(Remarks as prepared)
Thanks, Father Dowd, and good morning, everyone.
It is an honor and a privilege to be here today.
First, thanks to Father Dowd, the Board of Trustees, the faculty and the staff as we recognize this very special day for the Notre Dame class of 2025.
And before I do anything else, I want to take a moment to recognize the hard work and dedication of the team that put this amazing event together.
How about a round of applause for everybody who made this ceremony possible?
And, of course, I also want to extend a very special thanks to the parents, families and friends here today celebrating with their graduates.
Long before setting foot on this beautiful campus in South Bend, you poured into these men and women and built a values-based foundation of intellectual curiosity, excellence and humility. Your unwavering support saw these graduates through many challenges and triumphs throughout their academic careers. And that support is essential as they continue to embody the spirit of God, country and Notre Dame.
As the vice chairman, I always say that a strong family means a strong force. And the same rings true here: A strong family means strong Fighting Irish and a strong force for good.
Graduates, how about a round of applause for the parents, families and friends that supported you all along the way.
Truly, I am delighted and humbled to celebrate this day with you. I am humbled because I am one of you.
Just to be sure …
Now, as Father Dowd just said in my introduction, I am the Navy’s Old Salt — the longest-serving surface warfare officer on active duty.
What that really means is I have seen a lot of moving water under the keel. And though I graduated here 41 years ago … I really am one of you.
Now, your reaction to that might just be another “OK boomer …”
But let’s be clear: With this honorary degree, I am now a proud member of the class of 2025 and a Double Domer!
In those 41 years in the Navy, I have been forged by the sea. But it really started right here — I believe I was forged at Notre Dame first.
Since then, I have had the opportunity to do some amazing things. And this Old Salt wants to share some sea stories with you. Stories that anchor some important lessons I would like to pass on.
Lessons on trust and truth, on agility, on continuous improvement and on moral courage.
But first, let me describe the dynamic world you are about to enter because it underscores just why we need you so much.
Our world is increasingly congested, contested and complex.
The world you are about to enter is a world where geography, networks, space and populations are increasingly congested, driving the pace of change to accelerate exponentially.
It is a world where rival powers contest one another from seabed to space, online and in real life, blurring the lines between friend and foe and constantly shifting the rules of the game. It is a complex tapestry of interconnected systems where the actions of one can have far-reaching consequences for others.
And, unlike the perfect world at Notre Dame, where each blade of grass is carefully cut, architecture is beautifully sculpted and classes are thoughtfully curated, the world we are giving you is not perfect.
It is a world marked by persistent conflicts, unresolved crises and unmet needs.
It is a world that needs Notre Dame graduates to be a force for good.
And it is a world that needs your principled leadership, forged right here at Notre Dame.
So, success in this congested, contested, complex and imperfect world demands commitment.
Commitment to trust and truth, to agility, to continuous improvement and to moral courage.
As a young officer, I learned that building and maintaining trust is essential to effective leadership, and that trust is built on a commitment to truth.
When I took command for the first time, I quickly learned that trust is a precious commodity.
First-time captains, as with any leader, have to learn to trust those around them, because no person can do it all, especially on a warship with over 300 people.
And first-time captains, especially, have to get over themselves as the only answer.
For me that came from trusting my command master chief, the ship’s senior enlisted sailor, who pulled me aside and said, “Look, captain, you’re good, but we can be great as a team if you trust the crew … we will speak truth to power if you let us.”
Now, we can debate whether trust is given or earned. But I can tell you trust is difficult to maintain, easy to lose, and — once lost — nearly impossible to get back.
And trust is built through the ruthless commitment to and pursuit of truth.
We ask, “What would you fight for?” and I answer, “truth” — truth is worth fighting for.
Notre Dame has forged in you the value of pursuing and sharing truth for its own sake, and this is the foundation trust is built on.
You must peer through the noise of emotion and misinformation and disinformation, be discerning consumers of truth, and be courageous speakers of truth to power.
Trust will follow.
Now, while truth is immutable, a commitment to agility requires you to be flexible and adaptable because this world is not static — it is dynamic.
You must be willing to adjust your strategies to changing circumstances and unforeseen challenges.
As the legendary Lou Holtz once said, “Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond to it.”
