General Westmoreland,//General Grove,//distinguished guests,//and gentlemen/ of the Corps!///
As I was leaving the hotel this morning,///
a doorman asked me,/"Where are you bound for,General?"///
And when I replied,"West Point," he remarked,"Beautiful place. /Have you ever been there before?"///
No human being //could fail to be deeply moved //by such a tribute as this. ///
Coming //from a profession I have served so long,//
and a people /I have loved so well,//
it fills me /with an emotion /I cannot express. ///
But this award //is not intended primarily /to honor a personality,//
but to symbolize /a great /moral code --//
the code /of conduct /and chivalry /of those /who guard /this /beloved land /of culture //and ancient descent./
That //is the animation /of this medallion. /
For all eyes and for all time,//it is an expression /of the ethics /of the American soldier. ///
That I should be integrated in this way//
with so /noble an ideal //arouses /a sense of pride /and yet /of humility //which will be with me /always. ///
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