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Sylvanus Thayer Award

On a Strong Military and Secure Nation

Toolbox: Speech and Rhetoric

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The evening with the 44th POTUS (President Of The United States) went about as planned. He was all business, in and out, no meal just speech. He made time for a leaders circle with cadets and attended the parade in his honor to accept the Thayer Award, given “to an outstanding citizen of the United States whose service and accomplishments in the national interest exemplify personal devotion to the ideals expressed in the West Point motto, Duty, Honor, Country.”

I’ve tipped my hand. Yes, I had dinner and spent the evening with President Obama, along with 4400 cadets and faculty in Washington Hall. Also known as the Mess Hall. And 44 did not dine with us but stepped to the podium to address cadets and guests.

He looked presidential. Tall as the Superintendent of West Point and likely a hair taller; speaking of hair, his was nearly white and shorn against his head as has been his style. He was leaner than I remember with deeper laugh lines; he wore a dark suit, blue oxford and navy stripe tie. He smiled broadly and he had the lithe movement of an athlete, with the poise of an elder statesman. He came with a purpose.

Obama accepted the award and posed with his hosts, Steve Gilland and Bob McDonald; the latter was appointed and served as Obama’s US Secretary of Veteran Affairs. The former was the Superintendent, a lieutenant general in charge of the Academy.

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What should you know from this visit? Obama’s aged. Studies showed presidents age twice as fast while in office and you tend to remember people as you saw them. He was 63 years old and looked every bit of his years, having carried the weight of the nation for close to a decade.

I had a good seat along the walkway to his table and the excitement among cadets and guests to see him in the flesh as he walked by was palpable. He smiled and shook hands, did fist bumps.

The Mess Hall is a gothic six-wing structure which can feed 4400 cadets in one sitting. The dais in front of the Poop Deck where Obama spoke is in the hub of the six halls, gravitating out like spokes. Imagine six Hogwarts Great Halls with rows upon rows of tables, the atmosphere electric and hot, most of us damp from sweat and no air conditioning. Army life. Plastic plates at ten table settings with family-style trays of steak and fish, popovers, salad, and an untouched–at least on our table–but delicious looking chocolate cake. We did not begin to eat until after Obama left.

The noise reverberates around the wings like a concert hall. The place became nearly silent when the program began, aside from throat clearing and the occasional chair movement to get a better view. The place heated up with all those bodies and energy; cadets in their full dress heavy wool jackets may be used to it but the rest of us were uncomfortably hot.

McDonald introduced Obama and highlighted his record in veteran affairs from budget to healthcare. Obama had appointed McDonald after the VA Health Scandal in 2014.

What should you know about Obama’s speech?

He spoke for 27 minutes and he opened with trademark humor, comparing the cadets to himself at that age. “More impressive than I was in college.” And certainly tidier.

Obama mentioned amnesty which is the privilege of the commander-in-chief to bestow, to forgive punishment for minor offenses. Here’s where cadets were listening closely. He learned that since he was no longer Commander-in-Chief, he did not have that right. He would, however, put in a good word with someone in Washington who could. Cadets erupted with laughter and applause.

Here are some thoughts and quotes from the speech:

• “America remains the indispensable nation.”
• “The world continues in ways large and small to depend on American leadership.”

“No other country comes close to matching the capabilities of our Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and of course, our Army.”

• NOTE: Thoughtful pause and placement of Army last in this sentence brought about huge cheers and applause.
• On requesting aid or help: “Leaders do not call Beijing or Moscow. . . they call Washington because they know we care and get things done.”
• “Your generation is up,” he said. “Don’t turn inward, abandon our leadership role and give in to isolationism.” Then he added, “History teaches us, from Pearl Harbor to 9-11, oceans do not insulate us from chaos, disorder, and security threats.”
• Obama mentioned “It’s vital to fortify our borders and revamp our immigration laws.” But he continued, “there is not a wall high enough to prevent people desperate to feed their children from seeking refuge in tier one countries.” And, disease and climate change do not know borders.

“War is tragedy, no matter how just, no matter how good our intentions. It always leaves scars, seen and unseen, not only on the vanquished but on the victors.”

• His military leaders “counseled restraint” in using military force. RESIST THE TEMPTATION to use the military. During his eight years in office, he was “impressed most” by his senior military advisors on use of force.
• “Military power is necessary but not sufficient to meet the challenges of our time.” He said we need to harness every element of the nation’s resources and institutions. Foreign aid, cultural exchange, human rights. Investments such as these may save us over the long term.

Obama closed with a reference to Douglas MacArthur’s acceptance of the Thayer Award which MacArthur had given without notes; an example Obama with his use of teleprompters said, “I failed to live up to.” He quoted MacArthur, who was “filled with an emotion of admiration I cannot put into words.”

“I feel the same way,” Obama said and added:

“I sleep well at night knowing that men and women like you serve to keep us free.”

Obama left with his escorts, exiting left and behind the Poop Deck.

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What do I think a week later?

Folks had hoped to meet Obama in person, get photo ops, but he was, as I began this letter, all business, in and out. He had met with a small council of leaders from the US Corps of Cadets. I knew the officer in charge of the group who shared that it was very good.

“Obama said he didn’t need a moderator, that he was quite used to these things. So I sat back. He let the cadets ask four or five questions and he told them to push the limits. To fail. Because failure is learning.”

And before the banquet, I asked career military personnel on active duty about service during Obama’s term of office.

“When he was president? We were always deployed or gone.” They left it at that.

These were the years of the Global War on Terrorism or GWOT, which kicked off with Enduring Freedom after 9-11. This conflict lasted longer than the Vietnam War and into 2021 with the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Obama had charged cadets as future leaders with being apolitical, setting an example, swearing an oath to support the constitution and to uphold ideals in choices and actions every single day. He gave his advice, “as former Commander-in-Chief who is a little grayer by the minute, on how to keep our military strong and our nation secure.”

The tone was somber. The humor was there at the start, but the speech conveyed his belief as a globalist, to engage and work outside our borders.

I appreciated his explicit acknowledgement that his senior military staff counseled restraint. They were the ones who most often advised against use of force. This shows growth on Obama’s part, in the tacit admission of the multitude of troop deployments during his two terms.

Obama’s humorous opening comments about how cadets were more impressive and certainly tidier than he was in college demonstrate an obvious civilian-military gap, evident even more between cadets and civilian peers today.

The last president who served in the military was George W. Bush, 43rd POTUS (2001 to 2009). The last president who served in war was George HW Bush, the 41st POTUS (1989-1993).

Thirty-one presidents of the 46, or two thirds, have served in the military. And it’s been 15 years since a president has served, soon to be 20. With fewer than one percent in uniform today, the gap between civilians and the military who defends them is real and it is wide.

How would history, foreign policy, and the use of force, the resulting scars, seen and unseen, be different if the POTUS had served in the armed forces? The use of military force and sending troops into harm’s way should be a last resort. Obama as elder statesman agrees.

In closing, here is a quote from former US President and Supreme Allied Commander of Europe, Dwight D. Eisenhower.

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“I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower in his Address before the Canadian Club, Ottawa, Canada, 1/10/46

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FOOTNOTES

*Toolbox: ON SPEECH AND RHETORIC. Obama is a skilled orator and the 27 minute speech delivered his message on a strong military and secure nation. He opened with humor, conveyed his message and beliefs as POTUS and former Commander-in-chief. The tone was somber, but employed a high-minded and presidential tone. Especially well-received was his nod to senior military advisors. He took time to study the list of previous recipients, a long and distinguished list, and he likely read Douglas MacArthur’s spontaneous, no-notes speech. This shows a level of thoughtfulness and grace in his selection of the line MacArthur used, “filled with an emotion I cannot put into words.”

Obama did not dine with the Corps or its leaders, or attend receptions, but he met with cadets and rode in the Jeep to inspect the ranks who marched in his honor. The word craft (or that of his speechwriter’s) is skillfully and artfully on display. Vanquished and victors. Eternal thanks to those who sacrifice. The overall structure and delivery drove home his message, expressed gratitude and charged the cadets as future leaders, with ideals upheld in their daily choices and actions.

*Thayer Award description. “Since 1958, the West Point Association of Graduates has presented the Sylvanus Thayer Award to an outstanding citizen of the United States whose service and accomplishments in the national interest exemplify personal devotion to the ideals expressed in the West Point motto, “Duty, Honor, Country.” (West Point Association of Graduates)

*Bob McDonald, a graduate of West Point, former CEO of Proctor & Gamble, and current Chairman of the WP Association of Graduates was presenting the award. President Eisenhower received the Thayer Award in 1961.

*. President Obama Receives Sylvanus Thayer Award by Erika Norton. West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG) article, September 20, 2024. Write up with professional photos of the visit, from parade to council meeting and speech.

*Video of Thayer Award 2024 Acceptance Speech by President Barrack Obama recording at this link. Obama begins speaking at 19:20 to 46:32. I’ve listened to him speak in person and listened to it at this link. You may wish to hear Bob McDonald’s introduction which shares the record in Veterans Affairs after Obama appointed him Secretary to address the VA Health Scandal in 2014.

**MOST RECENT 5 US PRESIDENTS who served in the armed forces. To see the full list: 31 Presidents Who Served in the Miltary by Caitlin O’Brien (Military Times, Feb 15, 2021).