Today, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy delivered the keynote address to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy’s (USMMA) Class of 2025. Representing 39 states and territories, the 207 U.S. Merchant Marine and Military Officers were honored before more than 3,000 friends and family in a formal ceremony recognizing both their academic achievements and commitment to service. Superintendent, Vice Admiral Joanna M. Nunan, United States Maritime Service, and Distinguished UMMA Alumnus Shane Dowling, CEO of TMMG, from Class of ’96, also spoke at the ceremony.
Eighty-four graduates were sworn in as active-duty officers in the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Coast Guard. The remaining graduates will serve as Navy reservists in the Strategic Sealift Officer Program while working as United States Coast Guard-Licensed Mariners aboard deep-sea vessels, offshore supply vessels, tugs, and towing vessels.
You can watch the Secretary’s keynote address HERE and read his full remarks as prepared below.
Hello everybody! It’s great to be with you. Thank you to Vice Admiral Joanna Nunan and to the entire leadership of the Merchant Marine Academy.
It truly is an honor to be here today and celebrate some of America’s strongest, finest, and best-looking graduates our great country has to offer.
I want to start by acknowledging the strength and commitment you all have displayed to get to this moment.
You all have faced so many challenges over the last four years. And that’s a polite way of putting it.
Allow me to be a little blunter. For years, this institution has been neglected by Congress and mismanaged. The campus has been allowed to fall into disrepair.
It’s unbecoming of a national service academy. It’s unfair given the depth of the sacrifices you have made, and it’s unworthy of the greatest country in the world.
Later I’ll be sharing some life lessons I’ve picked up along the way, but here’s one lesson you all have clearly already learned perseverance.
You all are the class of stupid COVID rules, including shutdowns for Sea Year.
You all are the class of no hot water for months.
You are the class of not enough food.
You all are the class of paper plates and plastic forks.
You all are the class of dorms with mold and a dilapidated, falling apart library.
Several months ago, I saw this for myself. I saw the old tar dripping from the ceilings. I saw the dorms rotting with mold. I saw the rusty showers with no hot water. I also saw no work from the previous administration to bring your campus to the standard of a United States service academy. Worst of all, I saw Jesus stuffed away in the basement.
With all those issues, a lot of people would just give up. With so many challenges, you might expect to see spirits dampened.
But what I saw when I first came to the Academy in April for the Battle Standard Dinner shocked me.
Instead, I found before me the most remarkable group of men and women whose spirts simply could not be broken.
I saw a group that despite being disrespected and uncared for were more passionate than ever about serving their country.
I couldn’t be prouder of each and every one of you for the sacrifices you made to get to this point.
But more than that, your commitment to service, despite hardships, has inspired everyone at the Department of Transportation to work harder than ever to fix this place so no one else has to go through what you went through.
Your perseverance is why the Air Force schools prefer pilots from here rather than the Navy. You’ve put up with more than they have. You’ve done more with less than they have. And you’ve done the dirty jobs they haven’t. You’ve demonstrated the discipline to do things you don’t want to do when you don’t want to do them. That’s what makes you the finest graduates of all our national service academies.
I want you to know that your frustrations, your sacrifices, and your calls for change have been heard loud and clear.
Not just to by me, but by the President of the United States.
This administration understands that restoring maritime dominance is critical to our national security. And to do that, our nation needs more brave men and women to sail those ships.
The mission you all are about to embark on could not be more important at this very moment when our nation confronts conflict in the Middle East. Whether it’s the Strait of Hormuz of the South China Sea, there are rough waters ahead. You will find yourself in harm’s way. And you do it for your country.
Maybe that’s what you are thinking of right now. But maybe not. Maybe you’re just thinking “when will this guy finish so we can go party!”
I want to take a moment to speak to the parents:
I’ve met your kids. Mom and dad, you’ve done well!
You’ve instilled your kids with something that is sorely and sadly lacking in so many other young people these days. Your children are moral, faith-filled, incredibly intelligent, and resourceful. They have grit and they are Patriots.
