 Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the commanding officer of Officer Trinity Command Newport, welcome to the graduation ceremony for Officer Candidate School, Class 02, Tech 24. Over the past 13 weeks, the class team has been responsible for developing today's graduates to serve as professional naval officers worthy of special trust and confidence. The Class 02, Tech 24 class team includes class officers, Lieutenant Billups and Lieutenant Saldivar. Class Recruit Division Commander, Senior Chief Petty Officer Iguay and Class Drill Instructor, Staff Sergeant Renteria. Guests are encouraged to take photographs from the seating area at any time during the ceremony except during the playing of the national anthem. The order of events for today's ceremonies are as follows. At 1000, Captain Alcorn, Commanding Officer, Officer Training Command Newport and Rear Admiral Rustin, Get Real, Get Better Directorate, Deputy Commander of Naval Education Training Command will arrive. The guests and class will rise for the arrival of the official party and remain standing for the playing of the national anthem and invocation. The commanding officer and guest of honor will then address the graduating class and administer the oath of office. The graduates will then be recognized through the presentation of their commission by the commanding officer and guest of honor. The guests will rise for the playing of the service songs and the final dismissal. Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the arrival of the official party and remain standing for the national anthem and the invocation. Officer Training Command Newport arriving. Rear Admiral arriving. Ladies and gentlemen, Chaplain Everts will now offer the invocation. Let us pray. Eternal father, strong to save. We give you our thanks for binding the restless waves within each of these newly trained naval officers so they could stand proud this day for becoming morally, mentally, and physically developed for the service of our fleet. As they prepare for their next evolution in their communities, remind them of what it means to be a leader and to serve with a purpose. Let them embody humility and selflessness. Remind them to value every sailor and civilian they cross paths with each day. Press upon them, the initiative, integrity, accountability, and toughness needed to do the right thing, especially when it's difficult. It bolden them to have ownership of what they have, what they are called to do even when they are called into harm's way. So these officers look to the horizon, prepare them for the challenges that lie ahead, giving them the physical, mental, and spiritual readiness to meet each one with confidence. And as we continue to celebrate this moment, we ask for your spirit to reside with us and all those who stand to watch this day. In your name, we pray. Amen. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. Ladies and gentlemen, Captain Everett Alcorn, Officer Training Command, Newport. Ladies and gentlemen, Admiral Rustin, Admiral Dwayne, Captain Williams, distinguished guests, veterans, service members, Officer Training Command, Newport staff, family members and friends, and most importantly, the soon to be commissioned officers of OCS class 02, tack 24, good morning. Morning, sir. I'm excited to welcome our 65 newest graduates into the one of the most challenging and fulfilling careers, that of Naval Officer. To the family and friends joining us, I applaud you for the great work you did preparing these impressive young leaders prior to their arrival here. Your love, support, and encouragement produced the remarkable individuals seated here. It enabled them to make sound choices and we are grateful to these graduates for their choice to serve. They could not have gotten to this point without careful guidance and support of family and friends. On behalf of the Navy and a grateful nation, please accept my most sincere thank you. To the graduates here today, I am proud of each and every one of you. You all had many other options in volunteering to serve your country. Yet you chose this path. I thank you for your patriotism and your willingness to serve. And I assure you that a life of service holds many rewards and will bring you great fulfillment. You've completed rigorous military, academic, and physical training. You have overcome obstacles. Nothing was handed to you except opportunity. Opportunity to make something more of yourself, to learn, to grow, and to lead. You seize that opportunity and today you reap its rewards. I congratulate each and every one of you for this significant and memorable achievement. It is now time to embrace a new opportunity to lead what is truly the Navy's most precious resource, Sailors in the Fleet. In the years ahead, your knowledge and leadership skills will be tested often. You'll be standing watch and working alongside fellow officers and sailors around the world, around the clock. Know that you're gonna be doing significant and meaningful work for our country. Work hard. Learn the warfare and professional skills of your designator. Strive to be the best and give your country 100% effort because nothing else will suffice. The nation and the Navy expect the best from you. The highest standards of personal and professional conduct, excellence in leadership, and a strict adherence to the Navy's core values, honor, courage, and commitment. I applaud your accomplishments and perseverance. You're about to embark on a great adventure, one of which I hope you find both professional success and personal fulfillment. It will be unlike any job you have