 Ladies and gentlemen, the ceremony will begin momentarily. Good morning on behalf of Officer Training Command Newport. Welcome to the graduation ceremony for Officer Development School Honor Class 24020, consisting of 180 officers led by class team. Myself, Lieutenant Mikayela Barter, Lieutenant Justin Purnell, Senior Chief Information Systems Technician Gregory Johnson, and Chief Aviation Bocimate Manuel Gardugno. Military guests in uniform, this will be a covered ceremony. The order of events for this morning's ceremony are as follows. Commander Kurt Nielsen, Director, Officer Development School, and Rear Admiral Michael Steffen, Commander, Navy Reserve Forces Command, will arrive shortly. The guests in class will rise for the arrival of the official party and remain standing for the playing of the national anthem and invocation. Commander Nielsen and Rear Admiral Steffen will then address the graduating class. Following their remarks, class awards will be distributed to recognized students and graduates will symbolize the completion of their training by returning their respective company guide-ons to their class chief petty officers. The class will then reaffirm the oath of office and will remain standing for the playing of the service songs and the final dismissal. Please rise for the arrival of official party and remain standing for the national anthem and invocation. Commander, United States Navy, arriving. Navy Reserve Forces Command, arriving. Ladies and gentlemen, our national anthem. Chaplain Everts will now offer the invocation. 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 evolutions 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. Oppress upon them the initiative, integrity, accountability, and toughness needed to do the right thing, especially when it's difficult. And bolden them to have ownership of what they are called to do, even when they are called into harm's way. So as 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 the watch this day. In your name we pray. Amen. Please be seated. Ladies and gentlemen, Commander Kurt Nielsen, Director, Officer Development School, Officer Training Command Newport. Admiral Steffen, Ambassador Emanuel, Ms. Valentino Smith, Captain Russell, Captain Beard, Captain Pearson, Captain Gible, Captain Gustafson, distinguished visitors, veterans, Officer Training Command Newport staff, family, and friends joining us today, and shipmates of Officer Development Class 24020. Good morning. It's an honor for me to have this opportunity to welcome this honor class into one of the most prestigious, challenging, and rewarding careers in our nation, that of a naval officer. Today we will bear witness as 180 officers renew a solemn promise to our nation, reaffirming their oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. For the families joining us, I want to both thank you and commend you for the performance of your sons and daughters, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, friends. Your love, support, and encouragement have produced the quality individuals seated here, ones who chose a path of service to their fellow citizens. I could think of no finer group to go forth into the fleet than the officers seated here today. They could not have gotten to this point without the careful guidance and support of family. On behalf of the Navy and a grateful nation, please accept my most sincere thank you. To the class, I'm proud of you and all that you've accomplished while you're here. I have witnessed you all the past five weeks develop your leadership skills and come together as a team, especially during yesterday's culminating event. As you depart for your schools and duty stations, know that you are about to be placed in positions to lead and mentor what is truly the backbone of our force, the enlisted men and women of our Navy. The foundations we have laid here at ODS are solid. It is now up to you to build upon this as you enter the naval service. I am very impressed with the effort you have expended over the last five weeks, and it is my pleasure and distinct honor to welcome you to the Wardroom as professional naval officers in the world's finest Navy. It's now my honor and privilege this morning to introduce to you our guest speaker, Rear Admiral Michael J. Steffen, Commander of Navy Reserve Forces Command, Deputy Commander of Navy Reserve Force. Rear Admiral Michael J. Steffen is a native of Bedford, Virginia and a 1992 graduate of Virginia Tech. He was commissioned through the Virginia Tech Corps Cadets in conjunction with the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps program and designated a Naval Aviator in 1994. He also holds a Masters of Science degree in Global Business Leadership from University of San Diego. His command tours include the helicopter anti-submarine squadron light 60, HSL 60 Jaguars, Jacksonville, Florida, the Maritime Support Wing based in Coronado, California, and Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas. He has flown over 125 combat missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and accumulated nearly 3,000 hours of flight time with over 1,000 hours of night vision goggle time. His leadership is essential to the continued success of the world's greatest Navy and we are fortunate to have him here with us today to share his thoughts. