但这些名词的确能做到：培养你们的基本素质，将你们塑造成未来的国防卫士；使你们在懦弱时有坚强的意志，在畏惧时有正视自己的勇气。这种信念使你们虽败犹荣，不失气节，不屈不挠；在成功时不骄不躁；身体力行而不尚空谈，不追求享乐，而是迎接困难的挑战；学会在暴风雨中坚韧不拔，但同情那些失败的人们；先驾驭自己，再去驾驭他人；心灵要纯洁，目标要崇高；学会欢笑，但也不忘记哭泣；放眼未来，但不忘记过去；举止庄重，而不过分严肃；谦虚谨慎，牢记伟大出自平凡，真知来自虚心，柔中见刚。这种信念赋予你们坚强的意志，丰富的想象力，激越的感情和永不枯竭的生活源泉，永不怯懦的英雄气概和永不熄灭的希望。这种信念赋予你们成就感和未来志向，以及生活的乐趣和灵感，把你们塑造成为军官和绅士。
你们所率领的是哪一类士兵，他们可靠吗，勇敢吗，他们有能力赢得胜利吗？他们的故事你全都熟悉，也就是美国士兵的故事。我对美国兵的印象，是多年前在战场上形成的，至今没有改变。无论是过去还是现在，我把他们看做是世界上最高尚的人，不仅是最杰出的军人，也是品格最纯洁的人。他们的名字与威望是每一个美国公民的骄傲。在青壮年时期，他们献出了上帝赋予人类的爱情与忠贞。他们不需要我及其他人的颂扬，因为他们已用自己的鲜血在敌人的胸前谱写了自传。然而，当我想到他们在灾难中的坚韧，在战火里的勇气，在胜利时的谦虚，我满怀的钦佩之情不禁油然而生。他们作为最伟大和最成功的爱国主义典范，永载史册；他们作为向子孙传授自由原则的先师，流芳百世；而他们的情操和成就属于当今，属于我们。在数十次战役中，在上百个战场上，在成千堆篝火旁，我亲眼目睹他们坚韧不拔的不朽精神，热爱祖国的自我克制以及不可战胜的坚定决心，这些已经把他们的形象铭刻在全国人民的心中。从世界的这一端到另一端，他们已经深深地为那勇敢的美酒所陶醉。
我听到合唱队唱的这些歌曲，回想过去，我看到第一次世界大战中步履蹒跚的小分队，在透湿的背包的重负下，从湿淋淋的黄昏到细雨蒙蒙的黎明，疲惫不堪地行军，沉重的双脚深深地陷在炮弹轰炸过的泥泞路上，与敌人进行殊死的搏斗。他们嘴唇发青，浑身沾满污泥，在风雨中哆嗦着，从家里被赶到敌人面前，许多人还被赶到上帝的审判席上。我不了解他们出身是否高贵，可我知道他们死得光荣。他们从不犹豫，毫无怨恨，满怀信念，嘴边叨念着继续战斗，直到看到胜利的希望才合上双眼。这一切都是为了它们——责任、荣誉、国家。在寻找光明与真理的道路上，他们一直在流血、挥汗、洒泪。
20年以后，在世界的另一边，他们又面对着阴暗、肮脏的散兵坑、散发恶臭的战壕、潮湿污浊的猫耳洞，还有那火辣辣的太阳、狂暴的倾盆大雨、荒无人烟的丛林小道。他们忍受着与亲人长期分离的痛苦煎熬、热带疾病的猖獗蔓延、兵燹地区的恐怖情景。他们坚定果敢地防御，迅速准确地攻击；他们站在血泊中继续战斗，终于赢来永恒的胜利。在战斗中，那些苍白憔悴的人们的目光始终庄严地注视着责任、荣誉、国家的口号。
这几个名词贯穿着最高的道德准则，并将经受任何为提高人类道德修养而传播的伦理或哲学的检验。它所提倡的是正确的理念，它所制止的是谬误的思想。崇高的战士要履行宗教修炼的最伟大行为——牺牲。在战斗中，面对着危险与死亡，他显示出造物主按照自己意愿创造人类时所赋予的品质。只有神明能帮助他、支持他，这是任何肉体的勇敢与动物的本能都代替不了的。
无论战争如何恐怖，召之即来的战士准备为国捐躯是人类最崇高的进化。
现在，你们面临着一个新世界——一个变革中的世界。人造卫星进入星际空间。卫星与导弹标志着人类漫长的历史进入了另一个时代——太空时代。科学家告诉我们，在50亿年或更长的时期中，地球形成了；300万年或更长的时期中，人类形成了；人类历史还不曾有过一次更巨大、更令人惊讶的进化。我们不单要从现在这个世界，而且要从无法估算的距离、从神秘莫测的宇宙来论述事物。我们正在认识一个崭新的无边无际的世界。我们谈论着不可思议的话题：控制宇宙的能源；让风力与潮汐为我们所用；创造空前的合成物质以补充甚至代替古老的基本物质；净化海水以供我们饮用；开发海底以作为财富与食品的新基地；预防疾病以使寿命延长几百岁；调节空气以使冷热、晴雨分布均衡；登月宇宙飞船；战争中的主要目标不仅限于敌人的武装力量，也包括其平民；团结起来的人类与某些星系行星的恶势力的最根本矛盾；使生命成为有史以来最扣人心弦的那些梦境与幻想。