ever had, and regardless of how long you serve our nation, it will most surely be a time in your life which you will look back upon with much pride and satisfaction. Congratulations to each and every one of you. I wish you fair wins and following seas. It is now my privilege this morning to introduce you to our guest of honor, we're Admiral Scott Rustin. Admiral Rustin is a native of Rancho Palo Verdez, California. He holds a PhD in critical studies from the University of Southern California, and is a graduate of both the Air Command and Staff College and the Joint Forces Staff College. The Naval Aviator, he has flown over 3,000 flight hours in SH-60 Bravo, UH-3, and MH-60 Sierra Aircraft. He served in various staff and operational tours, including NATO Allied Command Transformation, the Joint Staff J7, and Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa. Multiple deployments to the Arabian Gulf. His command tours include helicopter scene, combat squadron three, squadron augment unit, Navy Reserve Commander, United States Naval Forces, Europe Africa Six Fleet Maritime Partnership Program, and Navy Reserve Joint Staff South. In his civilian career, Admiral Rustin directs Arizona State's University Center on Narrative Disinformation and Strategic Influence on his military career. He currently serves dual roles as the Director of the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, Get Real, Get Better Directorate, and the Deputy Commander of Naval Education and Training Command. His leadership is essential to the continued success of the world's greatest Navy. We are privileged to have him here with us to share his thoughts. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me and welcome our guests of honor today. We're Admiral Scott Rustin. Good morning, that's just awesome. It's an honor to be here at beautiful Newport. We lucked out, we've got, the rain has held off a bit and it's 40 some odd degrees out there as a native Southern Californian and a long time resident of the desert Southwest in Arizona. This is a good day for Newport because I was really afraid it was gonna be snowing on us. This is a wonderful day for our graduates and their families and welcome. I would like to make a special welcome to Rare Admiral retired Sean DeWayne. I need to update my prescription because I can't quite pick out in the crowd there, but Doug, there you are. Great to see you. Long way since we first met in Djibouti serving together. Also wanna welcome Captain Williams. Captain Williams, US Navy Reserve, also Chief of Staff of the VA Medical Center in West Palm Beach. Captain Williams, thank you for your dual call to service helping both our veterans and serving in the reserves and also a warm welcome to all the distinguished guests. I see a lot of uniforms in the crowd, a lot of veterans, so thank you for being here. To all the friends and family members in the audience, I know you are proud and I know your loved ones who are here in the front rows will attempt to explain to you once we're done here what the impact of these last 13 weeks of training and instruction have had on their lives. I encourage you to listen to them, listen to their enthusiasm and their pride and know that while they have changed that transformation, that arc of what it means to be a naval officer in service to our country is really just beginning. And you all, family and friends, have had a powerful influence on shaping these young people into answering the call to become a naval officer, selflessly choose that call to service and I bid you and I ask of you to continue that support for their future success in the fleet. So thank you to the family and friends here today. To class 0224, like I said, today marks a beginning. You are now a member of an elite organization with a rich tradition that goes back even beyond the birth of our great nation. Congratulations on your remarkable achievement. Your graduation here today from Officer Candidate School is a testament to a number of things, your talent and intelligence, more importantly, your determination and your desire for self-improvement. As you move forward in your career, never lose sight of that spirit to always learn and grow. That's how you individually and how us as an organization will surmount the challenges that face us in the future that allow us to innovate in the face of danger or crisis. Your successful completion of the OCS course is no small feat and you should feel proud of yourselves as your family and friends and the staff here are proud of you as well. Naval service reveals a sense of purpose and the opportunity to think outside the box, to take risks and challenge the status quo. Keep that in mind. Become an expert in your field. We're gonna train you to fly aircraft. We're gonna train you to drive ships. We're gonna train you to take submarines and patrol the depths of the ocean. We're gonna train you to fly core officers, information warfare officers, aviation maintenance officers and all of those professional disciplines. Become experts in that discipline. So much so that you're reexamining how you do business to look for ways that we can grow as an organization as a Navy. That is in the hallmark of the 248 year history of the United States Navy. And however long you serve, you will always bear the title of United States Naval Officer, a title I charge you to wear and discharge honorably and one that you should be extremely proud of. Here in Newport, the Officer Candidate School builds and instills the foundations of professional officership and ensures that our future Naval officers are constantly self-assessing, self-correcting and always learning throughout their careers to guarantee the lethality and survivability of our fleet and most importantly our sailors. 