Michelle Obama praised the Navy SEALS who killed Osama bin Laden as she delivered the commencement address Saturday at the University of Northern Iowa.
Obama also joked that she has probably spent more time in Iowa than any other place except Chicago and Washington. But she also talked of how the state welcomed her family as her husband began campaigning for the presidency.
"My family was here a lot back in 2007, long enough for my husband to have a sculpture of his head made out of butter," she said.
Obama urged graduating seniors to embrace the values of family and service. She mentioned the four members of the university's class of 2011 who were commissioned as U.S. Army officers Saturday morning and the Navy SEALS.
"They did not hesitate, risking everything for us, for our freedom and security. And they did it not just as Navy SEALs," she said. "They did it as husbands, as fathers, as sons. Their families were back here, with no idea of their mission or whether their loved one would ever come home. That is the very essence of the word 'service.'"
Obama also urged students to find something they feel passionate about. She talked of giving up a corporate legal job to work for the city of Chicago and then for a public-service organization.