Congressman Dusty Johnson offered his thoughts during Saturday’s commissioning of the submarine USS South Dakota. He told the crowd, in his words, “this is our boat”, in three ways: as South Dakotans, as citizens of the United States and because of the values that power it. “American values. The people gathered here today love freedom, and hard work, and peace,” said Johnson. “Accordingly, this boat does not exist to conquer lands or oppress people, it exists to extend liberty.”
He closed with a different twist on an old Irish proverb. “There are good boats, wood boats, boats out to sea, but the best boat is our boat and may it always be,” Johnson said. “Ladies and gentlemen rejoice and be glad, this is our boat.”
Governor Kristi Noem and Senator Mike Rounds also spoke during the ceremony at Groton, Connecticut.
Here’s the entire speech by Congressman Johnson: