KINGS POINT, N.Y. (AP) — With his wife, former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, watching and cheering nearby, retired astronaut Mark Kelly exhorted graduates at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy to a life of public service, encouraging them Monday to persevere when faced with unexpected challenges.

Kelly, a 1986 graduate of the academy who later flew combat missions for the U.S. Navy during the Gulf War and then flew on four space shuttle flights, including as commander of the Endeavor’s final mission in 2011, quoted from Winston Churchill, Ralph Waldo Emerson and several times from his wife during a 20-minute address to the 219 graduates.

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