Top government official honors Kaiserslautern High School seniors

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Tony R. Ritter
  • 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany --  Secretary of Defense Robert Gates delivered the commencement address to more than 120 Kaiserslautern High School graduates June 11 here.

He came by invitation of the students to honor the many graduates who are also military dependents.

"At the beginning of the year, the senior class and student government sent out probably 20 letters to various politicians, celebrities, former presidents and to President Obama inviting them to be our commencement speaker," said Karly Pecua, Student Body Government president. "When Secretary Gates accepted our invitation, we were really taken by surprise."

When speaking to the soon-to-be graduates, Secretary Gates commented on the extraordinary life of a military dependent.

"The challenges associated with being a child of the military in a foreign [country] are considerable, this is a remarkable bunch," he said.

Secretary Gates spoke about a variety of things from perseverance and public service to leadership and integrity, drawing from his personal experiences as a student, educator and executive. He concluded his commencement speech by issuing a charge to the graduates before personally presenting each student with their diplomas.

"For all of you graduating tonight, the door of opportunity opens for you to serve and to lead," he said.

The student body and parents as well as the faculty were honored and energized by the Defense Secretary's visit.

"We are elated. This is probably one of the most memorable experiences these graduates will have to take with them," said Dr. Jennifer Beckwith, KHS principle. "He presented each one of them with their diploma and his coin ... what an honor."

For those parents and friends of the graduates, it was a chance to watch their senior live an unforgettable moment.

"It's a great experience to see your son graduate from high school," said Master Sgt. Keith Houin, U.S. Air Forces in Europe Public Affairs operations superintendent. "It was a special honor to see the Secretary of Defense present my son, Andrew Kirkbride, his diploma. My son was just as honored, and the addition of receiving one of Mr. Gates' coins was something few high school graduates can duplicate. Knowing it was the only high school he would give a commencement speech to this year, and only his second high school commencement speech made, it was that much more memorable."

His participation in the ceremony came at the conclusion of a five-nation tour in which he met with NATO defense ministers according to a Department of Defense news release. While in Germany, he also visited wounded warriors at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center before continuing back to Washington, DC.