WASHINGTON — William McRaven, the retired four-star admiral who led U.S. Special Operations Command from 2011 to 2014, has resigned from … Go forth and be the heroes we need you to be.First, you must have courage. In 2012, the Texas Exes honored McRaven with a Distinguished Alumnus Award.Provided advice to the following U.S. leaders on defense issues: U.S. President, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, Secretary of Homeland Security, Attorney General, Director of the FBI, Director of the CIA, Director of National Intelligence, Director of Defense Intelligence, Director of the DEA, and Administrator of USAIDServed as a guest speaker at Harvard, Yale, Colombia and Georgetown universitiesFederal Law Enforcement Officers Association’s National AwardDeveloped a military theory for why special operations succeed against seemingly overwhelming odds. ADM William McRaven, USN Retired Admiral William H. McRaven, is a retired U.S. Navy Four-Star admiral and the former Chancellor of the University of Texas System. The last class—to miss a commencement—because of war. So, if you will bear with this old sailor for a minute or two, I would like to offer some thoughts on the other qualities you will need to help save the world.But if your cause is good and decent and worthy and honorable and has the possibility of saving even one of God creatures, then you must do what all heroes do.
To solve the world’s problems you will have to realize how little you know.
It should give you sleepless nights. They are all sacrifices necessary to be ready—when the world needs you.It would be easy to stand up here and tell you that there is wondrous place where you can be great at both work… and life, where your efforts to make a difference in the world come easy—but I have never found that place. Or Batman, Spiderman, the Black Panther, the team of the X-men and the Fantastic Four and my favorite of all—Aquaman. If you do not approach the world with humility, it will find a way to humble you quickly.There will always be those who don’t want to hear your convictions. For what hero gives so much of themselves, without caring for those they are trying to save.But no matter how mightily you might struggle, the world will believe in you, follow you, allow themselves to be saved—if they know you to be honest, trustworthy, of good character and good faith. President Reif, distinguished guests, members of the faculty and of course, the MIT graduating class of 2020.
In 2012, Foreign Policy magazine named McRaven one of the nation’s Top 10 Foreign Policy Experts and one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers.
In 2011, he was the first runner-up for Time magazine’s Person of the Year and was named Texan of the Year by the Dallas Morning News. Men and women of integrity.
You must be able to look to the stars, peer through a microscope, gaze at the ocean—and be humbled.I had an entirely different speech prepared for this afternoon. You will fail because you are human. His mother had died of Lymphoma when he was eleven and he was obsessed with finding a cure.