68% of all Navy officers commissioned come through either OCS or the two other pipelines that Officer Training Command oversees. The team that Captain Alcorn leads has a huge impact on our fleet. From our graduates and our guests and myself, I'd like to extend a recognition of the hard work that Captain Alcorn and your team do to produce these fine Naval officers. Thank you very much to you and the staff. In today's increasingly complicated security environment, you all, the graduates, class O224, you are our asymmetric war fighting advantage over our adversaries. We are not operating in a world where we have the largest Navy anymore. We are soon going to face a world where our technology advantage is not as great as we once might have enjoyed. We need to look for what our secret sauce is, what our true war fighting advantage is and that is our people. You all will come to defend the forward, excuse me, the forward presence in the face of the destabilizing forces that we see today. The People's Republic of China is building and militarizing artificial islands in the South China Sea. They're growing their naval presence and increasing their maritime claims. We face a strategic competitor there on a level that we haven't seen in 30 years. Russia is continuing its unprovoked and illegal invasion of the Ukraine, violating Ukraine's sovereignty and Russia is resurging as an authoritarian regime. Iran is interfering with commercial shipping through the Straits of Hormuz and of course the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has destabilized the Middle East. Suffice to say that you all join at a critical point in our country's efforts for peace and security. Success in this century and I would argue success in the next, in the critical decade of the next 10 years will depend on a lot of things including the increasing cooperation with our allies regarding the shared challenges that we face. And our success will require a Navy to be in more places at once as the number of war fighting domains continues to expand. We are America's away team. That's the team you're joining. Your service is critical to sustain our competitive edge and defend the rules-based international order. Now make no mistake, I know that you are ready for those challenges ahead. I am confident that each of you will continue to grow and stand ready to meet these challenges and any challenge you face during your careers as a direct result of the skills you have acquired and honed during your time here at OCS. Now as you prepare to enjoy some well deserved time off it's important to reflect on what this upcoming weekend means for those in military service. Tomorrow marks the birthday of the Marine Corps. Happy birthday to our Marine Corps partners. Can I get a new raw? Outstanding. And then Saturday is Veterans Day. Veterans Day an opportunity to honor those who came before us to build the military we enjoy the privilege of serving in today. To all our veterans in attendance kind of get a hands of the veterans in the audience amongst the fans and family. That's a huge percentage. Thank you for your lifelong commitment and service to our nation. If you walk around the base and you look at the buildings you see names like Callahan, Kay, Perry, King, Nimitz. Names that we are very familiar with. As we observe Veterans Day, remember that we stand on the shoulders of these giants and it is our responsibility to honor their legacy through our service. In closing, congratulations on your commissioning. You have chosen your profession wisely and you have made friends within this class that will be with you for the rest of your life. You have a very bright future. Every day you spend as commissioned officers, remember that our nation needs you to live up to the oath that you are about to take to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. Class 0224, congratulations. Let's get you into the fleet. Thank you. The graduating class will now receive the oath of office. Would all military personnel in uniform please come to the position of attention? Raise your right hand. State your name. Aye. Having been appointed an ensign in the United States Navy. Having been appointed an ensign in the United States Navy. Do hereby accept such appointment. Do hereby accept such appointment. And do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same that I take this obligation freely without mental reservation or purpose of evasion. Without mental reservation or purpose of evasion. And that I will well and faithfully discharge the responsibilities of the office on which I'm about to enter. Discharge the responsibilities of the office on which I'm about to enter. So help me God. So help me God. Welcome to the Navy. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. The distinguished graduates assembled will now be recognized by the commanding officer and guest of honor for their achievements while undergoing training here at Officer Training Command Newport. The Commander Jack Leavitt Leadership Award is presented to the ensign chosen by the class for the peer who most inspired them and personifies the highest standards of personal example, sound management practice and moral responsibility. This award is being presented to Anson Burke. Anson Burke has been designated as a Naval Flight Officer and has been assigned to Flight School at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. The Lieutenant Thomas E.D. Honor Award is presented to the ensign who has achieved the highest overall average in academics, military training, and physical fitness. This award is being presented to Anson Pritchard. Anson Pritchard has been designated as a Naval Aviator and has been assigned to Flight School at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Anson Pritchard is a distinguished Naval graduate. Your Admiral Stephen B. Loose Academic Award is presented to the ensign who achieved the highest academic average. This award is being presented to Anson Shakuri. Anson Shakuri has been designated as a Naval Aviator and has been assigned to Flight School at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Anson Shakuri is a distinguished Naval graduate. The Chapel Clarty United States Marine Corps Physical Fitness Award is presented to the ensign who achieved the highest overall grade in physical fitness. This award is presented to Anson Antwan. Anson Antwan has been designated as a Supply Corps Officer and has been assigned to Naval Supply Corps School in Newport, Rhode Island. We will now recognize the remaining graduates. Anson Pankones has been designated as a Supply Officer and has been assigned to Naval Supply Corps School in Newport, Rhode Island. Anson Bright has been designated as a Naval Aviator and has been assigned to Flight School at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Anson Pankie has been designated as a Nuclear Submarine Officer and has been assigned to Naval Nuclear Power School in Charleston, South Carolina. Anson Pankie is a distinguished Naval graduate. Anson Rockafort Fernandez has been designated as a Surface Warfare Officer and has been assigned to CG67 USS Shiloh home ported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Anson Steffi has been designated as a Naval Aviator and has been assigned to Flight School at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Anson Weigel has been designated as a Naval Flight Officer and has been assigned to Flight School at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Anson Weigel is a distinguished Naval graduate. Anson Brown has been designated as a Naval Aviator and has been assigned to Flight School at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Anson Flaherty has been designated as a Nuclear Submarine Officer and has been assigned to Naval Nuclear Power School in Charleston, South Carolina. Anson Idago has been designated as a Naval Aviator and has been assigned to Flight School at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Anson Adanasov has been designated as a Naval Flight Officer and has been assigned to Flight School at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Anson Askew has been designated as a Naval Aviator and has been assigned to Flight School at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Anson Askew is a Distinguished Naval Graduate. Anson Bailey has been designated as an Aviation Maintenance Studio Officer and has been assigned to Helicopter C Squadron 9 in Norfolk, Virginia. Anson Basu has been designated as an Information Professional Officer and has been assigned to Information Professional Basic Course in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Anson Bees has been designated as an Information Professional Officer and has been assigned to Information Professional Basic Course in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Anson Bello has been designated as a Naval Aviator and has been assigned to Flight School at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Anson Ben Binnak has been designated as a Naval Flight Officer and has been assigned to Flight School at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Ensign Benjamin has been designated as a Naval Flight Officer and has been assigned to Flight School at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Ensign Borrell has been designated as a Naval Aviator and has been assigned to Flight School at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Ensign Childers has been designated as an Aviation Maintenance Duty Officer and has been assigned to VAQ 136 in Whidbey Island, Washington. Ensign Clayton has been designated as a naval aviator and has been assigned to flight school at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Ensign Credo has been designated as an information professional officer and has been assigned to information professional basic course in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Ensign Cruz has been designated as a naval aviator and has been assigned to flight school at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Ensign Dalla-Burdy has been designated as a naval flight officer and has been assigned to flight school at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Ensign DeBona has been designated as an intelligence officer and has been assigned to Naval Intelligence Officer basic course in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Ensign Diaz has been designated as a nuclear surface warfare officer and has been assigned to DDG 75 USS Donald Cook home ported in Mayport, Florida. Ensign Duane has been designated as a naval aviator and has been assigned to flight school at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Ensign Dutzman has been designated as a civil engineering corps officer and has been assigned to public works department in Corpus Christi, Texas. Ensign Edwards has been designated as a supply corps officer and has been assigned to Naval Supply Corps School in Newport, Rhode Island. Ensign Fleming has been designated as a naval flight officer and has been assigned to