为了迎接所有这些巨大的变化与发展，你们的任务将变得更加坚定而不可侵犯，那就是赢得战争的胜利。你们的职业要求你们在生死关头勇于献身，再没有比这个更重要的了。其余的一切公共目的、公共计划、公共需求，无论大小都可以寻找其他办法去完成；而你们就是训练好参加战斗的，你们的职业就是战斗——决心取胜。在战争中最明确的目标就是为了胜利，这是任何东西都代替不了的。假如你们失败了，国家就要遭到破坏。因此，你们的职业惟一要遵循的就是责任、荣誉、国家。
那些能挑起争论的国际国内问题让别人去喋喋不休地辩论吧，那将使人不知所措，无所适从。但你们要沉着、冷静、清醒，坚守在自己的岗位上。你们是国家防范侵略的卫士；在国际冲突的惊涛骇浪中，你们是国家的救生员；在战争的竞技场上，你们是国家的斗士。
在一个半世纪的漫长岁月中，你们日夜戍备，英勇御敌，保卫了国家解放、自由、正义和公平的神圣传统。让公众去争论政府的功与过吧。让他们去争论连年的财政赤字，联邦政府日益增长的家长作风，各种权力机构变得十分傲慢，社会道德水准降得太低，各种税收增长得太高，过激分子变得更加肆无忌惮，等等。这是否削弱了我们国家的力量，伤了国家的元气！让他们去争论个人自由是否已经达到了应有的彻底和完整。这些重大的国家问题不是靠你们职业军人或军队来解决的。你们的座右铭就像茫茫黑夜中光芒万丈的灯塔——责任、荣誉、国家。
你们是维系我国防御系统全部机构的纽带。当战争警钟敲响时，从你们的队伍中将涌现出手操国家命运的伟大军官。这一长列穿着灰色制服的军士，从没有辜负国人的期望。假如你们辜负了国人的期望，立刻会有上百万身穿橄榄色、棕色、蓝色和灰色制服的军魂，从他们的白色十字架下翻身起来，以雷霆般的声音喊出那神奇的口号——责任、荣誉、国家。
这并不意味着你们是战争贩子。相反，士兵比其他人更诚心祈求和平，因为士兵必须忍受战争最深刻的伤痛。但是，我们的耳边经常响起那位伟大的哲学之父柏拉图的警世之言：“只有死者看过战争的终结。”
我的生命已近黄昏，暮色已经降临。我昔日的风采和荣誉已经消失。它们随着对昔日事业的憧憬，带着那余晖消失了。昔日的回忆是非常美好的，是以泪水洗涤，以昨天的微笑抚慰的。我渴望但徒然地聆听着远处那微弱而迷人的起床号声，那咚咚作响的军鼓声。在梦境里，我又听到隆隆的炮声，滑膛枪的射击声，战场上古怪而悲伤的低语声。然而，在我黄昏的记忆中，我时常回到西点，耳边始终回响着：责任、荣誉、国家。
今天标志我对你们的最后一次点名。但我希望你们知道，当我死去时，我最后想到的一定是你们这支部队——这支部队——这支部队。
我向你们珍重道别。
Douglas MacArthur
As I was leaving the hotel this morning， a doorman askedme， “Where are you bound for， General？” And when I replied，“West Point，” he remarked， “Beautiful place。 Have you ever beenthere before？”
No human being could fail to be deeply moved by such atribute as this[Thayer Award]。 Coming from a profession I haveserved so long， and a people I have loved so well， it fills mewith an emotion I cannot express。 But this award is not intendedprimarily to honor a personality， but to symbolize a great moralcode——the code of conduct and chivalry of those who guardthis beloved land of culture and ancient descent. That is theanimation of this medallion。 For all eyes and for all time， it is anexpression of the ethics of the American soldier. That I shouldbe integrated in this way with so noble an ideal arouses a senseof pride and yet of humility which will be with me always： Duty，Honor， Country.
Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what youought to be， what you can be， what you will be. They are yourrallying points： to build courage when courage seems to fail； toregain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith； to createDuty Honor Country.
hope when hope becomes forlorn.
Unhappily， I possess neither that eloquence of diction， thatpoetry of imagination， nor that brilliance of metaphor to tell youall that they mean. The unbelievers will say they are but words，but a slogan， but a flamboyant phrase. Every pedant， everydemagogue， every cynic， every hypocrite， every troublemaker，and I am sorry to say， some others of an entirely differentcharacter， will try to downgrade them even to the extent ofmockery and ridicule.
But these are some of the things they do. They build yourbasic character。 They mold you for your future roles as thecustodians of the nation's defense. They make you strong enoughto know when you are weak， and brave enough to face yourselfwhen you are afraid. They teach you to be proud and unbendingin honest failure， but humble and gentle in success； not tosubstitute words for actions， not to seek the path of comfort， butto face the stress and spur of difficulty and challenge； to learn tostand up in the storm but to have compassion on those who fall；to master yourself before you seek to master others； to have aheart that is clean， a goal that is high； to learn to laugh， yet neverforget how to weep； to reach into the future yet never neglect thepast； to be serious yet never to take yourself too seriously； to bemodest so that you will remember the simplicity of true greatness，the open mind of true wisdom， the meekness of true strength.
They give you a temper of the will， a quality of the imagination，a vigor of the emotions， a freshness of the deep springs of life，a temperamental predom inance of courage over timidity， of anappetite for adventure over love of ease. They create in yourheart the sense of wonder， the unfailing hope of what next， andthe joy and inspiration of life。 They teach you in this way to be anofficer and a gentleman.
And what sort of soldiers are those you are to lead？ Arethey reliable？ Are they brave？ Are they capable of victory？ Theirstory is known to all of you. It is the story of the American manat-arms. My estimate of him was formed on the battlefield many，many years ago， and has never changed. I regarded him thenas I regard him now — as one of the world's noblest figures， notonly as one of the finest military characters， but also as one ofthe most stainless。 His name and fame are the birthright of everyAmerican citizen. In his youth and strength， his love and loyalty，he gave all that mortality can give.
He needs no eulogy from me or from any other man. Hehas written his own history and written it in red on his enemy'sbreast. But when I think of his patience under adversity， of hiscourage under fire， and of his modesty in victory， I am filled withan emotion of admiration I cannot put into words. He belongs tohistory as furnishing one of the greatest examples of successfulpatriotism. He belongs to posterity as the instructor of futuregenerations in the principles of liberty and freedom. He belongsto the present， to us， by his virtues and by his achievements.
In 20 campaigns， on a hundred battlefields， around a thousandcampfires， I have witnessed that enduring fortitude， that patrioticself-abnegation， and that invincible determination which havecarved his statue in the hearts of his people. From one end of theworld to the other he has drained deep the chalice of courage.
As I listened to those songs[of the glee club]， in memory'seye I could see those staggering columns of the First WorldWar， bending under soggy packs， on many a weary march fromdripping dusk to drizzling dawn， slogging ankle-deep throughthe mire of shell-shocked roads， to form grimly for the attack，bluelipped， covered with sludge and mud， chilled by the windand rain， driving home to their objective， and for many， to thejudgment seat of God.
I do not know the dignity of their birth， but I do know the gloryof their death.
They died unquestioning， uncomplaining， with faith in theirhearts， and on their lips the hope that we would go on to victory.
Always， for them： Duty， Honor， Country； always their blood andsweat and tears， as we sought the way and the light and the truth.
And 20 years after， on the other side of the globe， again thefilth of murky foxholes， the stench of ghostly trenches， the slimeof dripping dugouts； those boiling suns of relentless heat， thosetorrential rains of devastating storms； the loneliness and utterdesolation of jungle trails； the bitterness of long separation fromthose they loved and cherished； the deadly pestilence of tropicaldisease； the horror of stricken areas of war； their resolute anddetermined defense， their swift and sure attack， their indomitablepurpose， their complete and decisive victory — always victory.
