‘Stand up for the truth’

Even in the face of near-constant opposition, have the confidence of your convictions and stand up for the truth, Harvard President Alan Garber urged 19 soon-to-be graduates on Wednesday during the annual joint Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) commissioning ceremony.

Gathered with loved ones watching in Sanders Theatre, the Army, Air Force, and Navy cadets swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution and were pinned with two gold bars marking their elevation to military officer ranks. Each received their first salute as a newly minted officer from a family member, friend, or mentor chosen for the honor.

In his remarks, Garber recounted British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s historic visit to Harvard on Sept. 6, 1943, to accept an honorary degree at a critical juncture of World War II. Churchill had long warned about the danger Adolf Hitler and Germany posed to the world but was met with skepticism and even ridicule “by those who chose to blind themselves to the truth that was unfolding before their eyes,” Garber said.

“Despite being dismissed as paranoid and pushed to the margins, Churchill had the courage to persist, to keep his eyes open and unblinking. His confidence even in the face of near-constant opposition offers a powerful and enduring lesson for anyone who seeks to stand up for the truth,” he said. “I hope that you will carry this lesson with you as you support and defend the Constitution.”

Garber presented a biography of Churchill by William Manchester (“The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Alone, 1932-1940”) to each student and a coin featuring Memorial Hall on one side and on the other, a Veritas shield and 1916 — the year Harvard first welcomed ROTC to campus.

The students will embark on a wide range of duties next. Some will undergo basic officer leader courses at military bases around the country, while others will begin training to become intelligence officers, members of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, pilots, and a missile and nuclear operations officer.

Lt. Gen. Joseph P. McGee of the Army, the keynote speaker and an adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the world is undergoing “significant geopolitical shifts” in Europe, across the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific, and that the U.S. military is rapidly evolving to meet the changing landscape.

Many of the graduating students have a STEM education, McGee noted, a critical tool that will become even more essential as AI, drone warfare, nanotechnology, robotics, and cyber are “redefining the future of warfare and what it looks like.”

What hasn’t changed, McGee said, is the diversity of people who make up the military.

“You’re going to join a military community that represents every single element of American society,” he said. “It is still the true melting pot of the United States. Your success is going to depend on hard work, leadership, peer leadership, and your ability to relate to your fellow Americans and have them prevail in the face of daunting challenges.”

As future military leaders, McGee said, “It’ll be your job to bring this unique group of individuals to realize their potential, build cohesive, high-functioning, and lethal teams, and lead them into the future.” United by a sense of common purpose and love of country, “You will all be amazed by what you can accomplish in the years ahead.”

Army grads were Matthew Fitch, Eytan Goldstein, Chloe Hansen, Conner Huey, Morgan Kim, Carly Lehman, Andrew Lim, Matthew Sau, Jack Schwab, and Isaac Tang. Sworn in for the Navy was Jasmine Zhang. Air Force graduates were Sarah (Sally) Barksdale, Caitlin Beirne, Blake Chen, Emily McCallum, Jenny Peters, Elizabeth Sasse, Faith Schmidt, and Charles Whitehead.