oct. 22, 2004

Good morning fellow Airmen. Congratulations to each and every one of you. General (John) Jumper, who is here, General (Donald) Cook, Lieutenant General (Mike) Wooley, many other of our general officers and senior officers are all here to honor you and congratulate you on this wonderful day. We're all tremendously proud of each and every one of you. We're proud of what you've accomplished in the last six and a half weeks. We're proud of your commitment to our country. We're also proud of your tenacity. Your determination to make it all the way through the crucible of getting your military training, and you now stand proudly in front of parents and other family members and friends in the uniform of Airmen of the United States Air Force, and you now walk in the steps of many Airmen before you so many of whom are heroes to this nation.

Your hearts I'm sure are swelled with pride at this moment. Your mind flashes back to the first day - "Am I ready?," you probably asked yourself. "What in heaven's name have I gotten myself into?" No doubt you never thought that six and a half weeks could last so long. Each of you at some point in the past months probably faced an obstacle of some sort that you believed was insurmountable, and yet you overcame it, often with the assistance of your fellow Airmen. And you continued to conquer the seemingly insurmountable. Day by day you felt yourself becoming stronger, more disciplined, more prepared for your calling. And then at the end of Warrior Week, you receive a coin and your MTI calls you Airman. That is when you realize why you came here.

Again, congratulations to each and every one of you.

Parents, friends, families who are here today, I know your hearts swell with pride as well. Some of you have worn the uniform of the United States Armed Forces. You know what it represents and you know what basic military training is all about, what it's like. All of you I'm sure often view your son or daughter retroactively. So take a good long look at your sons and daughters now, standing tall in this formation before us. They are strong--physically, mentally, emotionally. They have learned the value of being part of a team and to commit to something larger than themselves.

They arrived here because of the values you've instilled in them. They endured this test because of what you taught them. But they succeeded on their own because of what these men and women before you have deep inside of them.

As a fellow parent I know just how proud you must be of them.

I'd like to offer some very special thanks to the men and women who have guided our newest Airmen, the military training instructors or MTIs. We only select our most outstanding Airmen for this important duty. They are carefully screened, trained and prepared. Our MTIs literally are the first face that recruits see in their Air Force career. They instill our core values--Integrity First, Serviced Before Self, Excellence In All That We Do. But they do not pass these values on in some lecture. They pass them on by living them 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Those of you who are graduating today have not always had a warm feeling of affection for the men and women wearing the Smokey the Bear hat, but today you realize that you are a better Airman because they care about you and our Air Force. Today you recognize that they devoted the attention to you because at some point you and they may be together in combat. You need to be the best: they need to be the best.

Deep down, no matter how much you might not want to admit it, I'm sure you admire your MTIs and justifiably so.

If you have not done so already, may I encourage you to express your thanks to each of them who guided you on the long path from your initial

reception to the ceremony today.

Colleagues, families, friends, parents--please join me in giving our MTIs a special round of applause.

These young Airmen know that today's ceremony is not about them or family or friends, it's about our newest Airmen standing here in formation before us. You new Airmen have set yourself apart from your peers. Most of you are straight out of high school. You had a decision to make and so did your friends. You all had to decide what you would do with your life. You knew this was a time of war, but our country needs courageous men and women to protect it. Many are content to let someone else take up this burden, but not you. You are the great Americans who have said "My country needs me." Your nation is grateful to you for that and grateful to the others who have preceded you that made the same commitment to this wonderful country.

Your friends may have chosen other directions, but no doubt they're very proud of you as well. Future generations shall look back on this time in the history of the country as one of epic struggle, and you will be remembered among the patriots that stood up to defend our country against a threat to our way of life.

Interestingly, some of you are not citizens of this country. We welcome you and greatly appreciate your dedication to the United States and your service to all of our people.

Today each of you standing in this formation join the line that stretches back to those Americans who fought for freedom at Lexington and Concord, as you fight for freedom today in Afghanistan and lraq and many other places. Whether you serve for two years or 30 years, your place in history is assured. You will always be an Airman, and the thanks of your countrymen is assured. They will always admire you for your service to your land.

General Jumper, my colleagues and I sincerely welcome you and thank you for your decision to "cross into the blue." You're going to have the time of your life and you're going to be an important citizen or friend of this great nation. May God bless the United States of America, and may He bless each and every one of you, your families, your parents, your friends, and may you be safe and make our Air Force an even better Air Force than it is, as hard as that might be.

Thank you all very very much.