President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday supported sweeping changes introduced by Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) at a joint graduation ceremony for all military institutes and academies across the armed forces.
Times are changing, and with them the challenges faced by the armed forces, and innovativeness is the motto of the military of this age, Lai said at the ceremony.
He said the graduates began their service at the Republic of China Military Academy in Kaohsiung’s Fongshan District (鳳山) and graduated together at the Fuxinggang (復興崗) academy in Taipei, showing that all the branches of the military stand undivided.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
Lai thanked the graduates for their choice to defend the nation and undergo the strict regimens of their respective military academies, and said that he believed all graduates would agree that their hardships through these many years were worth it.
Lai said that he believed the graduates would make their nation proud wherever they serve in the future and that their service to the nation, upholding a stable society and serving the people, are greatly appreciated.
He urged the graduates not to deviate from their original goals, to continue to better themselves and meet the challenges of the future.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
They are also encouraged to comport themselves with dignity and courage, Lai said, urging all military graduates to “forever believe in democracy and to defend the people.”
Tyler Reyes said he is the first Belizean to graduate from the Republic of China Naval Academy, and he was thankful that he was given the opportunity to study in Taiwan.
Reyes said his classmates had greatly aided him and he would be staying for an another three months of extra training, after which he would return to Belize.
He lauded his experience with the navy’s friendship flotilla program this year, saying it was a “meaningful” exercise and he hoped that the flotilla would be able to visit Belize next year.
He would be thrilled to see his old classmates if they were part of the flotilla, Reyes added.
Air force graduate Chen Ming-yung (陳明湧) told reporters that he studied at the Republic of China Air Force Academy because he had seen the Thunder Tigers Aerobatics Team when he was young.
He said he hoped he could contribute to the defense of Taiwan as an F-16 combat pilot.
Additional reporting by Lin Che-yuan
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