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming our guest of honor today, Rear Admiral Michael J. Steffen. Awesome, hey, thanks for the kind introduction Kurt. Can I adjust the microphone here? Got to get Mike checked, everybody hear me in the back? All right. All right, well, good morning distinguished guests, family members, friends, shipmates, and most importantly, the graduates of the United States Navy Officer Development School, ODS Class 24020. And the first order of business is to put the class at ease. Everybody relax, everybody's, I mean, the instructors did a great job. You guys are pretty rigid out there, you know, sounded pretty good. I got some questions for you here in a minute too, and I'm glad. Well, let me start by saying that I got some exquisite signals intelligence about the ODS class discussion surrounding the planning of this ceremony and how good it would be if it only took about 30 minutes, depending upon how long the guest speaker talks. Well, normally I keep it short, but I don't want to disappoint all the family and friends that have traveled so far, especially Ambassador Emanuel, came all the way from Japan. To make sure, I want to make sure everybody gets their money's worth out of this speech here, so relax, sit back, get comfortable, we're going to be here for a while. No, seriously, I will keep it relatively short because I realize the only thing between you, civilian clothes, and a good meal is me. And so I'll try to keep it short but mildly entertaining. It's fantastic to be here and with great pride that I stand before you today in Newport, a hallowed place synonymous with the development and commissioning of the Navy's finest officers. As we gather here for the moment this occasion, I'd like to recognize our distinguished visitors, Ambassador Emanuel, from one of our most important allies and partners out in the Pacific, Japan, Miss Valentino Smith, the Director of Defense State Liaison Office, and we have numerous Navy captains, both active and retired in civilian GS-15s whose attendance is a testament to the generational commitment to the service that defines our great nation. Their support for their family members upon graduating class today underscores an enduring bond and shared dedication that spans across the ranks and roles within our Navy community and country. To all the parents and close family members, a special thanks to you for not only coming out here today but raising such amazing young adults and strong leaders, instilling in them the foundational values and work ethic, and entrusting them in the care of the U.S. Navy where they will thrive and have an opportunity to lead the world's finest sailors. To the ODS instructors, thank you for your endless hours of patience, dedication, and setting the foundation for our junior officers to succeed. And of course, to all the members of ODS class 24020 who we are here to recognize today, by the way, I heard a rumor that this class has a nickname and they nicknamed itself after one of my favorite childhood TV shows. So let me ask ODS class 24020, is it true that you call yourselves the Thundercats? And are the Thundercats a highly motivated group that achieved honor class status? And are the Thundercats going to be the next generation of leaders our Navy and our nation need? Yes, sir! Oh man, that's outstanding. It sounds like we're in really good hands, right family and friends? Standing here today, looking out into the faces of this graduating class, I'm filled with a profound sense of optimism and inspiration. It seems like just yesterday I was in your shoes preparing to embark on the adventure of a lifetime and I fondly remember my training in the Virginia Tech Corps of Gidettes which I believe had many similarities to ODS. Things like early morning PT, late night watches, and stern drill instructors with keen eyesight that seemed to detect every flaw in an otherwise impeccable uniform. I had Staff Sergeant N.A. Toe who was a Samoan big muscular recon Marine whose only English words were cuss words, by the way. He was one of my drill instructors and set the foundation for me. I also had to deal with questionable cuisine at the Chow Hall with the tiniest portion sizes that will ensure everybody drops a few pounds through training. And in fact it seems like some things never change when it comes to officer accession programs. So I practiced my information warfare skills and I did a little research to figure out what exactly were the training conditions here at ODS. And I did it through a super reliable source called Google Reviews. And believe it or not there are reviews on ODS. And here's a couple of the posts I want to share with all the family and friends and the guests today on Ne Hall, the dining facility. First review, one of the better Chow Halls in the Navy can get a bit loud at times and if you're lucky you'll be treated with a song and a dance routine. Rude patrons and confusing entrance procedures also the cheese steak has no cheese. People literally line up here for hours so it has to be good. In fact I'll probably come back tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next day. So then I transition to the King Hall reviews which is the residence hall. First review says wake up calls are early and intrusive. Heat on blast makes you sweat in the winter which encourages you to clean common areas if your bed isn't made they throw you out. King Hall, I love this is one of my favorites. King Hall is older than my parents and functions even older. Extremely hot in the summer and hot in the winter there is no mercy shown by this old building to its inhabitants. Fantastic haunted building definitely worth a visit. Spooky basement with creepy mannequins that haunts the upper floors by rattling radiator pipes around. And finally older than Moses. Full of young people who are learning to march and maintain their bearing but if you have the privilege of staying here you realize you're not here to be served but to learn how to serve. Now I'm going to dwell on that last comment for a minute because it's incredibly insightful, wise and in contrast to the humor that preceded it. It's precisely why you came