Today, I joined Senator Carper and Congressman Carney at a reception in the Capitol to congratulate the 15 young men and women from Delaware who will be entering U.S. service academies this fall as a result of Congressional nominations. I was honored to join my colleagues in saluting them at this tenth annual Delaware Service Academy Reception, where I was surrounded by some of our state’s most accomplished students. Each one of them took their first steps today toward becoming future leaders in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, or Merchant Marine.
The reception honored those from the First State who received a Congressional nomination and accepted an appointment. Also joining us today were former Congressman Mike Castle and the state director for former Senator Ted Kaufman, John DiEleuterio. While in office, both participated in nominating these outstanding students for their appointments.
This is an exciting time for these students and their families. At their academies, the students will receive a first-class education, which will prepare them well to be leaders and to meet the challenges our nation will face in the coming years. In particular, the military academies have a long history of graduating accomplished officers with the skills to lead our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines to secure our nation against new types of threats, including terrorism, the disruption of global trade networks, and conflicts over natural resources.
The students who were nominated this year are incredibly talented citizens and give us great reason to be optimistic about the future of Delaware and of our nation. I am confident they will continue to make all of us proud.