Good morning, everyone!

It is wonderful to be here with you today as we celebrate the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Gabe, thank you for that kind introduction, and for your time as Deputy Chief of Staff in the Office of the Secretary of the Navy! I know you are doing great things at this department.

Chairman Areizaga-Soto, thank you for being here today and for your years of honorable service in the United States Army JAG Corps. Thank you for the important work you do as chairman of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.

According to your department’s statistics, there are roughly 1.3 million Hispanic American Veterans.

Latinos are the fastest-growing demographic in the military—making up about 17% of all active-duty military.

Nearly one in every four Marines is Hispanic, and Hispanics comprise over 16% of our Navy.

It is important to see ourselves reflected in our leaders.

Because having successful role models who share our heritage empower us to follow in their footsteps or even chart our own courses.

Hispanic Americans have proudly served our military since the nascent beginnings of our Nation—since even before the Revolutionary War—and have served in every battle since.

This Nation was founded on the principles of selfless service.

I want to take a moment to thank the Veterans who are in this room today. If you are serving in our Nation’s armed forces, or if you have served in any capacity, would you please stand and be recognized?

Thank you for your service.

I also want to thank our families who are the backbone of our military.

Service in our military is a family affair, and I am fortunate to have had the support of my wife Betty and our four sons as I navigated a career in the Naval service, a career in the private sector, and once more, service to our Navy and Marine Corps Team.

Following the outbreak of conflict between Israel and Hamas on October 7th, our Sailors and Marines participated in Operation Prosperity Guardian in the Red Sea to deter further escalation and protect innocent commercial shipping against Iranian-aligned Houthi attacks.

When our heroes from the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group and the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group returned from deployment, Betty and I had the honor and privilege to welcome them home.

Seeing all of the families and friends on the pier for our Sailors and Marines underscored the integral role our families play in our armed forces.

We could not do this job without them.

And because of their support, our Navy and Marine Corps Team serves as a powerful testament of our Nation’s commitment to our allies and partners all around the globe.

All of those in military families, even if you did not wear the uniform yourself, please stand to be recognized.

During this month, we celebrate the rich history, contributions, and service of Hispanic Americans to our Nation.

As I said before, Hispanic Americans have proudly served our Nation since its very founding, and the service of Hispanic Americans in our Navy and Marine Corps is especially notable.

Navy Admiral David Glasgow Farragut, the Navy’s first Hispanic American flag officer—and first flag officer, period—famously led the Union Navy to victory at the Battle of Mobile Bay.

As the ships in his squadron fell back because of risks of tethered mines or “torpedoes,” Admiral Farragut gave the immortal order: “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”

Sergeant Rafael Peralta was a Mexican immigrant who became a U.S. citizen while serving in the Marine Corps.

During the Second Battle of Fallujah, he sacrificed his life to save his teammates by shielding them from a grenade blast.

USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) is currently patrolling the Indo-Pacific, a symbol of our naval power abroad and a tribute to Sergeant Peralta’s bravery and sacrifice.

And Hispanic Americans are at the helm of our Navy and Marine Corps today.

This year, trailblazer Vice Admiral Yvette Davids made history by becoming the first woman and Latina to serve as Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy, where she trains the future leaders of our Navy and Marine Corps.

Sergeant Major Carlos Ruiz, a native of Sonora, Mexico, leads our Marines and Sailors as the 20th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps.

My Chief of Staff, Chris Diaz, who previously worked for this department, enlisted in the Navy as an Aviation Boatswain’s Mate and deployed with the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group.

He later served as a Fleet Marine Corps Hospital Corpman and deployed with the 6th Marines to Marjah in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan.

And like many of you in the audience today, my “only in America” story began outside of America—in Havana in the early 1960s.

The Castro Regime imprisoned my father, Raul Del Toro, for “counter-revolutionary activities,” and when I was ten months old, my father was paroled while he awaited trial.

During this time, our emergency visas into the United States came through, and with only what we could carry on our backs, we fled to America.

And America greeted us warmly in Miami, Florida.

Like thousands of other Cuban refugees, we called the Freedom Tower—our first stop on the road to freedom—home until we relocated to a tenement building on 42nd Street and 10th Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen, New York, where I grew up.

Growing up in Hell’s Kitchen was just like the musical “West Side Story”—except without the music or the dancing!

Throughout my childhood, both of my parents sacrificed and labored for the sake of their children—they wanted to give us a better life unattainable in Cuba, a life only possible in America.

I watched as they both worked two jobs to support our family.

And my parents’ sacrifice instilled in me a desire to give back to this great Nation which took us in at a time when we were most vulnerable.

In 1979, I left New York to attend the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland and began my career of service to this country.

My 22-year naval career included serving as the first commanding officer of the guided-missile destroyer USS Bulkeley (DDG 84), Senior Executive Assistant to the Director for Program Analysis and Evaluation in the Office of the Secretary of the Defense, and Special Assistant to the Director and Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

And now I am proud to serve as the second highest-ranking Hispanic American in this administration and first Cuban-American Secretary of the Navy.

Service to our Nation is ingrained in the very fabric of this country and does not only mean wearing a uniform.

Service can also be championing causes to improve the lives of other Americans.

Dolores Huerta has been a leading figure in the Hispanic community and a champion of civil and workers’ rights for over 70 years.

In 1955, she co-founded the Stockton chapter of the Community Service Organization to promote voter registration and economic opportunity for the local Hispanic community.

In 1962, she co-founded the National Farm Workers Association and throughout the sixties and seventies, she led labor strikes and national boycotts of products to improve the working and living standards of farmworkers.

She coined the motto of the farmworker labor movement: “Si, se pude!” or “Yes, we can!” for any in the audience who don’t speak Spanish.

Over the course of her career, she received numerous awards and accolades, including being inducted as the first Latina in the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1993, the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award in 1998, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.

Dolores Huerta dedicated her life to caring for those voiceless and underrepresented—she dedicated her life to taking care of people.

The Department of the Navy instills in its leaders this same care for the Sailors, Marines, civilian mariners, and civilians.

And so, today, I am honored to announce the next John Lewis-Class fleet replenishment oiler, T-AO 214, will be named USNS Dolores Huerta.

The replenishment oiler has an integral role in our Fleet and Force, ensuring our ships’ ability to remain out to sea and operate effectively worldwide.

Dolores Huerta’s work on behalf marginalized communities is truly an inspiration, the future ship bearing her name will inspire all who sail alongside her to live up to the standard she set.

I am proud of our Sailors and Marines who represent everything that is great about our Department of the Navy and indeed our Nation.

It is the honor of a lifetime to serve the one million Sailors, Marines, and DOD civilians as the 78th Secretary of the Navy.

The strength of our Nation is in our people. And we are a stronger, more capable armed forces and nation because of our diverse backgrounds and experience.

I thank all of you for your time today and for your service to this great Nation.

May God bless you and our service men and women stationed all around the world.

Thank you.