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May 26, 2025
Honoring Those Service Members Who Never Returned, National Mission Children Day, President Trump Gives Commencement Speech at West Point, And VP Vance Gives Commencement Speech At The Naval Academy
Although ANP published an article that included President Trump's Memorial Day Proclamation, TODAY, May 26, 2025 is the day designed as Memorial Day for this year. To honor the memory of those who gave their lives in service to our country, please consider playing this short 70-second video clip of TAPS at Arlington Memorial Cemetery (perhaps at 3pm local time?):
On May 25, 1983, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 25th as National Missing Childrens Day in memory of Etan Patz, a 6-year-old boy who disappeared from a New York City street corner on May 25, 1979. Etan's killer was convicted in February 2017, but the case remains active because his body was never found.
Each year, the U.S. Department of Justice commemorates Missing Childrens Day to honor the heroic and exemplary efforts of agencies, organizations, and individuals to protect children. National Missing Children's Day falls on the same day as the International Missing Children's Day which began in 1998 as a joint venture with 26 countries become established in 2001.
Missing Childrens Day is dedicated to encouraging parents, guardians, caregivers, and others concerned with the well-being of children to make child safety a priority. It serves as a reminder to continue our efforts to reunite missing children with their families and an occasion to honor those dedicated to this noble cause. As part of this initiative, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a National Missing Childrens Day Poster Contest, which invites fifth-grade students to create a poster to include the theme Bringing Our Missing Children Home.
Every day, thousands of children are reported missinga devastating reality that inflicts deep scars not only on them, but also on their loved ones, who do not know if or when they will embrace their children again. Tragically, this crisis was worsened by the open border policies of the previous administration.
This National Missing Childrens Day, my Administration resolves to protect the most innocent among usand to strike down every predator, trafficker, kidnapper, and abuser who targets our young people with the full force of the law.
As President, I am successfully working to seal our southern border, defend the dignity of all human life, and end the vicious scourge of child sex trafficking. One of my first actions in office was to declare a national emergency at the southern border. I also designated cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists to end their campaign of violence and mayhem.
As we secure the border, deport criminal illegal aliens, and stop the trafficking and smuggling of children into our country, my Administration is doing everything in its power to recover our missing children, and reunite them with their loved ones. Under my leadership, justice on our border, order in our communities, and peace in our families is being swiftly restored.
As our Nation commemorates National Missing Childrens Day, we offer our love, prayers, and support to those families who are searching for a missing child. My Administration pledges to assist our law enforcement agencies in returning every missing child back to the comfort of their homes and families, where they belong. We will continue our work of building a future where every child is safe, valued, and empowered to lead a great American life of purpose, opportunity and fulfillment.
USMA was established in 1802. It is renowned for producing exceptional leaders. Situated in West Point, New York, the academy was initially founded by President Thomas Jefferson to train officers for the rapidly expanding army. Throughout its history, USMA has evolved, adapting to the changing needs of the nation's defense. USMA has consistently upheld its mission of educating, training, and inspiring cadets to become leaders of character, prepared to serve their country with honor and distinction. USMAs rich history links its graduates as part of the Long Gray Line, and those graduates have played an integral part in the nations history. Over 80,000 men and women have graduated from the U.S. Military Academy since its founding in 1802. Academy graduates have excelled in academia, business, science, and government, as well as the military. Seventy-seven have received the Medal of Honor; two (Grant and Eisenhower) were presidents of the United States, and many are senior Army leaders today.
The history of the United States Military Academy can be traced to fortifications constructed on the West Point of the Hudson River during the American Revolutionary War in 1778. Following the war, President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation establishing the United States Military Academy (USMA) on the site in 1802. In 1817 the academy was transformed by the appointment of Sylvanus Thayer who drastically reformed the curriculum. . . . The history of the USMA can be traced to fortifications constructed on the West Point of the Hudson River during the American Revolutionary War in 1778. Following the war, President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation establishing the United States Military Academy (USMA) on the site in 1802. In 1817 the academy was transformed by the appointment of Sylvanus Thayer, known as the "Father of the Military Academy," who drastically reformed the curriculum. He upgraded academic standards, instilled military discipline, and emphasized honorable conduct.
