 Good morning ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Pentagon Force Protection Agency's new officers ceremony. Today we will recognize the newest Pentagon police officers by swearing them in and presenting them with their credentials. We first would like to extend a special PFP welcome to all the families and friends who are here today and joining us on this significant occasion. Please stand for the arrival of the official party which will be followed by the National Anthem by Captain Anthony Dozier and the invocation delivered by Chaplain Lee. Today's procession will be led by Piper Michael McLean of the City of Alexandria Pipes and Drums. Piper McLean, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, thanks you for your time and talents. Piper McLean, take your post, sir. Oh say can you see what so proud the twilight's last gleaming, whose broad stripes and bright star o'er the ramparts we o'er say. Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, please bow your head and join me in prayer. Al Mali God, our Eternal Father, we've gathered here this morning to welcome our newest officers into the world of Pentagon Force Protection and our Piper family. We do not take lightly the tasks given to these officers who are committed to protecting and serving our soldiers, view these civilians and contractors in the Pentagon. Lord, grant them discernment so they can know what is wrong when it's hard to tell. Give them a deep understanding of situations and the people they are dealing with, that they wouldn't know the truth from a lie and be able to perform their duties with wisdom and integrity. Heavenly Father, please continue to watch over them and keep them safe. Surround them with the heads of protection day and night so that no harm would come to them physically or emotionally. We pray all this in your most holy name. Amen. Thank you, Chaplain Lee. Thank you, Captain Dozier. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. It is now my pleasure to introduce today's official party. First, the Deputy Director of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, Mr. Lewis Ratchford, our Chief of Police, Woodrow Cusay, and Deputy Chief of Police, Ronald Wilkins. We also say a special welcome to one of our leadership team, Chief of Staff, Mr. Corey Walton. On May 3, 2002, in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks against the Pentagon and subsequent anthrax incidents, Deputy Secretary of Defense, Paul Wolfowitz established the Pentagon Force Protection Agency. Since its creation, PFPA has expanded its law enforcement mission to provide force protection against the full spectrum of potential threats. Our duties include law enforcement, crisis prevention, counterintelligence, anti-terrorism, operational security, and surveillance. Under the direction of Mr. Bardry, our agency stands as one of the nation's premier federal law enforcement organizations with the motto, Protecting Those Who Protect Our Nation. We will now open this event with an address from our Deputy Director, Mr. Ratchford. Good morning. All right, we're good. All right. Welcome to everyone. On behalf of Director Christopher Vargery, I'd like to welcome everybody to the Pentagon and, more importantly, to the PFPA family. This is a special day for our officers, but it's not just a special day for our officers. It's a special day for not only PFPA but also the families, because we're all in this together. When you start looking at a tail of the tape, your officers are going to spend more time here at the Pentagon than they do sometime at home. So that makes all of us family. And thank you for sharing your officers with us to protect those who protect the nation. Please feel welcome to share, celebrate your officers. This is a special day for them. This is not one of those ceremonies you see on TV that's going to be aired live, and we're going to be editing, and now I could celebrate, celebrate the good times. There's going to be some rough patches, too, and they're going to need you then just as much. But celebrate today. Let the kids run, laugh, shout, cheer. They only get to do this once unless they leave the agency and they often come back. So keep that in mind. This is a huge milestone in their career. They just accomplished something that some may have done before as we have prior law enforcement within his class. Others is the first time in the first in their families. Others started and didn't think they were going to finish. Didn't know what they really signed up for, but they saw it through, stuck to the task and they're here right now to celebrate and breaks and protect those again that protect the nation. Today, officers, this is not the beginning. This is the beginning. I'm sorry, but it's not the end. As I spoke to you guys earlier, some of you all are going to career become police chiefs, deputy chiefs, lieutenants, captain, sergeants, the whole gambit. Some of you all may decide to do something else. One of the amazing things about the Pentagon Force Protection Agency is we're a federal law enforcement agency plus we got a whole lot of other things that we do here and we want you to stay with us. We hire to retire. That's