morning, i am reminded of what so struck and moved me when i went from being a university president to u.s. secretary of defense in a time of war. at texas a and m i would walk the campus, see thousands of students age 18 to 25, typically wearing t-shirts, shorts, and back packs. the day after i became secretary of defense in december, 2006, i made my first visit to the war theater. and there i encountered other young men and women also 18 to 25, except they were wearing body armor, carrying assault rifles. putting their lives at risk for all americans. and i knew that some of them would not make it home whole and that some would not make it home at all. i knew then that soon all of those in harm's way would be