flight school at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Ensign French has been designated as a naval aviator and has been assigned to flight school at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Ensign Fuentes Rivera has been designated as a nuclear surface warfare officer and has been assigned to LHA-6 USS America home ported in Sasebo, Japan. Ensign Gracia has been designated as a naval aviator and has been assigned to flight school at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Ensign Gregor has been designated as an intelligence officer and has been assigned to Naval Intelligence Basic Course in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Ensign Harris has been designated as a supply corps officer and has been assigned to Naval Intelligence Basic Course in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Ensign Harris has been designated as a supply corps officer and has been assigned to Naval Supply Corps School in Newport, Rhode Island. Ensign Henian has been designated as an intelligence officer and has been assigned to Naval Intelligence Officer Basic Course in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Ensign Hanyan is a distinguished naval graduate. Ensign Q's has been designated as an aviation maintenance duty officer and has been assigned to patrol squadron 16 in Jacksonville, Florida. Ensign Kendricks has been designated as a naval aviator and has been assigned to flight school at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Ensign Carabo has been designated as a civil engineer corps officer and has been assigned to naval shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia. Ensign Cubic has been designated as an intelligence officer and has been assigned to naval intelligence officer basic corps in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Ensign Larry Yosso has been designated as a naval aviator and has been assigned to flight school at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Ensign Lily White has been designated as a supply corps officer and has been assigned to navy supply corps school in Newport, Rhode Island. Ensign Liu has been designated as a supply corps officer and has been assigned to naval supply corps school in Newport, Rhode Island. Ensign McCallum has been designated as a naval aviator and has been assigned to flight school at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Ensign McCoy has been designated as a naval aviator and has been assigned to flight school at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Ensign McNallis has been designated as a naval aviator and has been assigned to flight school at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Anson Mintsup has been designated as an information professional officer and has been assigned to information professional basic course in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Anson At has been designated as a Naval Aviator and has been assigned to flight school at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Anson Pelton has been designated as a Civil Engineering Corps officer and has been assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11 in Gulfport, Mississippi. Anson Pope has been designated as an intelligence officer and has been assigned to Naval Intelligence Officer basic course in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Anson Santos has been designated as a Naval Aviator and has been assigned to flight school at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Anson Brendan Schneider has been designated as a Naval Aviator and has been assigned to flight school at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Anson Jonah Schneider has been designated as a Naval Flight Officer and has been assigned to flight school at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Ensign Susie has been designated as a naval aviator and has been assigned to flight school at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Ensign St. Jocs has been designated as a naval flight officer and has been assigned to flight school at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Ensign St. Jocs is a distinguished naval graduate. Ensign Salter has been designated as an intelligence officer and has been assigned to Naval Intelligence Officer basic course in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Ensign Thelamath has been designated as a naval aviator and has been assigned to a flight school at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Ensign Ward has been designated as a nuclear surface warfare officer and has been assigned to LHG7 USS Iwo Jima home ported in Norfolk, Virginia. Ensign Watley has been designated as a naval flight officer and has been assigned to a flight school at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Ensign Wilmack has been designated as an information professional officer and has been assigned to information professional basic course in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Ensign Robottom has been designated as a supply corps officer and has been assigned to Naval supply corps school in Newport, Rhode Island. Ladies and gentlemen please join me in recognizing the United States Navy's newest ensigns. Please rise for the playing of the service songs and the final dismissal. Ladies and gentlemen we will now conclude the ceremony. Please remain in your places until after the graduating class has taken their class photo and remember the only authorized visitor locations are K Hall and Nimitz PT Field. On behalf of the commanding officer, thank you for attending today's ceremony.