what we like to do. And when you get to a point where you don't want to be a police officer anymore, come talk to us. We got other jobs here that you may want to do. I hope you stay with us as a police officer. But again, we're here to support you just as you support the mission. As said earlier, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency is a premier law enforcement organization. But as I just said, we're a lot more than that. You've heard we've got intelligence functions and our terrorism functions. We get involved in everything you could think of. And that's why we are a premier law enforcement organization. We assure the mission of the Department of Defense. It's hard to do your job when you're worried about everything else going on around you. We take care of that at the Pentagon Force Protection Agency. So from the secretary on down, they're operating in an environment where they don't have to worry about security. They don't have to worry about the threat. We're worrying about that. We're taking care of that and allowing them to do their mission through assurance. Again, protecting those who protect our nation. And you'll hear me echo on that constantly throughout this speech, simply because that's what we do. And somebody has to do it. Why not us? The Pentagon represents a pillar of democracy. So as you take your post, as you do your jobs, always remember that the world is watching. The world is watching this building as we are a pillar of democracy. When we're strong, the nation is strong. If we get weak, which we won't, it impacts the nation. That's the consequence of failure when we don't do our jobs. So remember that keep that on the forefront. The world is watching. I know you guys are ready. I know you're going to do your jobs. I know you're gonna represent the Department of Department of Defense Families, you're essential to your officers. They're gonna need you. There's gonna be times you're gonna come home and they're gonna celebrate something. You may not understand what's going on, but they do celebrate with them, celebrate with them. There's gonna be days they come home and they don't want to talk about it. Be there for them. Be there for them. Only you know how to be there for them. And that could be in many different ways. But please, don't let them just sit there on their own. Be there for them. Be there with them. It's an extreme honor to be a member of the same. And as you guys grow out your careers here, you're going to grow to learn that it's an honor to serve. Some of you have served before. Again, some of you are serving for the first time, but I'm telling you, it's like a bug. It's contagious. It's an honor to serve. And I could think of no better place to serve than the Pentagon. When I looked at your class, as you were going through Fletty, I picked up on a lot of things. You guys are unique. But all our classes are unique in their own way. You guys have a lot of skills other than law enforcement that's going to serve you all well. For those of you may not own a crowd, this class is very diverse. As I said before, we got prior law enforcement officers on the team. We have military veterans and for all the veterans in the room, thank you for your service. Academic excellent award winners. Top shots. Look out for these guys. They're gonna do their job well. Mountain climbers. That's too much energy. That's a lot of hard work. Skydivers, you know, I'm a military prayer trooper. And it's one thing to jump out connected to a static line and have a level assurance that shoots can open. I could only imagine skydiving having I haven't got that brave yet. Musicians. That's the side of a person is going to help you communicate with others. It's a softer side. Engineers, thinkers, authors, divers. Again, something I'm not real crazy about when there's more water than I could drink, I get a little nervous. Bodyguards. And I'm not talking about at your clubs around the corner or something. I'm talking about for celebrities. That's that's huge. We got some coaches in the room, firefighters, mechanics, athletes, and most importantly, multiple languages and multiple cultures. Because when you look at the Pentagon, we're just not one of anything. We got a little bit of everything. So that diversity is going to help you guys don't shy away from it. Embrace it. Embrace the talents of your colleagues. Embrace the experiences of your colleagues. I guarantee you every day you're on duty, something non law enforcement is going to help you do your job better. Embrace it. Most importantly, it keeps you a human. And I ask you, when you're doing your job, when you have to really do your job, be empathetic. Be empathetic in your actions. Understand what someone may be going through. Not prohibiting you from doing your job. But it gives you that human inflect reflex. So that you can do your job better, honorably, and at the end of the day be successful to the families. Again, be there for your officers. Be there for them, celebrate with them, encourage them. There's going to be rough days for you too. There's going to be days when things are going on, that you're not going to understand why Johnny hasn't called or why