Commencement May 22, 2016
Commander Aaron W. Dimmock ’92
“WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty,
and the Pursuit of Happiness – That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted
among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed… …And for the
support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we
mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”
– Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1776
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice,
insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare,
and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this
Constitution for the United States of America.”
– The Constitution of the United States of America, September 17th, 1787
“It is by no means enough that an Officer of the Navy be a capable mariner. He must be that,
of course, but also a great deal more. He should be a gentleman of liberal education, refined
manners, punctilious courtesy, and the nicest sense of personal honor.
He should be the sole of tact, patience, justice, firmness, and charity. No meritorious act of a
subordinate should be left to pass without its proper reward, even if that reward is only a word
of approval. Conversely, he should not be blind to a single fault in any subordinate. Though, at
the same time, he should be quick and unfailing to distinguish error from malice,
thoughtfulness from incompetency, and well-meant shortcoming from heedless or stupid
blunder.
In one word, every commander should keep constantly before him the great truth, that to be
well obeyed, he must be perfectly esteemed.”
– John Paul Jones, “Qualifications of a Naval Officer”1
“…that from these honored dead, we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave
the last full measure of devotion. …that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have
died in vain. …that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom. …and that
government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from this earth.”
– President Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg, November 19th, 1863
“I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and
dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the
United States of America.”
– Article VI of the Code of Conduct2
“I am a United States Sailor.
I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America and I will obey the
orders of those appointed over me.
I represent the fighting spirit of the Navy and those who have gone before me to defend
freedom and democracy around the world.
I proudly serve my country’s Navy combat team with Honor, Courage and Commitment.
I am committed to excellence and the fair treatment of all.”
– Sailor’s Creed3
1
These sentences are an amalgamation of utterances captured in 1900 by Augustus C. Buell to reflect his views of John Paul Jones in his twovolume work, Paul Jones: Founder of the American Navy.
2
As set forth by President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Executive Order 10631 in 1955 and amended by President Ronald Reagan’s Executive Order
12633 in 1988.
Commencement May 22, 2016
Commander Aaron W. Dimmock ’92
Honor
I am accountable for my professional and personal behavior. I will be mindful of the privilege I
have to serve my fellow Americans.
Courage
Courage is the value that gives me the moral and mental strength to do what is right, with
confidence and resolution, even in the face of temptation or adversity.
Commitment
It is the day-to-day duty of every man and woman in the Department of the Navy to improve
the quality of our work, our people, and ourselves.
– Department of the Navy Core Values Charter4
Before I continue to expound on these elements that I committed to memory just yesterday, I
would like to ask the members of the graduating Class of 2016 to please stand and offer their
gratitude to all of their family and friends that have supported them to get to this point in
their life journey and will continue to do so as they move forward.
If one takes pause at the intersection of Grant Avenue and Marshall Drive on Joint Base Myer
– Henderson Hall in Arlington, VA, they may view Arlington National Cemetery with the Lee
Memorial, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and President Kennedy’s eternal flame on the right,
the United States Marine Corps Iwo Jima Memorial on the left, and the entire Mall area with
the Lincoln, King, Jefferson, and Washington Memorials, White House, and Capitol Building
falling into place as if to be in perfect synchrony. Emanating from Monsieur Pierre L’Enfant’s
artifact garden of aesthetic harmony first envisioned in 1791, and for many reasons to be sure,
our nation possesses an aura that remains unparalleled in our world.
The elements articulated at the beginning of this address are not memorized. Rather, they
have been inspired by this aura and, over the course of my life journey thus far, they have been
internalized through a perpetual process of relating to the morning, reacquainting in the
afternoon, and reflecting in the evening of the gift of each day. The Declaration of
Independence (action of the Second Continental Congress on July 4th, 1776), the Constitution
of the United States of America (signed at the Convention in Philadelphia on September 17th,
1787, and ratified in 1789), the Qualifications of a Naval Officer (a collection of utterances from
John Paul Jones, the father of our Navy, in the 1770s as captured by author August C. Buell in
1900), President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (delivered on November 19th, 1863),
Article VI of the Code of Conduct (articulated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Executive
Order 10631 in 1955 and amended by President Ronald Reagan’s Executive Order 12633 in 1988),
the Sailor’s Creed (as first proposed in 1986 by then Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral James
B. Watkins, and amended in 1993 at the direction of then Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral
Frank B. Kelso), and the Department of the Navy Core Values Charter (commissioned by then
Secretary of the Navy, John H. Dalton, in 1996; reissued in 1999 and 2008); these guideposts for
a life of meaning serve as the lenses through which one may view and interpret the dance of
human affairs and make decisions on a daily basis.
Similar guideposts have been internalized and are typified by members of the Class of 2016.
Acknowledging Park Tudor’s Core Values of Integrity, Intellectual Engagement, Respect,
Responsibility, and Resourcefulness, I was interested in finding out the characteristics for
which various members of this particular class are known. I reached out to Mrs. Everett, and
the following captures the essence of her response as informed by the faculty and
administration teams: Compassionate, Curious, Grounded, Loyal, Open-minded, Respectful,
3
First proposed in 1986 by then Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral James B. Watkins, and amended in 1993 at the direction of then Chief of
Naval Operations, Admiral Frank B. Kelso.
