There is no more important issue for the future of a nation than the relationship between the military professionals pledged to its defense and the civil society for whom they are prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice. They support the freedoms guaranteed by our democratic society, even as they themselves are not able to participate fully in them. They have the moral courage to give clear military advice to political and diplomatic leaders under the most difficult of situations. They choose the harder right rather than the easier wrong.
There is no better example of this kind of soldier than General George A. Joulwan. His distinguished military career has taken him to the highest levels of both the civilian and the military spheres. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, General Joulwan rose through the ranks to complete his military career as the Supreme Allied Commander Europe. He was a Second Lieutenant in Germany as the Berlin Wall was being built and a Lieutenant General commanding an Army Corps in Germany when the Wall was torn down. As Commander in Chief of U.S. military forces in Central and South America, he was instrumental in bringing peace to the region and professionalizing the militaries of the countries there. As NATO's commander, General Joulwan was the architect of the Bosnian operation that ended the atrocities and brought peace to this troubled country.
General Joulwan is now the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of National Security Affairs at West Point. There he teaches a new generation of Cadets, just as he did as a Professor of Military Science at Loyola University Chicago. While at Loyola, he received a Master's Degree in Political Science, and frequently discusses the value of his Jesuit education for his intellectual and personal growth.
Reverend President, in recognition of his accomplishment
as a soldier, scholar, and diplomat, and in appreciation of his contributions
to the security of the United States, I recommend that the degree, Doctor
of Laws, honoris causa, be conferred upon General George A. Joulwan.
- Presented by John Allen Williams, Ph.D. Associate Professor of
Political Science.
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