 Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States. Thank you, and the Vice President of the United States. Thank you very much, sir. Let me begin with a brief statement. As you know, please be seated. As you know, our embassy in Beirut was the target this morning of a vicious terrorist bombing. This cowardly act has claimed a number of killed and wounded. It appears that there are some American casualties, but we don't know yet the exact number or the extent of injury. In cooperation with the Lebanese authorities, we're still verifying the details and identifying the casualties. I commend Ambassador Robert Dillon and his dedicated staff who are carrying on under these traumatic circumstances in the finest tradition of our military and foreign services. Just a few minutes ago, President Jamile called me to convey on behalf of the Lebanese people his profound regret and sorrow with regard to this incident and asked me to relay the condolences on behalf of the people of Lebanon to the families of those victims. He also expressed his firm determination that we persevere in the search for peace in that region. And I told President Jamile that I joined him in those sentiments. This criminal attack on a diplomatic establishment will not deter us from our goals of peace in the region. We will do what we know to be right. Ambassadors Habib and Draper, who are presently in Beirut, will continue to press in negotiations for the earliest possible total withdrawal of all external forces. We also remain committed to the recovery by the Lebanese government of full sovereignty throughout all of its territory. The people of Lebanon must be given the chance to resume their efforts to lead a normal life free from violence without the presence of unauthorized foreign forces on their soil. And to this noble end, I rededicate the efforts of the United States. Now, I think someone else has to come up to the microphone. Mr. President, I have the great honor of bringing you the good news of the Peace Corps, an organization that you've strongly supported. You have made volunteerism an honorable thing. These people represent some of the finest that America has to offer in commitment, dedication, volunteers serving in over 62 countries around the world in the cause of peace and goodwill. So I'm most honored. I want to thank you for your support, and particularly your support of our senior volunteers. Older Americans are especially important in developing nations where their lifetime of experience is so highly valued. Peace Corps makes sense for Americans of all ages who seek the experience of a lifetime. Mr. President, on behalf of our over 5,000 volunteers and the six who are especially being honored today, we thank you again for your leadership. Thank you. This morning, as we begin National Volunteer Week, I am very pleased to honor these six fine Americans who have volunteered their time, skills, and experience to the cause of peace. Seldom, are we able to point to one person's work and pronounce it not only good and worthwhile, but also a step toward building peace in our time? And today, we enjoy that good fortune, and we can measure its sixfold. We're honoring six Americans who have dedicated themselves to the cause of peace, Americans who have traveled voluntarily to unfamiliar lands to help citizens of developing nations. I have often spoken about how the spirit of volunteerism moves like a deep and mighty river throughout our own country. I've sensed a real upbeat joy that Americans feel this spirit is being restored, and they're glad that it's getting stronger. By the example of these Peace Corps volunteers, people throughout the world can understand that America's heart is strong and her heart is good. These six builders of peace, and women of all ages are not shouting in city parks or trying to second guess our defense planners. They're using their God-given talents and skills to help others. They are pursuing the noble cause of peace by living the meaning of the poet Emerson's words, the only gift is a portion of thyself. And they're doing this as an engineer, a nun, a medical technician, a speech therapist, a fish farmer, and an environmentalist with the knack for Yankee ingenuity, and we salute them all. I'm delighted to welcome Sister Madeleine Sherman, who has come all the way from Ghana to be with us, also the parents and friends of our other distinguished volunteers. You know, the Peace Corps appeals to all ages. There's no upper age limit for volunteers. Many are well into their 60s and 70s, and a few Peace Corps volunteers are over 80. Our older volunteers are honored for the wisdom, as you've been told, that they've acquired over a lifetime, especially in some of the developing nations where life expectancy is only about 45. And these senior citizen Peace Corps volunteers are having the experience of a lifetime. I hope more of our older Americans will consider joining the Peace Corps to put their experience to work. Maybe I should get my own resume ready for that day when I'm ready to look for my next job. I'm not quite there yet. My working to counteract the dreadful effects of poverty, deprivation, and lack of opportunity, Peace Corps volunteers help people become more self-reliant. They help create peace and opportunity at the grassroots. All of us hope and pray for peace. America has no higher aspiration. We're working for something never before achieved in any administration to go beyond a limitation to an actual reduction in the numbers of strategic weapons. And that's one great source of hope. Another is what six volunteers do every day. If each of us could strive to live by their example, our world would be a much better and a far safer place. We applaud the volunteers who are being honored and all the volunteers in their quest for peace. And on behalf of the American people, thank them during our celebration of National Volunteer Week. Thank you, Mr. President. Michael McKenna-Bolster, architect and engineer, expert in Arabic. Michael McKenna-Bolster helped restore water sources throughout the mountains after last year's devastating earthquake in Yemen. Accepting the award for Michael is Mr. Joseph Bolster. Working towards her PhD in speech therapy, Joan LeClaire has worked tirelessly to create a trained cadre of speech therapists in Malaysia to carry on after she's gone. Accepting the award is Mrs. Harriet LeClaire from Minneapolis, Minnesota. A biochemistry major from the University of California, James O. Morris, established a new fishing station in the remote mountains of Guatemala, from which he could encourage farmers to build ponds and raise fish for new sources of money and protein. Accepting the award for James Morris is Mrs. Kathy Morris of Carmel, California. Inventor, educator, and village coordinator, Kenneth Robinson Jr. is serving the people of Paraguay as an outstanding environmental sanitation volunteer. Accepting the award for Kenneth is Mrs. Kenneth Robinson of Satakit, New York. A highly trained epidemiologist specializing in communicable diseases, Monica Wernett learned several local tribal languages to be able to track down the unusual monkeypox virus in the tropical rainforest of Zaire. Accepting the award for Monica is Mrs. Charles Wernett of Clay City, Kansas. Having served as a Peace Corps volunteer for 10 years in Ghana, sister Madeline created a hospital canteen which has made worldwide history, most recently serving thousands of Ghanaian refugees, truly an outstanding effort and sacrifice. Sister Madeline Charmon is accepting her own award. Thank you so very much, Mr. President and Mr. Vice President. Well, thank you and thank all of you for being here today. God bless you all.