Dateline: Best Western Mainstay, Newport, RI

The day began early with graduation preparations. Maybe I was overly cautious but the fear of not being able to find parking had been drilled into me so hard that we decided to get there early so we left the hotel around 6:40. Got there in plenty of time to find good parking and went to check in. I showed Sara the library so she could sit and read while I went to the café which is where we going to receive instructions. I ran into some people we met last night and I had juice with them.

At about 8:40 we went to the Spruance Auditorium, where it was supposed to be cooler, and it was. We received instructions and started lining up in the proper order. Having been an usher at graduation at home for many years I had my reservations about how ell this was going to work. My fears were unfounded. We lined up in order, we were double and triple checked, and then we walked to the field under the tent. Once we got in the tent we found our names were indeed on the chairs just as we were told they should have been. The only upsetting part was when we were told that the Blue Angels would not be flying over due to poor weather.

The graduation speeches were quite good. The keynote speaker was Ambassador Richard Armitage. He delivered a very moving speech, told a Jerry Clower joke about the three bulls, and quoted Peacemaker by Joyce Kilmer. He said the poem meant something to him because years ago he had written a letter to the editor of the WASHPOST in response to an editorial complaining about the respect soldiers were getting when they came back form DESERT STORM. The editorial said they were, after all, just soldiers. After deleting some phrases, the editor published the letter. A short time after it was published, his neighbor came to visit. He said I’d like to give you this book I wrote about my father and hope it will tell you what my father thought about warriors. After the neighbor left, Armitage opened the book and found an inscription referring him to page 138, the Peacemaker.

We then received our degrees. Mine was actually handed to me by Ambassador Armitage and Sara thinks she got a picture of it, we’ll find out soon enough. I was very pleased with how graduation went. Names were called as we entered from both sides of the dais and exited from the center front. We did it exactly how I have been advocating we do it at Mississippi State but I’ve been over-ruled several times. About 1000 students went up on stage in about an hour. I think the real reason this ceremony went so well is because of who was there. I doubt anyone was under 30, we were all either military of government service, and had a level of maturity not to be found in most undergraduates. We were just as excited, we were just as happy, and our families were just as proud of us as the parents of undergraduates are, but there was no whooping and hollering. It was requested that applause be held until all had walked across the dais and it was for the most part. Again, part of this was due to the level of maturity, but I think the major part was we all, families included, through our service, know that there is more to this world than us.

Sara said I looked very happy to receive the degree; she said all of us were smiling when came off the stage and I had noticed that as well. Later, after we got back to the room, she said I seemed to be more proud of this degree than was of my other two, and I think she is right. I don’t know why but I do feel better about this one. Perhaps it is because of my age, perhaps it is because of the long term investment I’ve made in getting it, but I think it is really because of the changes that I gone through as a result of earning this degree. I no longer look at things the same way anymore. When I see the news, I don’t take it a face value, I always wonder what else there is that is not being said. I think of the implications it may have in the days to come.

As a combination graduation dinner/early anniversary dinner, we went to eat at the White Horse Tavern. We were under-dressed but had been walking around Newport most of the day and didn’t want to go back and change. We were not that under-dressed anyway. Sara had roasted chicken stuffed with all kinds of good things and I had a great swordfish dinner. It was a very good experience and I’m glad we able to do it.