Farewell speech
by outgoing Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer
(As delivered)
To be part of something bigger.
To be there for others.
To fight for the “we”… in a world of “me”
That is why people choose to serve the Alliance.
To serve a greater good.
To protect freedom and democracy.
We are the shield for the innocent.
We are what stands between freedom and oppression.
That task… that life goal… is something we all share.
It forms an invisible bond that transcends borders and generations.
It is a bond you can feel.
Because you know what it means to serve.
To carry on when others stop.
To put yourself at the service of the group.
Prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice.
That bond is the foundation of our Alliance.
The boundless trust in one another.
The security of comradeship. Friendship.
The band of brothers and sisters.
We show the world that democracy is worth fighting for.
Because without choice, without freedom, without the rule of law, what is there?
The best weapon we have against aggression: is our deeply felt solidarity.
Sometimes… words no longer suffice… and music fills the silence.
It expresses what we feel: strength … unity … pride.
Across this great Alliance, 3.5 million men and women in uniform and hundreds of thousands of civilians are working towards the same thing.
Separated by oceans, united in our determination.
Together… we are stronger.
Together… we are more.
Together… we are… NATO.