Yesterday, President Donald J. Trump addressed more than 1,000 graduating cadets of the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he delivered an inspiring message of service, sacrifice, and winning.Here are the highlights:
Hold on to your culture and your traditions because thats what makes something really great and thats whats made the Army great, the culture and the tradition. Whether were talking about a battalion, a business, a sports team, or even a nation, history has shown that in many ways, culture is destiny so do not let anyone destroy the culture of winning. You have to win. WATCH
Instead of stock options you chose honor and you chose sacrifice. Instead of business suits and dress shoes, you chose muddy boots and fatigues and keeping yourselves in shape because West Point cadets dont just have the brightest minds, you also have the bravest hearts and the noblest souls. WATCH
The job of the U.S. Armed Forces is not to host drag shows, to transform foreign cultures, or to spread democracy to everybody around the world at the point of a gun. The militarys job is to dominate any foe and annihilate any threat to America anywhere, any time, and any place. WATCH
From Lexington to Yorktown, from Gettysburg to Sicily, and from Inchon to Fallujah, America has been won and saved by an unbroken chain of soldiers and patriots who ran to the sound of the guns, leapt into the maw of battle, and charged into the crucible of fire to seize the crown of victory no matter the odds, no matter the cost, no matter the danger. WATCH
Every cadet on the field before me should savor this morning because this is a day you will never, ever forget. In a few moments, you will become graduates of the most elite and storied military academy in human history and you will become officers in the greatest and most powerful Army the world has ever known. WATCH
President Trump recognized cadet Ricky McMahon: In 2004, when Ricky was just a little boy his dad, Lt. Col. Michael McMahon, made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation in Afghanistan. Today, Lt. Col McMahon rests not far from here in the West Point cemetery. Last year, two decades after losing his father, Ricky placed a gold chip from his dads 1985 class ring into a crucible along 87 other rings with it of past West Point grads that were melted down to forge those now worn by the Class of 2025 Each of you will carry Michaels memory with you always as you continue the legacy he gave. WATCH
President Trump recognized cadet Chris Verdugo: Last January, when more than 1,000 cadets volunteered for an 18-and-a-half-mile march on a freezing winter night, cadet Chris Verdugo completed the task in two hours and 30 minutes flat smashing the international record for the competition by 13 minutes That really is the definition of Army strong. WATCH
Vice President Vance gave the address at the Naval Academy's Class of 2025 graduation (transcript of the VP's 25 minute speech):
First off, I want to say both for me and from President Trump congratulations to the class of 2025. I want to say congratulations, not just to you all, because you all have certainly earned a great honor, but congratulations to the families the friends the faculty, plus the other midshipman and service members who join us on this beautiful morning and share in this incredible day.
Now it's always dangerous to give a politician a microphone; but, I know that I am one of the very last things standing between you and your commission and your diploma. And so, out of respect, I just want you to know that this is only going to be a three and a half or four hour speech. I hope you all brought your sunscreen, because it's bright out here. But today is such an incredible day for you. Tonight you'll celebrate in the finest tradition of the United States Naval Academy with great food and of course maybe a little drink. But I hope that as you celebrate you remember that this is not just your day, as hard as you have worked for it, this day belongs to parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, brothers, sisters, and so many others.
You, all of you, are the product of an incredible legacy people who worked hard to give you a good education, food on the table, and a sense of possibility. People who took you to church, to practices, to tutoring sessions. People who prayed for you when you struggled and celebrated with you at moments just like today. Most of you are fortunate enough to have someone here to celebrate with you, some of you don't; but, whether they are here with you or not, the very best piece of advice I can give you is to begin your life in the fleet with a spirit of gratitude. Be thankful for all the people gathered here today, and those who aren't, because they made you who you are and they got you to where you are today.
I hope you'll take from that gratitude a sense of duty. You owe it to the American people, to yourselves, but most of all to the people who sacrificed so hard to get you here. You owe it to them to do the best job you can, and I know that is exactly what you're going to do.