Susie didn't text. Be patient. Be patient. There is a reason why if they're here on the Pentagon Reservation. Sometimes you'll see that reason on CNN. Other times you'll know about it when they get home. But I ask, ask, ask for you all to be understanding. Support them and officers communicate with your families. Let them know what's going on. To a certain extent, you don't want to lose your security clearance. But no, seriously, communicate with your families. Communicate with your loved ones. They want to know, believe you may, I'm married. They want to know. And the more you tell them, the easier your job is going to be. Because you guys are a team. You're not in this by yourself. You got a team at home. And you got a team right here with PFPA. So without further ado, I think it's time we start putting some bags on, right? All right. Please, as the officers are coming up to get their credentials in their badges, please come up all the way in the front, take the pictures, have the kids come up, they can run around, they can yell, they can scream, you know, it's all right, we got doors here and we got a lot of officers. So nobody's going to get out this room. There it is. All right, but seriously, enjoy this day. Hopefully it's the last time they'll go through this. So celebrate it, take pictures. All right. Thank you so much for letting us enjoy your family. Thank you. Thank you, Deputy Ratchford. Appreciate it. As an agency, we recognize the importance of challenging our officers to be their best. During their training, all PFPA recruits are evaluated on professional parents and bearing responsibility and accountability, leadership, initiative, communication skills, technical and tactical weapons proficiency, and the training is both challenging and competitive. The Directors Award is presented to the graduate who demonstrates high performance in leadership and law enforcement skills during this challenging training evolution. And at this time, I'd like to invite Deputy Chief Wilkins, and I ask Officer Christopher Neff to please join him. The Directors Leadership Award is presented to Officer Neff, who during agency specific basic training exhibited impressive leadership, skill, and teamwork. His performance was outstanding and indicative of the characteristics we seek in all Pentagon police officers. Neff was nominated by his peers, and then selected by the training division as the top graduate. Signed Christopher Bargery Director Pentagon Force Protection Agency. Thank you, Chief Wilkins. Officer Neff, the floor is now yours. First, I must convey my deepest gratitude to the many people within Pentagon Force Protection Agency that have helped make today's graduation as profound as it is. I especially want to thank our leadership and senior staff, namely Mr. Bargery, Mr. Ratchford, Ms. Verdejo, Dr. Day, Chief Kusey, and Mr. Walton for showing their utmost support for our classmates since day one. I would also like to thank the PFPA instructors, specifically Mr. Marsh, Mr. Gardner, Mr. Epps, Mr. Slonaker, Officer Mason, and Officer Michael Thomas. Not you, the other one. That wasn't confusing for two months. Without whom I think we would still be on the outside looking in. Additionally, I would be remiss not to acknowledge our family and friends in the audience today. Thank you for your unconditional love, unwavering support, continued encouragement, constant understanding, and unlimited patience. We appreciate you. The other people would like to acknowledge my mother and father. I know my mother is sitting there going, where was all this effort in high school? My parents raised five kids of which I'm the youngest. Yes, the baby. When I started on boarding with PFPA, I realized that was among the oldest of the recruits. I was 40 when I started. And of course, this gave me a bit of trepidation. However, one of the instructors, a federal fellow, Battle of Nazaria veteran told me something before Fletsy that resonated with me. Stick with each other. The things you need to know are in the books, but the way you will graduate are sitting next to you. I took that to heart. I thought maybe with this very eclectic group of individuals from across the country, I could be something of an older brother. I created notes, led study sessions, gave shooting tips, practice combatives to the point that I still think I have handprints on my forearm, nights, weekends, holidays, it didn't matter to me. If my brothers and sisters needed anything, then that's where I needed to be. My best moments in training aren't the awards, the acolytes or all this. But when someone who had a moment of doubt runs up to me, arms in the air, exclaiming, I passed. So 24 or two, I thank you for all the hard work we put in as a unit together. As a famous quote, you've probably heard somewhere before, often attributed to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, true author is unknown, but it shows, of every 100 men, 10 shouldn't be there. 