PRESIDENT Donald Trump highlighted the Army’s diversity and urged unity in his West Point commencement speech.
He also declared that American troops were no longer responsible for rebuilding foreign nations, "to solve ancient conflicts in faraway lands".
Trump’s commencement speech came as arguments rage over his threat to use American troops on US soil to stamp out protests stemming from the killing of George Floyd by an ex-Minneapolis police officer.
He told the audience of more than 1,100 that the Class of 2020 “come from the farms and the cities, from states big and small, and from every race, religion, color and creed.
"But when you entered these grounds, you became part of one team, one family, proudly serving one American nation."
The commander-in-chief added that they “became brothers and sisters pledging allegiance to the same timeless principles".
He described them as "joined together in a common mission: to protect our country, to defend our people, and to carry on the traditions of freedom, equality and liberty that so many gave their lives to secure.”
Tensions between the White House and the military have escalated since nationwide protests began over the death of Floyd, a black man who was pinned by the neck by a white cop for nearly nine minutes, despite him saying that he couldn’t breathe.
Alluding to widespread protests, which have hit a nerve across the globe, Trump said: “What has made America unique is the durability of its institutions against the passions and prejudices of the moment.
"When times are turbulent, when the road is rough, what matters most is that which is permanent, timeless, enduring and eternal.”
He said that from the US Military Academy came “the men and women who fought and won a bloody war to extinguish the evil of slavery within one lifetime of our founding".
Trump also told them that under his administration, American soldiers no longer will be responsible for rebuilding foreign nations.
“It is not the duty of US troops to solve ancient conflicts in faraway lands that many people have never even heard of.
“We are not the policeman of the world, but let our enemies be on notice: If our people are threatened, we will never, ever hesitate to act.
"And when we fight, from now on, we will only fight to win.”
Trump’s appearance had been criticized as a political move that would put the graduates at risk in order to put him on a grand stage in the one remaining military service academy where he had yet to give a graduation address.
Historic West Point is located 40miles (65km) up the Hudson River from New York City, the epicenter of the US coronavirus outbreak.
Army officials defended the move, saying the cadets would have had to brave the health risks of traveling back to campus anyway for their final medical checks, equipment and training.
The cadets had been home since spring break in early March, just before the coronavirus was declared a pandemic and Trump announced a national emergency. They returned to campus in late May.
Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, the West Point superintendent and the first African-American to hold the post, told cadets that their “challenges ahead will require moral and physical courage".
In the past two weeks, Trump yelled at Defense Secretary Mark Esper for publicly opposing his call to use active-duty troops to crack down on the demonstrations.
Trump then controversially shut down Esper’s attempt to open a public debate on removing the names of Confederate Army officers from military bases.
Gen. Mark Milley, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, further risked Trump’s ire on Thursday by declaring it had been “a mistake” for him to accompany Trump on a June 1 walk through Lafayette Square.
Baton-swinging police fired smoke canisters, flashbang grenades and rubber bullets to drive protesters from the White House, enabling Trump to walk across Lafayette Park and hold up a Bible in front of St. John’s Church, a house of worship visited by U.S. presidents for two centuries.
He posed for the news media outside the church, which was damaged by fire during the unrest.
Milley’s comments amounted to an extraordinary expression of regret by Trump’s chief military adviser, who said his appearance led to the perception of the military becoming embroiled in politics, which in his view — one shared by Esper — is a threat to democracy.
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The events have stirred debate within the military and among retired officers.
More than 500 West Point graduates from classes spanning six decades signed an open letter reminding the Class of 2020 of its commitment to avoid partisan politics.
The letter, published this week on Medium, also alluded to the problems Esper and Milley encountered at the White House after Floyd’s death.
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