to ODS. Not to be served but to serve and learn how to serve. Service to our nation is a noble calling one that you have answered with courage and commitment. The uniform you wear is not just fabric and thread it is a tapestry of our nation's history and the sacrifices of those who have come before us. You are now part of that story tradition guardians of our freedom and defenders of the Constitution of the United States of America. It started with taking your commissioning oath but I know ODS has made that oath so much more real and your experience here is something all commissioning sources share the Naval Academy, ROTC, OCS that bring us closer together with a strong bond that is forged by military service. Now as a junior naval officer you are about to embark upon a magnificent journey and I can't even begin to describe how excited I am for you and how adventurous it's going to be. To give you a slight taste I'll describe to you my first six months in the real Navy after flight school. I just taken deployment on the nuclear aircraft carrier the USS Carl Vinson. We departed San Diego in the spring of 1996 and made port calls in Japan, Hong Kong while the British were still in charge Singapore, the jungles of Malaysia, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE and then Australia and Hawaii on the way home. We conducted operations across an entire spectrum of naval warfare mostly in training with our allies and partners but also participated in operations Southern Watch for Saddam Hussein from attacking his neighbors and his own people. We battled rough seas and intense weather conditions but also got to experience cultures from around the world and I saw such majestic things like a pod of blue whales out in the South Australian Bight from my helicopter and got to experience an awe inspiring view of the Milky Way in the middle of the Pacific thousands of miles away from any light pollution on the deck of an aircraft carrier and most importantly I made lifelong friends and shipmates that have turned into my extended family and this was in one six month deployment for a young farm boy from Virginia this was an amazing and educational experience that no amount of years at a university could ever replicate the good news is you all are going to have the same similar experiences but each of your adventures is going to be unique for our information warfare officers find yourself in Bahrain at Fifth Fleet headquarters working in a targeting cell that supports operations in the Red Sea our medical corps officers might get called to support special operations in Africa our Jags will undoubtedly spend time in the Indo-Pacom area of responsibility advising our Navy leadership on operational laws that applies to the freedom of navigation and territorial waters but regardless of your warfare specialty the work will be meaningful and the impact on our nation will be very positive and very impactful you will navigate uncharted waters both literally and metaphorically but remember it is through these experiences that you will grow as leaders and individuals I also urge you to remember the lesson you learn here probably more than any other and that is teamwork no one succeeds alone every team member has value from the most junior enlisted person to the most senior flag officer treat everyone with dignity and respect you are a highly talented group of people and you're going to get to meet many more because the Navy is full of them start your networking now with everybody that you met at ODS you will continue to bump into and rely on one another throughout your careers in these relationships to get things done it's one of the reasons that the Navy is so awesome you never say goodbye to your friends you just say until we meet again through this teamwork you don't need to be afraid to take calculated risks your actions are going to set the tone for your sailors under your command and your example will inspire them to strive for excellence so the path you've chosen will not always be an easy one but it will be noble and just and just take a look at the news and I can think you can see why it's so important to do what you're about to be doing today a resurgent and aggressive Russia that has ignored its neighbors' sovereign borders with a brutal invasion of Ukraine by intimidating and destabilizing others moving to the Pacific theater in the Chinese regime and its autocratic leader Xi Jinping who has consolidated his power to become the sole decision maker of 1.4 billion people and is challenging the international rules-based order through coercive and aggressive means the US Navy in cooperation with Japan along other allies and partners play a critical role in maintaining the stability and curbing aggression in the Indo-Pacific region shifting to the Middle East the hotspot that never seems to cool down the Israel-Hamas conflict has led to a precarious regional security environment that others in the area are seeking to exploit and in this regard I would encourage everybody in here to check out recent news clips of the media embarks that occurred on Navy ships operating in the Red Sea that highlight our sailors in action to defend our nation's interests very soon these sailors that we see here today could be in those very news clips later on this is a snapshot of the security environment we're in and while we remain optimistic there will be diplomatic solutions to address these challenges we have to be ready on day one if called into harm's way and today is also somewhat of a passing of the torch with more than a dozen current and former service members and civil servants who have children in this class including the ambassador and myself we are incredibly proud you in this entire class are the embodiment