Director Mueller, guests, friends, and families, on behalf of New Agents Class 06-01, we welcome you and thank you for being here with us on this most special day.

The sense of honor I feel is having been selected by my class to speak here today cannot be fully appreciated without knowing a little about the people who will be walking across this stage. In short, they are the most extraordinary group of individuals I have ever known.

The class is composed of graduates from some of the most prestigious educational institutions and military academies in the world, including Columbia, Georgetown, Virginia Military Institute, and West Point. Many hold advanced degrees, including four juris doctorates, and two Ph.D.s. Members of the class are fluent in Italian, Spanish, Serbo-Croatian, German, and Cantonese; ... several are accountants; and five were pilots before coming to the FBI.

The class is composed of athletes, as well as academicians. We participated in college football, baseball, basketball, rugby, alpine skiing, and track. One of us won a conference title with the javelin, one was a track All-American, one is a fourth degree black belt in Kendo, and one played professional football before coming to the Academy.

Although all of the class's achievements are astounding, none impressed me so much as the number of members in the class that, prior to coming to the Academy, worked tirelessly to protect the American way of life we all hold so dear. Almost one fourth of the class served as a police officer before coming to the FBI. One was a firefighter. And over one fourth of the class served in the armed forces, representing almost 100 years on active duty, and approximately 25 years on reserve.

Numerous members of the class have earned the Bronze Star. They served in Italy, Germany, Korea, Afghanistan, and, of course, Iraq. They cooked in the desert, and longed for their families. They went without -- and you went without them -- so that I could tuck my daughters into bed each night secure with the knowledge that great men and women stood between my family and those that would do us harm. For their great sacrifice, all of the members of our class that have served in the armed forces deserve a round of applause.

Against this backdrop of amazing achievements, I asked the members of 06-01 to list the most important aspect of their life. The answer for every member was family. It is you that made these great people what they are today. Their achievement here today is a testament to each of you. This is what I know about each of you after watching your sons and daughters, your husbands and wives, and your fathers for the past 18 weeks. Each of you represent the very best of the American ideal. This graduation is a result of your strength and tenacity. You carried us throughout these past 18 weeks. We can never thank you enough.

The sacrifices made by our families is illustrated through the burdens borne by our children. One night, Jody [last name excised] and I were waiting to catch a flight back to the Academy. As we waited, Jody's 6-year-old daughter [name excised] sat in Jody's lap, and I watched as they had a wonderful time together. Soon, Jody walked his family to the elevator and said his good byes. As the elevator doors slowly closed, [his daughter], who always did her best to be strong for her daddy, began to cry. The doors closed all the same, and Jody slowly returned to the terminal. I began to think, "How many [children like that] are there in our class? How many children are, at this very moment, wishing their daddy was holding them, reading to them, or kissing them good night?" The answer, I believe, was 27. We thank these 27 children, and those who cared for them while we were away, for their sacrifice.

We were not completely without family over the past 18 weeks. This Academy is host to some of the finest law enforcement educators in the world, and our instructors went far beyond the call of duty over the past 18 weeks. They supported us, mentored us, and in many ways served as our surrogate families during out time away from home. We can never thank them enough for all that they did for us during our tenure here at the Academy.

The success of every FBI agent is determined by three factors: the agent's character, support of family, and belief in the FBI mission. We have discussed the class's character and your support. Let me conclude by discussing the FBI's mission. The mission is listed on plaques in every building of this great Academy. But I am not going to read from a plaque this morning. Instead, I am going to read a quote from my favorite president:

"[N]o nation can hold its place in the world, or can do any work really worth doing, unless it stands ready to guard its rights with an armed hand. ... Better a thousand times err on the side of over-readiness to fight, than to error on the side of tame submission to injury, or cold blooded indifference to the misery of the oppressed."

These prescient words, spoken by Theodore Roosevelt almost a decade before the formation of the Bureau, define, in broad strokes, the mission of the FBI -- defend American ideals and protect the oppressed. Those who walk across this stage today stand ready to guard the great idea that is America. Memories of the World Trade Center towers crumbling into the streets of New York, the smoldering wall of the Pentagon, and a crater in a Pennsylvania field are emblazoned in our minds. Against that backdrop, we have vowed to do all in our power to ensure that America never errs on the side of tame submission to injury.

This class also stands ready to uplift the downtrodden and protect the oppressed. Every great democracy is judged by the manner in which those with power treat those without. America's greatness springs from the fact that its majorities have shunned every evolutionary impulse to display cold blooded indifference to the misery of its oppressed. The great rights afforded by our Constitution are provided to every person without regard for sex, race, or religion, and this class has vowed to do all in its power to ensure that no American is denied these great rights.

Roosevelt concluded:

"No national life is worth having if the nation is not willing, when the need shall arise, ... to pour out its blood, its treasure, and its tears like water, rather than submit to the loss of honor and renown."

We are willing, America is willing, and each of you has demonstrated that you are willing, to pour out your tears like water to protect our homes, our families, and most importantly, this great idea that is America. Can there be any greater work than this?