80 are nothing but targets, and nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them. For they make the battle. But the one. One of them is a warrior, and he will bring the others back. I really strive to become that warrior that would keep the unit cohesive and win the day. However, Director Barjary, Deputy Director Ratchford, Chief Crusade, I'm afraid to report that I have failed to become that singular warrior. But I can happily say that you will have at your disposal 14 of the finest warriors and police officers in the country. Thank you. Thank you, Officer Neth. Congratulations once again. The officer's creed will now be recited by Officer Danielle Hernandez. I am a Pentagon police officer. I hold allegiance to my country, devotion to duty and personal integrity above all. I will wear my badge of authority with dignity and restraint. I will promote by example, high standards of conduct, appearance, courtesy, and performance. I will perform my duties in a firm, courteous and impartial manner, irrespective of a person's color, race, religion, national origin and gender. I have sworn an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. And it is my duty to protect and serve the employees of the Department of Defense and all within my area responsibility. And by these concepts, I will be strong. A true servant and guardian of the law. Thank you. Thank you, Officer Hernandez. Okay, now we got all that out of the way. Now we're going to have some fun. Okay, this is where the families we are going to recognize these 14 men and women. Okay, again, loud, boisterous, let the kids run around just like what the deputy chief said earlier or the deputy director said earlier. Sorry, I didn't mean to demote you, sir. As a reminder, when you guys come up, you will get a grip. You can once he has a photo with the chief, then you families come up and take photos with your officer and with the chief up here. Okay, one group photo, everybody can take photos, use your cell phones, please have at it. Okay. So now we will present credentials to our new officers, graduates, please take your places. And Chief Cusay, will you please join me and do the honors. Officer Christopher Neff. Officer Neff hails from Carmel, New York. He holds a bachelor's of arts degree and international criminal justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. He brings to the agency four years of experience from the United States Marine Corps. And prior to joining PFPA, he worked eight years as a security officer for the US Military Academy. Officer Neff earned the Fletsey Directors Leadership Award, Academic and Expert Shooting Awards. And he is the Directors Leadership Award recipient. Officer Xavier Errington. Officer Errington hails from Fresno, California and holds an Associate's Degree in General Studies from the College of the Florida Keys in Florida. Prior to joining PFPA, he served four years in the United States Marine Corps and rose to the rank of Corporal. Additionally, he has served five years in the United States Coast Guard, where he is currently the rank of petty officer third class. Officer Eric Bowers. Officer Bowers hails from Walter Borough South Carolina, where he holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice obtained from the University of South Carolina. Prior to joining the PFPA, he worked 10 years as a senior technician for the United States Infrastructure Corporation. Officer Bowers earned the Fletsey Sharpshooter Award. Officer Roche Brown. Officer Brown hails from Maypin, Jamaica. Officer Brown holds both a Bachelor of Arts and Associate's of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice from St. Leo University in Florida. He brings prior law enforcement experience to the agency having served Jamaica as a detective for over 11 years. Additionally, he serves over six years of military service in the United States Naval Reserves where he continues to serve today. Officer Princeton Burke. Officer Burke hails from Central Islip, New York. He holds two Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Sociology and Latin America and Caribbean Studies from Bingham University in New York. Prior to joining PFPA, he served three years as a police officer for the New York City Police Department. Officer Burke earned the Fletsey Sharpshooter Award. Officer Colin Butterfield. Officer Butterfield hails from Batavia, Illinois and holds a Bachelor's of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice from Iowa State University. Prior to joining PFPA, he completed an internship with the ATF and the Des Moines Field Office. Additionally, he served almost two years as a correctional officer with the juvenile corrections at the Iowa Central Corrections Facility. Officer Joanne Delgado. Officer Delgado hails from San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she holds a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Communications from Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida. Prior to joining PFPA, I'd like to further mention about Officer Delgado. She worked 11 years as an electrical engineer in International Logistics in the Caribbean Islands. Officer George Diaz. Officer Diaz hails from Baltimore, Maryland, where he holds a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Psychology, Social Sciences from Stevenson University, Owensville, Maryland. Prior to joining PFPA, he worked two years as an analyst for