Vice President Joe Biden spoke at West Point's graduation ceremony yesterday at Michie Stadium at the military academy, and gave special recognition to class president First Captain Eugene ‘EJ' Coleman, an openly gay cadet.
Before the repeal of the military's “don't ask, don't tell” policy in 2010, “E.J. would have been discharged from the Army, and we would have lost an incredible talent,” he said. “Thanks for your courage, E.J., and I expect we're going to hear big things from you, pal.”
Vice President Biden told the U.S. Military Academy's class of 2016 on Saturday that greater diversity, including more women and openly gay soldiers, will strengthen the country's armed forces.
“Having men and women together in the battlefield is an incredible asset, particularly when they're asked to lead teams in parts of the world with fundamentally different expectations and norms,” Biden said in his speech at a graduation ceremony at Michie Stadium on the West Point grounds along the Hudson River.
#USMA2016 commencement speaker, @VP Joe Biden, addresses the Corps of Cadets. pic.twitter.com/K0EkuPFP6b
— U.S. Military Academy at West Point (@WestPoint_USMA) May 21, 2016
Biden's remarks:
