ILE Graduation Address

I was once the big fish in a small pond, but now I find myself as a worm on a hook in an ocean of big fish. Starting this journey, I can say that I was overcome with all types of emotions all at once: anxiety, fear, excitement, inadequateness, and at the end of it all I was finally calm. Knowing that I had just accomplished something that not even six months ago wasn’t even in my life plans. As a platoon, we performed feats that as individuals or a group you would never attempt let alone think about have accomplished. The slogans during that time of my career were “be all you can be in the Army” or “we do more before 9 am than most people do all day.” Within my first four years I got to travel the world and see places that most people would only dream about from Antarctica to Panama, and even to the pyramids in Egypt, I got to see it all. The military had such a powerful and profound hold on me I couldn’t think of anywhere else I would rather be. I was once told by my 1SG after a very long and trying day he said “Private Williams, where else can grown men and women have this much fun and still get paid. “I thought and pondered on what he had said, and even today 26 years later I still ask myself the same question, and it always goes back to the same answer, wearing the uniform serving my country side by side with my brothers and sisters in

I must say that I appreciate your service and welcome you home, and I am

Standing here today, I am humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed in me, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our women who stood up for the reason of reviving our community. Thanks to each and every one of us for our dedication, commitment, and showing the highest interests in the uplifting of our community to the highest level of all expectations.Today is for us to celebrate our hard work.

We wish to extend a warm welcome to you as a member of our Practice and hope that you will enjoy working here. We want you to know that you are an important member of our team and how much we appreciate the contributions you are and will be making to the Practice.

It was a great pleasure for me that I played a role in the QMD mession journey for the last three(3) years . working with such great team and colleges inreach my knolewdge and experience to an advanced level. I would like to thank all the QMD staff for theier great support I recived from them and also for all the joyfull time I spent with them (as a family).

According to Dempsey, 2010, a professional has many years of experience and is educated not necessarily through college. A profession uses the emotion of an individuals “calling” to strive to gain knowledge in a profession throughout their lifetime.

Prior to the notion of professionalism amongst others, we must first focus upon and achieve professional expectations of oneself. The ideals of responsibility and accountability are achieved by truthfully acknowledging our own weaknesses in knowledge and skill. It is only by facing and overcoming our shortcomings head-on that we can improve our knowledge

Let me just start off by saying thank you for all you have done for our country. Not only did you sacrifice your mind and body, you sacrificed your life... and for that I thank you again.

I would like to first congratulate you and Emily on the coming of y’all’s first child; you’ll make a great father. Secondly, other than the bestowing you with the enclosed award, I’d like to take this time and acknowledge you for being such a great NCO.

I wanted to take the time to thank each and every one for their hard work and dedication for the past several weeks. Do not think the things you do goes unnoticed; the Commander Officer and I notice it and for that we are greatly appreciative for all you Marines and Sailors do on a day-to-day bases.

According to the Article “An Army White Paper: The Profession of Arms,” in order to be a part of the Profession of Arms, the soldier must understand himself or herself as a professional and the profession (Unknown, 2010). The Human Resource Sergeant (HRS) is a critical asset to the Army as an organization; yet, the precision and expertise

Being a professional means dedicating one’s self to a singular purpose. Whether that purpose is selling knives, filing papers, or saving lives, a professional gives

Thank you for that wonderful introduction. I am humbled and excited to be recognized tonight

I love that you started your intro off with humor. After all, laughter is the best medicine. I wanted to take the time to thank you for doing what I think is one of the toughest jobs in the military, Mortuary Affairs. Over the last 19 years, I have attended several too many funerals for fallen friends and the love and care your teams have put into our loved ones, is absolutely amazing. You ladies and gentleman don't get nearly the amount of kudos you should.

Thank you to my friends and family for being here tonight for this honor. I would like to take the time to share with you the highlights and accomplishments of my life through the past years.