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Remarks Delivered by
U.S. Secretary of Labor
Elaine L. Chao
United States Secret Service Special Agent Training Class
Graduation
James J. Rowley Training Center
Laurel, Maryland
Wednesday,
October 25, 2006
Good morning! Thank you, Agent Renee Triplett, for that warm
introduction.
And, thank you for inviting me to attend the graduation of the class of
260 comprising these 22 outstanding young men and women!
Today, these 22 very special young men and women are being promoted to
Special Agent status in the United States Secret Service. Congratulations
— you've made it! Today is your day — a day for you to savor and
remember for the rest of your life!
And, welcome to the family members who are here as well. Your loved
ones have accomplished a significant milestone in their career by finishing
this training. This training course is known to be among the most challenging
in the law enforcement field. They could have not have done it without your
love and support. As they begin their career in the United States Secret
Service, they will continue to need your support and encouragement. We thank
you for being part of this journey as well.
Let me congratulate the new Director of the United States Secret
Service, Mark Sullivan. I know under your tenure, Mark, the Secret Service will
continue to meet the challenges of the 21st Century with confidence and
ability.
Let me also recognize a very special guest with whom I came to this
ceremony today — the Department of Labor's Inspector General, Gordon
Heddell, a 28-year veteran of the Secret Service. Mr. Heddell was appointed the
Inspector General of the Department of Labor after he left the United States
Secret Service. He now runs the office that ensures taxpayers are receiving
effective programs from the U.S. Department of Labor.
Most Americans are familiar with the image of Secret Service agents
standing watch at events attended by the President, or running alongside his
motorcade. And certainly we remember the heroism of President Ronald Reagan's
security detail in March 1981. Those agents acted quickly and shielded the
President from further injury — saving his life. The integrity and heroism
of the members of the Secret Service have made it one of the most well-known
and respected federal agencies in our country.
It is a proud achievement to be a member of the United States Secret
Service. This is a calling that requires a strong sense of patriotism,
commitment to duty, unquestionable integrity and honor — a position that
calls upon a person worthy of trust and confidence.
The men and women in this class left behind other jobs — some as
accountants, consultants, managers, uniformed police officers, and even as a
hockey player — to serve their country. As special agents, they will take
on a variety of tough, often dangerous assignments. They will protect U.S.
leaders and visiting heads of state. The people they protect, including the
President and Vice President of the United States and members of their
families, depend upon the Secret Service to keep them safe. And the "protective
envelope" the Secret Service provides allows our country's leaders to focus on
the responsibilities of their offices.
But the Secret Service does so much more. The Secret Service plays a
key role in investigating counterfeiting and various other financial crimes,
which is essential to protecting our nation's economic security.
Our country relies on the Secret Service to protect the integrity of
our currency and safeguard key financial systems. This includes the systems
used to make automatic ATM withdrawals and online bank transfers, which are so
vital to commerce in the growing worldwide economy.
As many of you know, the United States Secret Service was created at
the close of the Civil War to combat the threat that counterfeiting posed to
the U.S. financial systems. In 1901, the protective mission was added after
President McKinley's assassination — the third Presidential assassination
in just 36 years. These crises posed a considerable threat to a fragile U.S.
democracy and economy. And our nation needed a committed corps of dedicated,
patriotic individuals to protect our leaders and the integrity of our nation's
currency and financial networks.
Today, almost a century and a half later, our nation's economy is
strong. This was reinforced during my visit to the G-8 Labor Minister's meeting
in Moscow. Our economy is also the envy of the world. The economy has grown 4.1
percent so far in 2006, which is better than any other major industrialized
nation. America has seen 37 straight months of job creation. Over 6.6 million
net new jobs have been created in the last three years — more than Europe
and Japan combined.
The national unemployment rate is 4.6 percent — a full percentage
point lower than the 5.7 percent unemployment rate in the decade of the 1990s.
By contrast, Germany and France have unemployment rates close to 9 percent. And
gasoline prices in Europe average more than $6 per gallon.
The U.S. has grown despite unprecedented challenges over the past five
years — including the attacks on our country of 9/11/01, corporate
scandals, the War on Terror and the worst natural disaster in our nation's
history, Hurricane Katrina. The Secret Service has played an important role in
that recovery, by helping to ensure the integrity our nation's financial
institutions and networks.
As mentioned, several of the men and women who have served on the
Department of Labor's security team over the past five years are former Secret
Service agents — including the detail leader Dennis Chomicki, John Dolce
and John Metry. They are exceptionally patriotic, courageous, and hard-working
professionals. And I am grateful every day for their efforts.
In fact, the Department of Labor has a large contingent of Secret
Service veterans including a number of former Secret Service agents in senior
management positions. I think our Department probably has one of the largest
Secret Service alumni clubs outside the Secret Service! We're very proud of
that!
One of my favorite stories about my security detail occurred in
December 2003 when I was visiting the Congo, a country mired in Civil War. A
dinner party was held in my honor at the residence of the Deputy Chief of
Mission. The two agents on my security detail, Dennis Chomicki and Ryan
Griffitt, were outside at the gate monitoring the situation. Suddenly, a car
pulled up and parked in the shadows a short distance from their location. A
government official, who was not expected to attend, came walking towards
Agents Chomicki and Griffitt with an entourage carrying AK-47s. Their intent
was clearly to intimidate the U.S. security and gain entry onto the compound.
But Agents Chomicki and Griffitt made it clear that the residence was
considered U.S. soil and the visitors would not be permitted to enter.
Outnumbered, Agents Chomicki and Griffitt quickly came up with a very clever
and diplomatic solution. They offered to feed the members of the entourage, who
apparently were hungry and they quickly agreed! Agents Chomicki and Griffitt's
courage and ingenuity diffused a potentially dangerous and
politically-sensitive situation. Stories like this abound and my story is just
one. The Secret Service professionals do their jobs every day and stories of
courage and ingenuity abound.
Again, congratulations on the outstanding achievement of becoming
special agents with the United States Secret Service. By protecting American
and world leaders and safeguarding our country's financial systems, you play a
critical role in ensuring the stability of our nation and our economy. You are
among the best our country has to offer. Your fellow Americans are depending on
you. On behalf of your country, we thank you for your service.
May God bless you, and may God bless America.
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