Secretary of the Navy Instruction 5350.15 series commissioned by Secretary John H. Dalton in 1996; reissued in 1999 and 2008.
4
Commencement May 22, 2016
Commander Aaron W. Dimmock ’92
and Responsible. Activities that exemplified each of these features included: service projects
for organizations both here in the good old US of A and abroad, student and class council
membership, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, addressing issues of diversity, taking AP
courses, some being “lifers” of the school, tech theatre, theatre, band, Renaissance String
Ensemble, political clubs, Model UN, PT Singers, IU Honors, language clubs and much more.
Folks, these members are leaders because they have aligned what they believe with what they
say and what they do. I thank them for modeling the way for others both known and unknown
to them.
In life’s testable moments, and informed by all mentioned heretofore, we are individually and
collectively presented with a choice among three options that may be shaped and
operationalized by our guideposts. In their absence, we may decide to whimper, blame, and
fade away. In their familiarity, we may acknowledge reality and survive. Lastly, if fully
internalized, we are empowered to demonstrate our character by exercising integrity in that
moment of choice to embrace the reality, exercise resilience, and thrive. I favor the latter and
the Park Tudor community has illustrated it these past several months. Why? Because it is our
biology as United States citizens. It was infused into our very DNA as a newborn nation by the
promise of our Declaration, with moral reasoning as its foundation, and the fulfillment of that
promise embodied in our Constitution. This third option is the choice that most accurately
personifies who we are as Americans.
As much as I would love to sing the following lyrics, I promised my wife, Kim, and our two
oldest children, Camden and Kinsey, that I would save them the embarrassment. The
messages contained in Andra Day’s “Rise Up”, Shakira’s “Try Everything”, Rachel Platten’s
“Fight Song”, and, of Sleeping At Last, Ryan O’Neal’s “North” are impactful and most worthy of
a close listen.
I’ll rise up
Rise like the day
I’ll rise up
In spite of the ache
I will rise a thousands times again
And we’ll rise up
Rise like the waves
We’ll rise up
In spite of the ache
We’ll rise up
And we’ll do it a thousands times again5
I won’t give up, no I won’t give in
‘Till I reach the end and then I’ll start again
No I won’t leave, I wanna try everything
I wanna try everything even though I could fail6
Like a small boat
On the ocean
Sending big waves
Into motion
Like how a single word
5
6
Andra Day, “Rise Up”, from her 2015 album Cheers to the Fall.
Shakira, “Try Everything”, from the 2016 original motion picture soundtrack to Disney’s Zootopia.
Commencement May 22, 2016
Commander Aaron W. Dimmock ’92
Can make a heart open
I might only have one match
But I can make an explosion7
Smaller than dust on this map
Lies the greatest thing we have
The dirt in which our roots may grow
And the right to call it home8
To synthesize these lyrics, I find it most advantageous to take heed of the substance resident
in a wonderful poem by Shel Silverstein, author of The Giving Tree, in his 1996 book Falling Up
titled “The Voice”:
There is a voice inside of you
That whispers all day long,
“I feel that this is right for me,
I know that this is wrong.”
No teacher, preacher, parent, friend
Or wise man can decide
What’s right for you –
Just listen to
The voice that speaks inside.9
Every single one of us has an opportunity to heed this voice, to rise up, to try and try again, to
determine how we may make the most viable use of our one match while nurturing the roots
that thrive in our American soil, and fully commit to the primary role we are meant to play in
this narrative of humanity. By continuing to live the principles laid out before us as citizens of
our remarkable nation to become better human beings tomorrow than we are today, by rehumanizing who we are so that we may better appreciate those not quite the same as us, and
by nudging humanity toward a more perfect union while privileging others a tad more than
ourselves, we will individually and societally reacquaint ourselves with our true identity as
Americans and continue to be a model for the world. To embolden your mindset such that you
are moved to embrace and develop your role, my modest request is two-fold: 1) that you adopt
the guideposts that seek you out along your life journey and 2) that you will internalize what
our 16th President captured in the language of both his inaugural addresses to steadfastly
appeal to “the better angels of our nature”10 while doing “all which may achieve and cherish a
just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”11
I am humbled to have been afforded the privilege of sharing this most seminal occasion with
you and would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Peter Kraft, Mrs. Debbie Everett,
Mrs. Sylvia Fleck, Mr. Tom Page, Mr. Brad Lennon, Señor David Malcom, the Board of
Directors, fellow alumni, our distinguished guests, and the friends and family of the graduating
class.
May the Almighty continue to bless everyone here today, our exceptional beacon of a nation,
and our most precious Mother Earth. Thank you and Godspeed to the members of the Park
Tudor Class of 2016.
7
Rachel Platten, “Fight Song”, from her 2016 album Wildfire.
Ryan O’Neal (Sleeping At Last), “North”, from his 2014 album Atlas: Land.
9
Shel Silverstein’s poem, “The Voice,” in his 1996 book, Falling Up (New York, NY: HarperCollins, p. 38).
10
President Abraham Lincoln, 1st Inaugural Address, March 4th, 1861.
11
President Abraham Lincoln, 2nd Inaugural Address, March 4th, 1865.
8