[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15726]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  TRIBUTE TO LIEUTENANT GENERAL JAY SILVERIA, SUPERINTENDENT, U.S. AIR 
                        FORCE ACADEMY, COLORADO

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                              of california

                     in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, October 5, 2017

  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Lieutenant General Jay 
Silveria, the Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado, 
and include in the Record the transcript of his powerful remarks. After 
five African-American cadet candidates found racial slurs written on 
the doors of their dorm rooms, Lt. Gen. Silveria gathered the cadets 
together and forcefully denounced the acts of racism in a speech that 
has gained national attention, with more than 1.7 million views on 
Facebook and over 22,000 shares on Twitter.
  Our nation was founded on the principles of equality and the 
inalienable rights of our citizens. Throughout our history Americans 
like Lt. General Silveria have fought to defend these rights. His 
remarks are the masterpiece of a true patriot and one we should all 
remember and be inspired by as we continue to strive for E Pluribus 
Unum and a more perfect union.

                    [Full Remarks, 28 September 2017]

                  (By Lieutenant General Jay Silveria)

       Ladies and gentlemen, you may have heard that some people 
     down in the prep school wrote some racial slurs on some 
     message boards. If you haven't heard that, I wanted you to 
     hear it from me. If you're outraged by those words then 
     you're in the right place. That kind of behavior has no place 
     at the prep school, it has no place at USAFA, and it has no 
     place in the US Air Force.
       You should be outraged, not only as an airman, but as a 
     human being. And I'll tell you, that the appropriate response 
     for horrible language and horrible ideas, the appropriate 
     response is a better idea. So that's why I'm here. That's why 
     all these people are up here on the staff tower, so let me 
     have everybody who's up here please pull forward to the 
     rails. Also, there's so many people here, they're lining the 
     outsides along the windows. These are members of the faculty, 
     coaching staff, AOC's, AMT's, from the airfield, from my 
     staff, from my headquarters, all aspects of the 10th Airbase 
     Wing, all aspects that make up USAFA and the United States 
     Air Force Academy leadership is here. You heard from 
     Brigadier General Goodwin, Brigadier General Armacost is 
     here, Colonel Block from the athletic department is here, Mr. 
     Knowlton is in Washington, DC right now.
       That's why they're here. That's why we're all here, because 
     we have a better idea. Some of you may think that that 
     happened down in the prep school and doesn't apply to us. I 
     would be naive and we would all be naive to think that 
     everything is perfect here. We would be naive to think that 
     we shouldn't discuss this topic. We would also be tone-deaf 
     not to think about the backdrop of what's going on in our 
     country. Things like Charlottesville and Ferguson, the 
     protests in the NFL, that's why we have a better idea. One of 
     those ideas, the Dean brought people together to discuss 
     Charlottesville because what we should have is a civil 
     discourse and talk about these issues, that's a better idea.
       We received outstanding feedback from that session at 
     Charlottesville, but I also have a better idea and it's about 
     our diversity, and it's the power of the diversity, the power 
     of the 4,000 of you and all of the people that are on the 
     staff tower and lining the glass, the power of us as a 
     diverse group, the power that we come from all walks of life, 
     that we come from all parts of this country, that we come 
     from all races, we come from all backgrounds, gender, all 
     makeup, all upbringing. The power of that diversity comes 
     together and makes us that much more powerful. That's a much 
     better idea than small thinking and horrible ideas. We have 
     an opportunity here, 5,500 people in this room, to think 
     about what we are as an institution. This is our institution 
     and no one can take away our values. No one can write on a 
     board and question our values. No one can take that away from 
     us.
       So just in case you're unclear on where I stand on this 
     topic, I'm going to leave you with my most important thought 
     today: If you can't treat someone with dignity and respect, 
     then you need to get out. If you can't teach someone from 
     another gender, whether that's a man or a woman, with dignity 
     and respect, then you need to get out. If you demean someone 
     in any way, then you need to get out. And if you can't treat 
     someone from another race or a different color skin with 
     dignity and respect, then you need to get out.
       Reach for your phones. I'm serious, reach for your phones. 
     OK, you don't have to reach for your phones, I'm going to 
     give you an opportunity to reach for your phones. I want you 
     to videotape this so that you can have it, so that you can 
     use it, so that we all have the moral courage together, all 
     of us on the staff tower lining the glass, all of us in this 
     room. This is our institution, and if you need it, and you 
     need my words, then you keep these words. And you use them 
     and you remember them and you share them and you talk about 
     them. If you can't treat someone with dignity and respect, 
     then get out.

                          ____________________