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	May 17, 2004 .................... LCMSNews -- No. 50

	Bush gives commencement address
	at Concordia University Wisconsin

	President George W. Bush offered what he called a few thoughts
about how you can make your mark in the world when he delivered the May
14 commencement address at Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon.

	The commencement assembly first watched on giant video screens
as Air Force One touched down at Milwaukees Mitchell Field and as the
President spoke to those greeting him there, including Concordia student
Rebecca Haupt.

	Wherever you are headed, Bush later told about 5,000 gathered
in the universitys field house  including 420 who were graduating --
I urge you to do the work nearest you, and help to build a more
compassionate society.

	He said there are three things America needs from the new
graduates: ...your efforts and energy in the fight against poverty and
despair. ... your good heart in meeting a basic responsibility: to
protect and honor life in all its seasons. ... [and] your idealism to
show the good heart of our country to the whole world.

	Many of todays graduates are on your way to full-time
ministry, and that commitment is one of the greatest that a man or woman
can make, Bush told the graduates.

	He drew frequent applause from the assembly, including when he
said, In the Lutheran tradition, all work -- in an office, on a farm,
in the home, or in the halls of government -- should be done to the
glory of God. And that is accomplished by doing our work with
excellence, and care, and an awareness of the needs around us.

	He spoke of finding examples in great lives, mentioning Martin
Luther, who changed history and your own lives with an act of
conscience, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

	The Church is the Church only when it exists for others, the
president said, quoting Bonhoeffer.

	This teaching of faith is confirmed in our daily experience,
Bush said. Many of us find that there is much more to life than getting
and keeping. True fulfillment comes with the responsibilities we assume:
to care for our families, and to love a neighbor as we want to be loved
ourselves. This is more than a familiar saying; it is the foundation of
a meaningful life.

	He said that is also true in the life of the United States.

	Our own country, at its best, strives to be compassionate, and
this isnt easy, he said. Compassion is not merely a vague feeling of
empathy, it is a demanding virtue. It involves action and effort, and
deep conviction -- a conviction as old as Scripture and present at the
founding of our country. We believe that everyone has a place and a
purpose in this world, that every life matters, that no insignificant
person was ever born.

	He spoke of fellow citizens serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.

	The assembly applauded each sentence as he said, Their mission
is like others we have given to past generations in our military: to
defeat the violent and rescue the innocent. The mission of our military
is also vital to the interests of America: We will not allow Afghanistan
and Iraq to fall under the control of radicals and terrorists who are
intent on our own destruction. On these matters, the compassion and the
vital interests of our country speak as one: For the sake of peace, for
the sake of security, we will stand for freedom.

	In a reference to the reports of prisoner abuse in Iraq, he
said, ...the cruelty of a few has brought discredit to their uniform
and embarrassment to our country. Yet, those failures cannot diminish
the honor and achievement of more than 200,000 military who have served
in Iraq since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The character of
the men and women who wear our uniform has been shown in countless acts
of goodness and decency and unselfish courage.

	Bush noted that six members of the Concordia Wisconsin
graduating class are in the military, and we thank them all, he said.

	At the beginning of his remarks, Bush also spoke of Scott
Eichstaedt, a 2000 graduate of the university and a Secret Service
agent.

	He cant rise for applause because hes working, Bush quipped.
But I want his parents to know hes doing a really fine job.

	Concordia President Patrick Ferry gave Bush an honorary doctor
of laws degree from the university.

	I kind of like the sound, Dr. Bush, he said to laughter and
applause. I dont think Laura is going to call me that.

	Ferry also presented the universitys Regents Award to Gen.
(Ret.) John W. Vessey, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
now living in Garrison, Minn., who Bush congratulated as a fine officer
who served our country with distinction and honor.

	Thanking the university and the audience for the warm welcome
and the honorary degree, Bush said he was leaving a proud member of
the Concordia University Wisconsin Class of 2004.

	It was truly a remarkable, momentous occasion, Ferry said.
The atmosphere was electric and the president was extremely well
received.

	***************************************

	If you have questions or comments about this LCMSNews release,
contact Joe Isenhower Jr. at joe.isenhower@lcms.org or (314) 996-1231,
or Paula Schlueter Ross at paula.ross@lcms.org or (314) 996-1230.

	***************************************

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