Now it's customary in speeches like this for people like me to offer words of congratulations and maybe a little bit of advice, of course, I just did exactly that. But you're not just graduates of some random university about to embark on careers in the private sector. And I'm not just giving another political speech. I'm your Vice President. And the minute you walk off this stage with your diploma and your commission you will be officers in the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps, and that is an incredible thing.
You will be leaders of men and women in our armed forces. So, while President Trump and I congratulate you on this incredible achievement, I also thought it would be appropriate to tell you a bit about how the President and I think of your mission in this new and very dangerous era for our country.
Now last week the President took a very historic trip to the Middle East, meeting with Heads of State in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Most of the headlines focused on the trillions of dollars of new investment the President secured for our country, and that's, of course, an important thing. But I actually think the most significant part of that trip is that it signified the end of a decades-long approach in foreign policy, that I think was a break from the precedence set by our founding fathers. We had a long experiment in our foreign policy that traded national defense and the maintenance of our alliances for nation building and meddling in foreign countries affairs. Even when those foreign countries had very little to do with core American interests. What we are seeing from President Trump is a generational shift in policy, with profound implications for the job that each and every one of you will be asked to do.
Now following the collapse of the Soviet Union our policymakers assumed that American primacy on the world stage was guaranteed. For a brief time we were a superpower without any peer. Nor did we believe any foreign nation could possibly rise to compete with the United States of America. And so our leaders traded hard power for soft power. We stopped making things everything from cars to computers to the weapons of war, like the ships that guard our waters, and the weapons that you will use in the future. Why do we do that? Well too many of us believed that economic integration would naturally lead to peace by making countries, like the People's Republic of China more like the United States. Over time, we were told, the world would converge toward a uniform set of bland secular universal ideals regardless of culture or country. And those that didn't want to converge, well our policymakers would make it their goal to force them by any means necessary.
So instead of devoting our energies to responding to the rise of near peer competitors like China, our leaders pursued what they assumed would be easy jobs for the world's pre-eminent superpower. How hard could it be to build a few democracies in the Middle East? Well, almost impossibly hard it turns out, and unbelievably costly. And it wasn't our politicians who bore the consequences of such a profound miscalculation. It was the American people, to the tune of trillions of dollars. But more than anyone, it was borne by the people who were in your shoes just a few short years ago, by our service members and their families. The tens of thousands of war fighters who sacrificed precious time, energy, and in some cases their very lives, in the line of duty. They are the ones who bore the costs of past failure. Our leaders abandon clearly stated strategic goals for lofty often incoherent abstractions. This is how, for example, we wound up chasing a $230 million pier in Gaza that worked for a grand total of 20 days, while injuring over 60 American service members, in the construction and maintenance of that pier. Our government took its eye off the ball of great power competition and preparing to take on a peer adversary. Instead we devoted ourselves to sprawling, amorphous, tasks like searching for new terrorists to take out, while building up far away regimes.
Now I want to be clear. The Trump Administration has reversed course. No more undefined missions. No more open-ended conflicts. We're turning, returning, to a strategy grounded in realism and protecting our core national interests. Now this doesn't mean that we ignore threats. But it means that we approach them with discipline, and that when we send you to war, we do it with a very specific set of goals in mind. Consider how this played out in just the last major conflict we engaged in with the Houthis over in the Middle East. We went in with a clear diplomatic goal. Not to enmesh our service members in a prolonged conflict with a non-state actor; but to secure American freedom of navigation by forcing the Houthis to stop attacking American ships. And that's exactly what we did. We pursued that goal through overwhelming force against Houthis military targets. In just the first 100 days of the administration, we were able to reach a ceasefire in conflict that had been ongoing for nearly two years. That's how military power should be used. Decisively, with a clear objective. We ought to be cautious in deciding to throw a punch. But when we throw a punch we throw a punch hard and we do it decisively. And that's exactly what we may ask you to do.
Now that shift in thinking from ideological crusades to a principled foreign policy will help restore the credibility of American deterrence in 2025 and beyond. With the Trump Administration, our adversaries now know when the United States sets a red line, it will be enforced. And when we engage, we do so with purpose, with superior force, with superior weapons, and with the best people anywhere in the world.