Always through the bloody haze of their last reverberatingshot， the vision of gaunt， ghastly men reverently following yourpassword of： Duty， Honor， Country.
The code which those words perpetuate embraces thehighest moral laws and will stand the test of any ethics orphilosophies ever promulgated for the uplift of mankind. Itsrequirements are for the things that are right， and its restraintsare from the things that are wrong.
The soldier， above all other men， is required to practice thegreatest act of religious training——sacrifice.In battle and in theface of danger and death， he discloses those divine attributeswhich his Maker gave when he created man in his own image.
No physical courage and no brute instinct can take the place ofthe Divine help which alone can sustain him.
However horrible the incidents of war may be， the soldierwho is called upon to offer and to give his life for his country isthe noblest development of man kind.
You now face a new world — a world of change. The thrustinto outer space of the satellite， spheres， and missiles mark thebeginning of another epoch in the long story of mankind. In thefive or more billions of years the scientists tell us it has taken toform the earth， in the three or more billion years of developmentof the human race， there has never been a more abrupt orstaggering evolution. We deal now not with things of this worldalone， but with the illimitable distances and as yet unfathomedmysteries of the universe. We are reaching out for a new andboundless frontier.
We speak in strange terms： of harnessing the cosmicenergy； of making winds and tides work for us； of creatingunheard synthetic materials to supplement or even replace ourold standard basics； to purify sea water for our drink； of miningocean floors for new fields of wealth and food； of diseasepreventatives to expand life into the hundreds of years； ofcontrolling the weather for a more equitable distribution of heatand cold， of rain and shine； of space ships to the moon； of theprimary target in war， no longer limited to the armed forces of anenemy， but instead to include his civil populations； of ultimateconflict between a united human race and the sinister forces ofsome other planetary galaxy； of such dreams and fantasies as tomake life the most exciting of all time.
And through all this welter of change and development， yourmission remains fixed， determined，inviolable： it is to win our wars.
Everything else in your professional career is but corollaryto this vital dedication. All other public purposes， all other publicprojects， all other public needs， great or small， will find others fortheir accomplishment。 But you are the ones who are trained tofight. Yours is the profession of arms， the will to win， the sureknowledge that in war there is no substitute for victory； that if youlose， the nation will be destroyed； that the very obsession of yourpublic service must be： Duty， Honor， Country.
Others will debate the controversial issues， national andinternational， which divide men's minds； but serene， calm， aloof，you stand as the Nation's war-guardian， as its lifeguard from theraging tides of international conflict， as its gladiator in the arenaof battle. For a century and a half you have defended， guarded，and protected its hallowed traditions of liberty and freedom， ofright and justice.
Let civilian voices argue the merits or demerits of ourprocesses of government； whether our strength is being sappedby deficit financing， indulged in too long， by federal paternalismgrown too mighty， by power groups grown too arrogant， bypolitics grown too corrupt， by crime grown too rampant， by moralsgrown too low， by taxes grown too high， by extremists growntoo violent； whether our personal liberties are as thorough andcomplete as they should be。 These great national problems arenot for your professional participation or military solution. Yourguidepost stands out like a tenfold beacon in the night： Duty，Honor， Country.
You are the leaven which binds together the entire fabric ofour national system of defense. From your ranks come the greatcaptains who hold the nation's destiny in their hands the momentthe war tocsin sounds. The Long Gray Line has never failed us.
Were you to do so， a million ghosts in olive drab， in brown khaki，in blue and gray， would rise from their white crosses thunderingthose magic words： Duty， Honor， Country.
This does not mean that you are war mongers.
On the contrary， the soldier， above all other people， praysfor peace， for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds andscars of war.
But always in our ears ring the ominous words of Plato thatwisest of all philosophers： “Only the dead have seen the end of war.”
The shadows are lengthening for me。 The twilight is here.
My days of old have vanished， tone and tint. They have goneglimmering through the dreams of things that were. Their memoryis one of wondrous beauty， watered by tears， and coaxed andcaressed by the smiles of yesterday. I listen vainly， but with thirstyears， for the witching melody of faint bugles blowing reveille， offar drums beating the long roll. In my dreams I hear again thecrash of guns， the rattle of musketry， the strange， mournful mutterof the battlefield.
But in the evening of my memory， always I come back toWest Point.
Always there echoes and re-echoes： Duty， Honor， Country.
Today marks my final roll call with you， but I want you toknow that when I cross the river my last conscious thoughts willbe of The Corps， and The Corps， and The Corps.
I bid you farewell.