the United States Army Counterintelligence Command. Officer Diaz brings to the agency six years of law enforcement experience from the Baltimore Police Department, and he earned the Flessy Academic and Sharpshooter awards. Officer Arnitra Hardy. Officer Hardy hails from Washington DC. Prior to joining PFPA, she worked two years as a Transportation Security Officer with the Transportation Security Agency at Ronald Reagan, Washington Airport. Officer Eli Hong. Officer Hong hails from Garden Grove, California and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas, Grantham. He brings to the agency seven years of military service, having served in the United States Marine Corps and now currently serves with the Virginia National Guard, where he is currently ranked as an Sergeant. Officer Hong earned the Flessy Expert Shooting Award. Officer Jonathan Pauta. Jonathan hails from Elm Hurst, New York, where he holds an Associate Degree in Business Administration from the Queensborough Community College. He also brings to the agency five years of military service, having served with the 105th Security Forces Squadron, New York Air Guard, where he continues to serve today. Officer Dylan Smeal. Officer Smeal hails from Knoxville, Tennessee, where he holds an Associate Degree in Criminal Psychology from Walter State Community College, Morristown, Tennessee. Prior to joining PFPA, he worked four years as a Deputy First Class with the Loudoun County Sheriff's Department. Officer Smeal earned the Flessy Expert Shooting Award. Officer Michael Thomas Jr. Officer Thomas hails from Peru, New York and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice from the American Military University. He also brings to the agency eight years of military service in the United States Coast Guard. And prior to joining PFPA, he served seven years as a police officer with the Department of Veteran Affairs, ending his time there as a Sergeant. Officer Thomas earned the Flessy Academic Shooting Awards from his Flessy Maritime class. Officer Alexis Wilkins. Officer Wilkins hails from Newark, New Jersey and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. She brings to the agency five years of D.C. National Guard experience where she earned the rank of Sergeant. Prior to joining PFPA, she served with the Arlington County Police Department as a police officer. Officer Wilkins earned the Flessy Expert Shooting Award. Once again, congratulations to all and thank you Chief Cassay. Recruiting and preparing these men and women for the mission of protecting those who protect our nation is not a task to be taken lightly. I now invite our recruiters and trainers to stand and be recognized. Thank you for your commitment. They are the direct result of your dedication and efforts. Although this agency was officially established in 2002, it is built upon a very long and firm foundation of Department of Defense traditions. For this reason, we choose to recognize those who have helped support and defend that foundation. In the audience, we have family members and guests with us today who have served in both the military and in law enforcement. I now invite all audience members who are military or law enforcement veterans are currently serving to stand and be recognized. New officers, take your positions for the chief's address and the oath of office. Thank you, Lieutenant. Officers, I'm proud to have you joining our ranks today. Pentagon Force Protection Agency senior leadership, Pentagon Police Command staff and supervisors are committed to making sure that you are the best trained, equipped and prepared police agency in the entire Department of Defense. Among tens of thousands of your peers, you will stand out. As Deputy Director Ratchford pointed out, your backgrounds, your skills, your experience, your cultures, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is indeed our strength. Our strength is a fusion of all those talents and abilities and all become Pentagon Police officers. That's what you represent. That is our strength. Our greatest strength, our most valued asset is you, our officers. Are you ready to protect those who protect our nation? Raise your right hand and repeat after me. I state your name. Do you solemnly swear? To support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic and I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion and then I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I'm about to enter. So help me God. Officers, congratulations. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce our newest Pentagon Police officers. Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes today's ceremony. We will have a receiving line in the back of the room. Please stop by and congratulate our new officers. You're already standing so I can skip that. We are now going to have the departure of the official party followed by our new Pentagon Police officers. Chief Kusei, take charge of your troops. Family members, we are leaving these in place. You may come up here with your officers, your newest police officers and take all the photos you want as a reminder. Please keep your badges in your pockets. Other than that, knock yourselves out.