in hope and promise of our nation ready to lead with honor, courage and commitment as you stand on the cusp of this new adventure know that you carry with you the trust and expectations of those who are served before you and the aspirations of those that will follow and let the knowledge that you are part of something greater than yourselves be the wind in your sails as you embark upon this grand voyage you have the watch as I wrap this up I want to give you a first bit of advice and guidance from a weathered old admiral immediately following this ceremony your first order is to take time to thank the people that helped you get this far start with the people that are here boyfriends, girlfriends, spouses, parents, friends, family being here is a testament to their investment in you and in our nation your instructors too being tough and demanding is their job and critical to your development your success is their success and then branch out to those that couldn't make it but still had an impact on your success your teachers, coaches, and other family members church leaders, community leaders and then never let that graciousness fade because you rely on these same people to help you through more training and eventually deployments overseas and always remember being in the Navy is the ultimate team sport congratulations graduates may your careers be as inspiring and limitless as the promise I see before us today Godspeed on your journey may fair wins and following seas accompany you always God bless you, God bless our Navy and may God continue to bless the United States of America thank you thank you Commander Nielsen and Rear Admiral Stefan at the conclusion of each ODS class several students are recognized by their fellow classmates as well as OTC and staff for outstanding achievement during the five week course of instruction Lieutenant J.G. Jonathan Cipolletta front and center the honor student award is presented to the officer who best demonstrates an overall excellence in the areas of academics, physical fitness and military bearing consistently setting the example for his or her peers throughout the many challenges faced at officer training combat the honor student award goes to Lieutenant J.G. Cipolletta Lieutenant Lisanne Pomperata front and center the Alfred award is given to the officer who achieves the highest military grade derived from personnel inspections, room inspections and general military bearing this award is named after the Continental Supervore the Alfred commissioned in 1775 the Alfred served as the flagship of native Rhode Islander Commodore E.C. Hopkins and is regarded as the birthplace of Navy medicine as it was the first ship to appoint a dedicated ship surgeon serving as a role model of Navy pride and professionalism maintaining the highest military standards and providing inspiration to all the Alfred award goes to Lieutenant Pomperata Ensign Andrew Mate front and center the Pickens-Wills peer leadership award is presented to the officer who personifies the highest standards of personal example good leadership practices and moral responsibility officers were nominated by their peers and the winner was selected by the officer training command staff the winner of this award embodies the leadership traits and esprit de corps of Harriet Pickens and Francis-Wills the first two African-American women to commission in the United States Navy their courage and collaborative leadership paved the way for today's inclusive Navy the Pickens-Wills peer leadership award goes to Ensign Mate Lieutenant J.G. Kaley Dryden front and center the E.D. award named for Lieutenant Thomas E.D. United States Navy recognizes the highest achievement and academic and military performance Lieutenant Thomas E.D. who immigrated from Scotland and settled in Rhode Island was awarded the Navy Cross and the Medal of Honor for his courageous efforts as a diver during the salvage of submarines SS-4 and SS-51 off the coast of Massachusetts he was a member of the southeastern New England chapter of the retired officers association at the time of his death in 1974 in recognition of this accomplishment in addition to a certificate of achievement the military officers association of America has also provided a three-year membership to the E.D. award winner Lieutenant J.G. Dryden for the past five weeks the company guide on has been a symbol of spirit, dedication, teamwork and unit identity to symbolize the fact that these officers seated before you have completed their training they will return their guide-ons to their class chief petty officers senior chief information systems technician Gregory Johnson and chief aviation bossamate Manuel Garduña officer Lieutenant Pernell will now deliver the reaffirmation of the oath of office with all military personnel in uniform please come to the position of attention director of officer development school officer training command Newport would like to present to you your all newly reaffirmed naval officers for officer development school graduation honor class 24020 ladies please give it up ladies and gentlemen please rise for the playing of the service songs and the final dismissal officer development school honor class 24020 upon graduation from officer development school you are ordered to detach your report to your duty stations where you will assume your duties and responsibilities by order of Everett Alcorn captain United States Navy commanding officer officer training command Newport ladies and gentlemen this concludes our ceremony on behalf of the commanding officer officer training command Newport thank you for attending today's graduation ladies and gentlemen please remain behind the blue rope until class photos have been taking following class photos will all