00:00Thank you, Will, for the very kind introduction.
00:04President Garber, Provost Manning, distinguished speakers,
00:09honored guests, and most importantly, fellow alumni.
00:20Good afternoon.
00:22I am incredibly humbled to be here with you all today on Earth.
00:30To see old friends, reminisce about the past, and ponder our future.
00:37I've had the privilege of wearing different uniforms in my 42 years.
00:41From war-torn battlefields, to emergency departments, to cockpits and spacecrafts.
00:49Through it all, I've made many mistakes and learned many lessons.
00:54But before I begin, I have a confession.
00:58I'm a bit of a procrastinator.
01:02I'm sorry, Mom, that never went away.
01:06I finally sat down to write this after watching Conan O'Brien's recent commencement speech.
01:15Perhaps to help me get over my procrastination, my lovely wife urged me to watch it together.
01:22And between the laughs, his message of humility and impact over accolades really resonated with me.
01:30Dang it, Conan. You're so funny and wise.
01:35But his message was for the college graduates.
01:39I'm not sure that we are alumni.
01:42We've got it figured out, right?
01:46The truth is, I certainly do not.
01:49And I struggled with what I could possibly offer such a diverse and accomplished audience.
01:56Especially to our alumnus from the class of 1946, Mr. Duby.
02:08sir you should be up here i want to hear what you have to say
02:21from one sailor to another go navy and happy birthday
02:30just six months ago i was wrapping up an eight-month mission aboard the international space station
02:36the iss is a triumph of human engineering but perhaps more importantly it's a triumph of
02:44international collaboration alliances across 15 countries have kept a sustained human presence
02:51in low earth orbit for over 25 years and this collaboration continues as we set our sights
02:58on the moon and then mars let's give a round of applause to the engineers scientists and
03:07administrators that have kept that beacon of collaboration alive
03:19orbiting our planet 17 000 miles per hour i witnessed our planet's raw majesty epic storms volcanic
03:30eruptions vast oceans and cities glowing like the constellation all crowned by the vibrant auroras
03:39that paint the sky in colors beyond imagination yet through it all i never saw distinct borders
03:47i just saw a fragile beautiful planet suspended in the darkness of our solar system
03:54the overwhelming realization that everyone you have ever known and will ever love
04:00shares this same spaceship we call earth the overview fact is the coined term
04:09sometimes i'd look out from the space station cupola window and relax my focus on the mission
04:15and instead ground my focus right here with my beautiful wife and our amazing three children
04:22knowing that beneath the clouds there were the very people that gave my life its gravity
04:30but you don't have to go to space to understand the weight of our shared humanity
04:36long before i ever put on a space suit it was here in the halls of the hospital wearing a
04:42white coat
04:43or as an operator in the SEAL teams that i learned the fundamental truth about service
04:50true service true service isn't about the uniform you wear the title you hold the altitude you reach
04:59it is simply about the person next to you
05:05i am the son of immigrants who came to this great country to build a better life for their children
05:22and while the fall of the twin towers during high school certainly called within me in action to serve
05:27my calling to become a navy seal was for embarrassingly simple reason
05:34i wanted to be a superhero
05:38a little tongue-in-cheek
05:40but as a kid i was infatuated with comic superheroes
05:45i wanted to be like the incorruptible self-reliant batman fighting injustice
05:52but in the extreme environments i've spent my life as an adult
05:55i learned that the solo hero myth is dangerous
06:00whether you're relying on the marine next to you in a firefight
06:05the nurse during a code blue
06:07or your crewmates in the vacuum of space
06:12survival demands absolute trust in others
06:17true strength is found in recognizing you cannot do this alone
06:32being a navy seal was one of the greatest honors of my life
06:37and it gave me the tools to forge my own path and the chance to serve
06:42albeit in the only way i knew how at the time
06:46but the price was high
06:47there was trauma pain
06:50and a darkness that enveloped me
06:53bearing my boyhood dreams of ever being
06:56a superhero for good
06:59that brings me to the first lesson i'd like to share
07:03mistakes and tragedy can be the spark for new purpose
07:08the battlefield is unforgiving
07:10decisions are made in split seconds with imperfect data
07:16operating with the information i had and with the absolute intention
07:20of protecting my unit
07:24i made a decision that took a life
07:28and i was wrong
07:31and despite being cleared by an investigation
07:34that i operated within the rules of engagement
07:38nothing will take away that my actions caused irreparable harm
