Obama Addresses West Point Grads

22 May 2010

President Barack Obama covers his heart during the National Anthem at the commencement and commissioning ceremony at the US Military Academy in West Point, NY, 22 May 22 2010

President Barack Obama says he is confident the United States will succeed in the war in Afghanistan, but that it needs the commitment of its allies to do so. The president spoke Saturday to graduating cadets at the U.S. Military Academy, many of whom will soon go to war.

In his commencement address, President Obama told the cadets he believes the nature of the war in Afghanistan has changed since it began in 2001, but that it is no less important today.

"There will be difficult days ahead," said President Obama. "We will adapt, we will persist, and I have no doubt that together with our Afghan and international partners, we will succeed in Afghanistan."

This was Mr. Obama's second visit to the academy at West Point, New York, where in December he announced that he would send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

Most of the 1,000 graduates will serve as Army second lieutenants, many of them in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr. Obama said in those conflicts and elsewhere, U.S. military will require cooperation from the nation's allies.

"The burdens of this century cannot fall on our soldiers alone," he added. "It also cannot fall on American shoulders alone. Our adversaries would like to see America sap its strength by overextending our power. And in the past, we have always had the foresight to avoid acting alone."