Gates a hard act to follow

Robert M. Gates will be a tough act to follow as defense secretary.

Gates left office this week. He summed up the highlights of his tenure as Pentagon chief last month in a commencement address at the U.S. Naval Academy.

He took office in December 2006, “during the toughest stretch of the Iraq war ... casualties were at their highest, and prospects of success uncertain at best. At the time, the Taliban were making their comeback in Afghanistan, and history’s most notorious terrorist was still at large.”

Today, he pointed out, “Iraq has a real chance at a peaceful and democratic future; in Afghanistan, the Taliban momentum has been halted and reversed; and Osama bin Laden is finally where he belongs.”

Milestone

Any one of those would be a significant milestone. All three happened on Gates’ watch.

Don’t get the wrong idea, though. Gates’ speech was not a “look what I did” moment. In fact, he was contrasting these significant bookends of his time in office to make two points about others:

First, he was applauding the graduates before him because they had made the decision to serve their country and entered the Naval Academy, despite the extremely difficult times for the military and the nation.

Second, he was giving credit where it was due for the dramatic change in the war on terror’s circumstances, to “the skill and sacrifice of countless young warriors and patriots.”

Paying attention to those who do the fighting — and too often the dying — in the nation’s wars has been a hallmark of Gates’ time at the Pentagon.

“While many people witness history, those who step forward to serve in a time of crisis have a place in history,” Gates told the Naval Academy graduates. “As of today, you join the long line of patriots in a noble calling. By your service you will have a chance to leave your mark on history.”

Just as Gates has done.

Kevin Ferris is assistant editor of the Editorial Page of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.