07:44i'm not the victim of this tragedy
07:46i caused it
07:51and it's a weight i rightfully deserve to carry for the rest of my life
07:56perhaps driven by guilt or a sisyphean mission of atonement
08:01i pivoted to medicine
08:03hoping to uplift others
08:05but i wasn't ready to heal anyone
08:09in an effort to stay resilient i had built layers of armor to protect myself
08:14still trying to be that solo superhero
08:17but you can't heal the vulnerable without being vulnerable yourself
08:22the greatest gift this amazing institution
08:25harvard
08:27has given me
08:28is not my medical education
08:31or the prestige that follows
08:34it is that the people at harvard
08:36helped pull me out of the darkness
08:38and into the light
08:40and did it through something
08:42i had long considered a weakness
08:45empathy
08:48to my classmates and professors who took time
08:51to understand
08:52how i got in the dark hole i was in
08:54and sometimes sit with me in it
08:57thank you for being a part of my journey
08:58and for extending grace i may not have always deserved
09:04this taught me my second lesson
09:06empathy and vulnerability
09:08are superpowers that can heal
09:21true superpowers don't require us
09:23to put armor on
09:24they require us
09:27to take our armor off
09:29remember the overview of fact i talked about earlier
09:32of how looking at our planet
09:34from space can give a macro view
09:36of our shared physical existence
09:39and that sense of unity it brings
09:43empathy is the micro view of that same phenomenon
09:47and extending grace and understanding to others
09:51is how we recognize our shared emotional existence
09:56and begin to build human connection
09:58which leads to bridges
10:02learning this forced me to re-examine other virtues
10:05i thought i had understood
10:06like loyalty
10:09in the SEAL teams we use brotherhood
10:11as a metaphor
10:12of the unbreakable trust
10:15that every teammate will surrender their ego
10:18to prioritize the mission and team
10:21above their own lives
10:24as a young SEAL
10:26brotherhood meant absolute unconditional loyalty
10:29today
10:31i realize that placing unconditional loyalty in humans
10:35fallible by nature
10:37is an impossible burden
10:41our unconditional allegiances are best reserved
10:44for our shared ideals
10:46to moral and ethical values
10:49to veritas
10:50and if of faith
10:52to God
11:03because whether we are navigating the vastness of space
11:06setting our sights to the moon or Mars
11:09or facing the uncertainties of tomorrow
11:12right here at home
11:15it ultimately comes down to treating each other
11:17with respect and kindness
11:19it is precisely during these times
11:23hard times
11:24that our character
11:26matters most
11:36no matter what new technology comes our way
11:39or how much
11:41AI takes over
11:43there is one thing that it will never
11:45be able to replicate
11:47integrity
11:49humility
11:51trust
11:53these aren't just lessons
11:55I want my own children to live
11:57and learn
11:58these are lessons
12:00I am still actively trying to live out
12:04they are our moral compass
12:05our north star
12:08as I said
12:09you don't need to wear a uniform
12:11carry a gun into battle
12:12save a life
12:14or blast off into space
12:15to serve or understand
12:17our shared humanity
12:19service shows itself
12:21in the quiet
12:21unseen acts
12:23of kindness
12:23and everyday grace
12:27if you ask me today
12:28who my superhero is
12:30I'd say my mom
12:34applause
12:37applause
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12:43she faced her hardships in life
12:44business
12:46and health
12:46with a courage
12:47strength
12:48and faith in God
12:49that rivals the toughest warriors
12:51I have ever known
12:53despite having
12:54many reasons
12:55to be cold
12:56to a world
12:57that was sometimes
12:57unkind to her
12:59she remained
13:00compassionate
13:01generous
13:02and above all
13:03morally courageous
13:06I lost my mom
13:08to cancer
13:08about a month ago
13:12and my whole life
13:13I've looked
13:14to fictional
13:15fictional characters
13:17or out into the world
13:18for heroes
13:19to emulate
13:20when my biggest superhero
13:21was always right there
13:22by my side
13:26mom
13:28I love you
13:30and I wish I had told you
13:32that you were my superhero
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13:45to my fellow alumni
13:54to my fellow alumni
13:56I leave you with a call
13:59to action
14:01be the superhero
14:03you wish to become
14:06when you walk through
14:08the Dexter gate
14:09on your way out
14:10look at the inscription
14:12from Charles Elliot
14:14depart
14:15heart
14:15to better serve
14:17thy country
14:18and thy kind
14:21always lead with your heart
14:23take off your armor
14:25exercise empathy
14:27especially
14:28towards people
14:30you disagree with
14:32it is the only path
14:34by which
14:35we can coexist
14:36leaving this fragile
14:38beautiful spaceship
14:40we call earth
14:41better than we found it
14:43thank you
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