History was made Wednesday in Washington D.C., and Augustana College President Steve Bahls was there to see it. He was the guest of Congresswoman Cheri Bustos when the leader of NATO addressed a joint session of Congress for the first time.
Bahls says Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg came to Washington to celebrate the accomplishments of the North American Treaty Organization, tomorrow is its 70th anniversary, and to issue a call to action for the future.
"With a changing national power struggle between the US and Russia, with Russia violating some treaties and becoming stronger in its nuclear threat, the emergence of China, and the emergence of cyber warfare also. "
Bahls says he made the trip to hear Stoltenberg in honor of his father who fought in World War II.
"My father's generation, the Greatest Generation, started NATO. What's today's generation of college students going to do to take us to the next level."
He wanted to refresh his memory about the organization so he can remind today's students of the important role it's played during the past 70 years.