In my line of work, that means that no plan survives first contact with the enemy.
My best days in command were not when everything went right, but when things went wrong, and the crew — the team — responded.
Like on a beautiful day off the coast of Bahrain when a routine voyage was interrupted by a catastrophic engineering failure, and the crew responded safely, expertly and swiftly.
Or when I was a strike group commander and we had to adjust to changing enemy tactics as we sent the air wing over the beach during the fight against ISIS.
The enemy was a learning adversary, but we learned and adapted faster.
You must do the same.
Do not let the challenges of this world paralyze you. Remain agile — get comfortable being uncomfortable. Don't be a victim. Have a bias for action, adapt, and make in-game adjustments.
Only then can you “Play Like a Champion Today!”
And champions embrace a commitment to continuous improvement, particularly in this dynamic world.
When I was a young officer on the cruiser Princeton, my captain was in his fourth ship command — fourth!
Three times before, he had successfully commanded a ship at sea — but he was still learning.
I remember one day in the South China Sea, the captain was addressing the crew for what seemed like the 10th time that day. When he finished, and he was in his chair on the bridge, I asked him why he addressed the crew so often.
First, he said, “They need to know.”
And then he said, “Also, I can be better at communicating, and the only way to get better is practice.”
Very wise, and I have never forgotten it.
Leaders forged at Notre Dame seek out opportunities to learn, to improve and to grow.
That means you.
Commit yourself to the virtuous cycle of continuous self-assessment; have the courage to be humble enough to admit you are not perfect and can always improve.
In a world that is all about “me, me, me,” you dared to ask in your Forum events this year, “What do we owe each other?”
If nothing else, we owe each other our best, always.
Indeed, being forged here at Notre Dame, the world needs your best.
And in this ever-changing world, your best today may not be enough for tomorrow.
Now, all of you can and should feel proud, happy and accomplished.
But never be satisfied.
Always keep learning, always keep striving for better and always remember what you owe each other.
Finally, a commitment to moral courage may be the toughest.
More than anything, as Notre Dame graduates, our commitment to demonstrating moral courage is forged within us.
Moral courage is about standing up for what is right.
Moral courage is about choosing the harder right over the easier wrong and standing in the fiery furnace for what you believe in.
Moral courage is about making tough calls in difficult situations.
And let me tell you: Nobody is perfect.
So here is one last sea story about a time I failed to make the tough call.
One that turned out OK, but could have been much worse.
I was bringing my ship into the port of Rome for Christmas. We had been at sea for over 100 days, and the crew needed a break. Families were flying in — it was Christmas — and many were going to Mass with the pope.
As we maneuvered into port, it was blowing a gale.
I thought about waiting till the weather cleared, but did not want to disappoint the crew.
Wrong answer.
Though we made it in successfully, it was, shall we say, very sporty — not my best landing.
No one was hurt and the ship was OK, but it could have gone very wrong.
I should have had the moral courage to do what was right and not what was popular.
So, when the pressure is building, when temptation captures your attention, when everyone else seems to be going along … remember, you were forged at Notre Dame. You are part of a force for good, and they do not call us the Fighting Irish for nothing!
Yes, the world you are about to enter is challenging, and masked behind some of your excitement today, you may be harboring some trepidation.
But I am here to tell you: You are prepared because you have been forged here at Notre Dame.
From this humble, yet proud University beside two lakes.
You will bravely navigate our congested world in pursuit of what is right and true to build communities of trust. You will continue to be tempered when your efforts are contested through your determination to improve every day, because that is what you owe to others. You will remain agile and able to react in the midst of unforeseen and complex situations. And you will confront this imperfect world with unflinching moral courage and conviction to face adversity in the name of God, country and Notre Dame.
As you go forth, remember that you are not alone.
You are part of a global community of graduates also forged here at Notre Dame who are committed to being a force for good in the world.
You are part of a legacy that is committed to trust and truth, to agility, to continuous improvement and to moral courage.
You are part of a tradition that champions life, sweetness and hope.
So, go forth with confidence, go forth with courage and go forth with the knowledge that you have been forged at Notre Dame and you are prepared to make a difference in the world.
Congratulations, Class of 2025!
Go Irish!