In creating and raising these fine young men and women who now serve our great country in such an important capacity, you are patriots too. On behalf of the president of the United States and me, your Secretary of Transportation, I thank you. Deeply. For all the work and sacrifice it took to mold these fine men and women of the Merchant Marines.
So let me offer a few life lessons I learned along the way – from MTV to the DOT.
- Say yes to adventures. Big and small. When I was your age. I got asked to do reality TV. I said yes. There is a downside, of course. What you do in Vegas stays in Vegas. But what you do on a reality TV show, will live forever and be seen for years to come by your employers…and your kids. I had no idea what to expect or what would happen when I said yes. I took the plunge and despite the embarrassing videos, I met my wife. Zero regrets. You too are saying yes to an unknown adventure, albeit of far more consequence. I’m certain good things await you too!
- Stop scrolling and start living! Ask that girl on a date. A real date. Movie and dinner. Open her car door. And ladies, give that guy a chance! Endlessly scrolling never made anyone happy. Netflix and door dash alone on a Friday night will never be better than a night out with friends or the lady you shored up the courage to ask out on a date. Stop living virtually. Start living authentically!
- Without exception, the most important decision you will ever make in your life is who you marry. If you find a good, kind, wonderful man or woman that you are attracted to, don’t let that person slip away. Dare to be countercultural. Get married and start a family. Fun fact: men who are married, make more money, are healthier, and live longer than men who are not. I’ve been married 26 years. My wife and I have 9 children. I would not be where I am today without the love and support of a good woman.
- Work out. Always. Whatever your age. When I was young, I was a three-time world champion speed climber. I was in top shape. Then I became a congressman. For 10 years I worked nonstop and never made time to work out. I was in the worst shape of my life. When I left Congress, I started working out again and I, I have to tell you, I really regret the 10 years I wasted looking and feeling unhealthy and unfit.
- Maintain higher standards for yourself than anybody can ever have for you. When you raise the bar for yourself, something else happens. You raise the bar for those around you. That’s what it means to be leader.
- If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough.
The fear of failure can be paralyzing. Don’t let it stop you from taking risks.
- Never forget where you come from. My career has taken me all over the country and all over the world. Through all the travels, moves, job changes, I’ve never lost sight of what shaped me. My family and my hometown. These are the things that make us who we are. Never forget the place here that molded you into the fine men and women that you are today. Your childhood home and your hometown. That’s why I every summer I always return to the small town where I was born and raised: Hayward, Wisconsin. Population 2000, home of the world champion musky fishing Museum. The beauty and simple charms of my northern Wisconsin town are a north point for me. Washington DC is a treacherous town. It will eat you alive if you don’t know who you are and where you come from.
- Be kind. It’s not just good professional advice but it’s the best life advice, It’s good parenting advice, and I can promise you, it’s great marriage advice. Be kind to your colleagues, your neighbors, and your fellow midshipmen. Be kind to the lady at the checkout counter in the grocery store and the stranger you sit next to on an airplane.
- There are 2 kinds of people in life: those who believe in God and those who think they’re God. There’s something beautiful, humbling and properly ordered about a man and woman who understands that there is a power greater than themselves. That everything is not in their control. And that they are the beloved child of a merciful God who hears their prayers.
Before the time of GPS technology, sailors solely relied on key stars to help them navigate where they were going. Sailors, as you know, rely on the North Star to lead them, because the North Star remains fixed in the same location throughout the night.
In the Middle Ages, men of the sea, prayed to the Virgin Mary who they called “Stella Maris” because she was their north star that pointed them towards God, the father, their protector and spiritual destination.
No one knows the unpredictability and storms of nature and life like sailors. A good sailor knows that in the end, only God can calm the seas and bring them to safety. Look to that Northstar. Stay faithful and never underestimate the power of prayer.
Now go out, work out, work hard, serve your country, and meet the love of your life.
Always keep The Merchant Marine Academy motto with you forever in your hearts “Deeds Not Words.”
I’m looking forward to being back with you all for the Secretaries’ Cup Football Game against the Coast Guard at Fenway Park this fall.
Till then! Go crush it!