Let me say something about weapons and the future of warfare. It is, of course, a priority of this Administration, not just to keep, but to widen, the technological edge between the United States Military and our adversaries all over the world. In the wake of the cold war, America enjoyed a mostly unchallenged command of the commons, airspace, sea space, and cyberspace. But the area the era of uncontested US dominance is over. Today we face serious threats, in China, Russia, and others nations determined to beat us in every single domain. From spectrum to low earth orbit, to our supply chains, and even our communication infrastructure, technology has lowered the cost of disruption and so we must be, all of us, not just smarter, we gotta to make sure that we send our troops to war, we do it with the right tools.
We can we can no longer assume our engagements will come without cost. That's why the Trump Administration is investing in innovation, rewarding risktakers at the Department of Defense, and streamlining weapons acquisition for the new century. Investing in cutting edge weaponry, like hypersonics, is important. But just as important are the low cost, high impact, technologies that are already transforming the battlefield. Things like drones. And by the way, when we talk about innovation is not just happening in the laboratory of a defense contractor, innovation increasingly is happening on the very battlefields that you will lead troops on. So that you are not just recipients of innovation, you're not just users of tools, you will very often be developing tools in this new century.
Our lawmakers and military brass alike must learn to adjust to a world where cheap drones, readily available cruise missile, and cyber attacks cause extraordinary damage to our military assets and our service members. And it will be you, the graduates gathered here today, who will lead the way for the rest of us. Your service will bring new challenges and environments; including ones unfamiliar even to those who have served before you. You will deploy new equipment, new systems, and new technology. And through those experiences, it is YOU who will learn who will teach others, will help our services, and our entire country, adapt to the future we're confronting.
Now the extraordinary education you have received is an investment by the American people. An investment not only in your courage, but in the strength of your minds, and the promise of your leadership. Because your nation rests easier knowing that we have the most brilliant strategists and tacticians standing guard. Men and women like you, brilliant enough to preempt and, if called, fight and win the wars of tomorrow. And its technological change continues to transform the battlefield. It only heightens the importance for this administration, for our own whole country, on investing in our military's human capital, that's you, and the well-being of our war fighters and your brilliance in your strategic innovation. Modernization isn't just about tactics and tools. It's about meeting the needs of our service members. For too long we asked too much of too few.
Past leaders sent our service members on mission after mission with no exit strategy, no end in sight, and with little articulation for the American people or for the war fighters about what we were doing. Ehen we extend the deployment of an aircraft carrier, that has real impact on people's lives, and we're aware of it. They miss their families, of course, they miss their loved ones and their home life. They accept that sacrifice, and that's the job that you've taken on. But the job that we have taken on is to never misuse that sacrifice, or never ask you to do something without a clear mission and a clear path home.
The Trump Administration recognizes that our most valuable resources - it's you - it's young people who are brave enough to put on the uniform and risk your life for this country. And we promise, I promise, to cultivate that resource to protect it and to use it only when the national interest demands. And what makes your new life so unique is that you must take multiple perspectives. You will be junior officers, of course answerable to commanders, captains, admirals, generals, and people like me.
You will have to follow orders, even when you don't want to. And if I can offer one piece of advice from a junior enlisted guy to a bunch of new officers, to say that when you say "with all due respect" that is not a get out of jail free card. I got, chewed these guys are laughing back here, I got chewed out more times than I can remember because I assumed that I could say whatever I wanted to so long as I said "with all due respect" before it, that's not how it works out. You learn that the hard way. But importantly, you are not just following orders, more often than not, you will be giving them. And just as I see you as our most precious resource, so you must see the men and women who call you sir and ma'am as YOUR most sacred charge. You will not just be another boss. You will counsel them through triumph and tragedy. You will learn that there is no clear line between personal and professional for officers in the Navy and Marine Corps.
But I encourage you to see them not just as people who must follow your orders; but as leaders in their own right, with incredible wisdom and incredible potential. Now this is shocking to think about; but there are senior enlisted people who started their careers in the Navy or the Marine Corps before you were born who will call you sir and ma'am and follow your orders. Think about what an incredible honor that is. And think about what an incredible opportunity it is, not just to lead these men and women, but also to learn from these men and women. And that is the task before you.
