Secretary of State John Kerry to be featured speaker at Yale University's 313th commencement

5/18/2014

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to be the featured speaker at Yale University’s 313th commencement.

Kerry is a 1966 graduate of Yale. He will deliver the Class Day lecture at 2 p.m. today.

The former U.S. senator from Massachusetts was the 2004 Democratic nominee for president.

A Vietnam War veteran, Kerry was awarded a Silver Star, Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts. When he returned to the United States, Kerry spoke out against the war and co-founded the Vietnam Veterans of America.

Kerry was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when President Barack Obama appointed him to head the State Department in 2013.