U.S. Capitol. (Photo: Architect of the Capitol)
Ronald Reagan Memorial Day Speech 1982
‘Their lives remind us that freedom is not bought cheaply, it has a cost’
By Katy Grimes, May 29, 2023 7:00 am
There is no reason to attempt to improve on perhaps the perfect Memorial Day speech, by President Ronald Reagan, May 31, 1982.
“Our first obligation to them and ourselves is plain enough. The United States and freedom for which it stands, the freedom of which they died must endure and prosper. Their lives remind us that freedom is not bought cheaply, it has a cost. It imposes a burden. And just as they, when we commemorate, were willing to sacrifice, so too must we, in a less final, less heroic, way be willing to give of ourselves. It is this beyond the controversy and the congressional debate, beyond the blizzard of budget numbers and the complexity of modern weapon systems that motivates us in our search for security and peace. War will not come again, other young men will not have to die if we will speak honestly of the dangers that confront us and remain strong enough to meet those dangers.”
Reagan gave his Memorial Day speech just as negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union were about to begin.
“Our goal is peace. We can gain that peace by strengthening our alliances, by speaking candidly of the dangers before us, by assuring potential adversaries of our seriousness, by actively pursuing every chance of honest and fruitful negotiation.” -President Ronald Reagan
Listen and watch President Reagan deliver his speech here, and read it in its entirety here.
“Does that flag still wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave?”
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Thanks for this, Katy.
“Does that flag still wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave?”
We are living through very difficult times, of course, but it seems the only choice good Americans have is to proceed as though that flag still flies —- and to have faith that an Awakening and a Rebirth is coming.
Yes Showandtell, pray for that Awakening and Rebirth.
Thank you Katy. I watched that speech forty one years ago and it is still as powerful now as it was then. A great speech by a great man and great President. We could use a Ronald Reagan now.
Appreciate you, John the Patriot, and always so glad to see you.
Definitely praying, you might say ‘without ceasing’ — in my way. 🙂
It occurred to me since I commented that maybe I’ve been caught up in too much negativity and that we are already seeing The Awakening. Meaning that in spite of what trans activists, for example, repeatedly do and say (such as on Twitter) about how they have Target et al’s back with the PRIDE stuff, and try to make themselves look like a well-populated army, the fact that Anheuser-Busch and Target are undeniably hemorrhaging money and stock value that hasn’t been made up by the trans-activist crowd shows us in stark black-and-white numbers that good guys DO vastly outnumber the bad guys.
Also the Dodgers’ pandering post-blunder only made Catholics and Christians MORE angry, and it remains to be seen what the numbers-fallout will be from that.
Showandtell, I have always considered myself a tolerant person toward just about everyone including the LGBQXYZME or whatever they call themselves. As long as someone leaves me alone, everyone alone (especially kids) go ahead and do their weird stuff. But they are not leaving us alone and they are now shoving this trans crap down our throats especially with the kids being targeted. Then you get politicians like Governor Climate Change and the Weeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnneeeeeeeeerrrrrrrr from SF backing this and calling us haters. Indeed I believe we are seeing the Awakening and the boycotts are working and we have to keep it up. The latest company pushing this pride crap is Kohls and I will no longer shop there. I hope there a lot of empty seats for the Dodgers PRIDE game. You are right the good guys vastly outnumber the bad guys.
I watched his speech as well. I still get chills fro watching it.