Vice President Mike Pence told U.S. Military Academy graduates on Saturday that they will fight for America at some point in their lives.
“It is a virtual certainty that you will fight on a battlefield for America at some point in your life,” Pence told the graduates, according to CBS News. “You will lead soldiers in combat. It will happen. Some of you may even be called upon to serve in this hemisphere.”
{mosads} “Some of you will join the fight against radical Islamic terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq,” he said, calling the world “a dangerous place.”
In the West Point speech, Pence also said that President Trump “is once again embracing our role as the leader of the free world.”
“As you accept the mantle of leadership I promise you, your commander in chief will always have your back,” he added. “Mr. Trump is the best friend the men and women of our armed forces will ever have.”
The vice president’s speech came a day after Trump announced plans to send 1,500 troops to the Middle East to counter Iran’s influence there.
West Point on Saturday graduated the school’s most diverse class ever, including 223 women, 110 African Americans and 88 Latinos according to the Associated Press. Thirty-four graduates were black women.