You will lean on that experience, of course, but still you're very often, more often than not, going to be the one in charge. That is an honor, but it's a responsibility that ought to give you chills. You've made it now through one of the most demanding institutions in the entire world. You've earned your commissions, and you've stepped forward to serve at a moment when your country needs you, now more than ever. But you're stepping into gigantic shoes. And it's worth taking stock of that as you prepare to receive your commission. Those of us who've served know that graduates of the naval academy, they have a certain energy, a certain aura, a certain respect, when they're out there in the fleet.
Let me just give you an example: today is your day, of course, and you should celebrate. But in three days, the President and I will lead the most solemn occasion in our nation, Memorial Fay at Arlington Cemetery. You'll learn, as I have, that when people say things like "happy Memorial Fay," you appreciate the sentiment behind it but you know that it's wrong. Because memorial day is not a happy day. Memorial day is not for those who served and came home. Every Memorial Day I think about a graduate of this institution, Major Megan McClung. She was an officer I served with who was bright, tough, and incredibly dedicated to her job. She arrived in Iraq, not long after me, and was killed in action not long after that. She loved this institution. And like so many that came before her, she built on its legacy in the way that she served her country. Now there are so many stories of great service in this institution. And I look at these signs on this stadium Bella Wood, Midway, Guadalcanal; these are battles I read about in history books, or learned about when I was a United States Marine.
If you just try to read a list of the people who served after graduating from this institution, the list is almost so long you can't get through it. Senior leaders, Commandants of the Marine Corps, Chiefs of Naval Operations, astronauts, great business leaders, and even a few lowly politicians have graduated from the United States Naval Academy. Their service is an incredible legacy that they have passed on to you. And you are the bridge that connects the incredible heritage of this institution to the future duties and responsibilities your country needs you to perform. That's an incredible honor, but it's also an incredible responsibility, and I hope you take it seriously. People will look at you as graduates of the Naval Academy in a different way than they look at most of the people that you will meet every single day. They will look at you that way, yes because you've worked hard, and yes because you deserve this day; but they will also look at you differently because you stand on the shoulders of giants. And 20 30 or 40 years from now there are people who are going to be standing on your shoulders. So please remember that. Please take it seriously. And please recognize that you become part of a brotherhood and sisterhood that will enable you to do great things, that will support you as you do them, but will ask you to give back as you should in return.
You are the inheritors of a national tradition dating back 250 years. It began with John Paul Jones, when the founders of this country asked the United States Navy to take on the most powerful Navy on earth, and we won. Our first patriots knew the stakes. They did not seek out war. They did everything they could to advocate and petition for their own liberties. But when the time came they raised a military, they raised a navy, and they fought like hell. Their examples lives on in all of you. In their courage we see the roots of your calling to be strong but not reckless, to seek peace, but never at the expense of liberty to hold firm to your convictions even when the cost is high. I want to say to all of you, I've been vice president for all of about 120 days and this summer I will celebrate my 41st birthday. But I have never, in those 41 years, been so proud as I am today. To honor you, to celebrate you, and to congratulate you on a job well done.
Now I'm sure some of you share my politics, and some of you don't, but I know, today, I speak for a grateful nation when I say "we are rooting for you naval academy class of 25 we are proud of you, and we depend on you, congratulations, God speed, and do great work."
As we gather with friends, family, and loved ones today, let us remember those who went before us, served in the Armed Forces, and never came home. I know many Veterans joke that when they signed up for military service, they knew they were signing away their lives, knowing that they might not return from a combat arena. I am thankful to those who did not return because I live in freedom (even though, lately, keeping those freedoms has been a trial). Yesterday, May 25, 2025, ANP Reader Amos Moses - He>i posted a meme that I think should go viral:
ANP EMERGENCY Fundraiser:
Dangerous, Derogatory, Harmful, Unreliable!
Those are some of the exact words used by Googles censors, aka 'Orwelliancontent police,' in describing many of our controversial stories.Stories later proven to be truthful and light years ahead of the mainstream media. But because we reported those 'inconvenient truths' they're trying to bankrupt ANP.
