 I'd imprivilege that I present to you to unveil this MacArthur Beautiful. I think what I said was that the gentleman I think mr. Toby told me that they figure carrying the American flag He wanted it to be my generous father Because the generous father charged up the missionary Ridge. That's right in the Civil War and That's the supposed to be that's supposed to be my general and you know that my general was 19 years old a full criminal That's a record So I'm very proud to be here and thank you so much, and I have great I feeling deep feeling about the Medal of Honor I just want to say that I'm very proud to be here and thank you so much and mr. President lovely to be with you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much Thank you Arnold and Zach Vischer Mrs. MacArthur Ron Ray Tex McCrary Distinguished Congressional Medal of Honor recipients Members of the Congress and ladies and gentlemen. I Thank you for such a very warm welcome. I Have to tell you that back in Hollywood. I was warned That I should never share the spotlight with small children or animals They would upstage you and steal the scene every time but There was never a word of warning about sharing the stage With the presentation such as we've just seen First of all I have to get the lump out of my throat May I just say when Americans See this they are going to feel a deep pride in themselves in their country and A sense of humble gratitude for their fellow citizens whose deeds were memorialized in this production My congratulations and thanks to everyone who made this film possible It's a great privilege today and a very great honor To participate in this event Your efforts to serve remind us of America's heritage and its purpose and America that is militarily and economically strong is not enough The world must see an America that is morally strong with a creed and a vision We are such people This is what has led us to dare and to achieve For us values count They are the wellspring of our American way of life The real meaning of the Hall of Honor service to country patriotism honor and sacrifice Those words and the film so stir the soul Not to be heroes, but to serve Not to die, but to live Not because we wanted to but because there was a need Last week in Beirut there was a need Six Marines heard that four of their buddies were in trouble They went to help 15 minutes later eight five young fine young Americans Had added their names to the long list of those who have given their lives for their country There was a need Greater love hath no man than this that he lay down his life for his friends God bless all of you here today and yes, God bless Those who never lived to know that what they had done was heroic the price of freedom is high but never more costly than the loss of freedom and Freedom we must always remember is never more than one generation away from the extinction Each generation must do whatever is necessary to preserve it and pass it on to the next or it will be lost forever We must deal with the world as it is and not the way We would like it to be If we turn a blind eye and a deaf ear when totalitarian regimes brutalized the hopes and dreams of people We demean the valor of every person who struggles for human dignity and freedom and We also demean all those who have given that last full measure of devotion The quest for freedom continues to build There is a revolution going on in this world a revolution for freedom and democratic ideals It may not capture the headlines, but it is there and it's growing That is the real message of our time and it may just be the reason why those who don't like to hear the truth Are so worried History doesn't offer many crystal clear lessons for those who manage our nation's affairs but there are a few and One of them surely is a lesson that weakness on The part of those who cherish freedom inevitably brings a threat to that freedom Tyrants are tempted with the best intentions. We have tried Turning our plowshares or our swords into plowshares Hoping that others will follow While our days of weakness are over Our military forces are back on their feet and standing tall Modern equipment is being delivered to troops and moras on the way The mobility and firepower of our ground forces is being strengthened with up-to-date equipment And no longer is the american military being asked to defend freedom with equipment from wars past I'm also pleased to report that training and readiness rates have really soared Too often we forget that the bulk of our defense dollars Are spent to keep the troops well trained equipment and working order spare parts and ammunition on hand and we do none of this Because we seek war Indeed we hope we will preserve the peace But when our citizens are threatened It is government's responsibility to go to their aid as we did in granada Our forces had what they needed to get the job done And now the world knows Then when it comes to our national security The united states will do whatever it takes to protect the safety and freedom of the american people May I just say that as of this morning 950 Of the 82nd airborne Are implained on their way back to this country the last of the combat troops in granada What are known as military service force engineers cbs medical personnel And military police will stay there in a detachment to help that country get back on his feet And to replace and rebuild things that need replacing and rebuilding One wonderful thing is that today when you see A young man or woman in uniform They chose to wear that uniform And they are they wear it with honor And they serve their country Because they're proud to do so And I know that our servicemen and women feel that it is an honor and I hope this makes you as proud as it does me From granada to lebanon Lebanon to the demilitarized zone of korea to the nato line in europe Young americans are carrying on in the finest tradition of those before them They care they understand and they continue to give willingly of themselves There was a recent article in a Newsweek magazine that made the point very well a 40 year old father with five sons Noted that he grew up in a generation Where the service the military service was to be avoided The recruiting station were places to stage protests Now his oldest son In college Wants to be all that he can be one of the select few Each trip to the recruiting office generates enthusiasm Among his younger brothers who are proud of their older brother The father wrote in that article My children somehow have settled on a place where it is their assumption that this country is right and just Unless they are shown otherwise Will his children believe the basic values that made america great god bless them And here today with all of you Who believe those values so much that you went beyond the call of duty in defending them Many like you are no longer with us They will be honored and remembered not just because you and they Heeded the call of duty, but because you and they performed above and beyond that call That's the meaning of this greatest recognition our country can give Wear it proudly because it is so much a part of what makes america unique in all the world Yes heroism in combat is recognized in every nation but There is something in this particular recognition Recognition That is peculiar to our way of life Maybe you let me illustrate it with a story World war two I was in the horse cavalry reserve. So it was only natural that when I was called up to active duty I found myself an adjutant in an air core post The post happened to come directly under air core intelligence So the general orders and all the citations from every branch of the service Came over my desk and I used to Delay their arrival at the commanding officer's desk while I slipped them under my blotter So that I could read them in the leisure of the evening Read those wonderful statements those unbelievable statements of what individuals all over the world In our armed forces had done particularly those who were being cited for the congressional medal of honor And Some years after the war was over I read Where a man in moscow had been awarded their highest honor Their gold medal But apparently they don't give citations as we do to tell what the medal was awarded for This man was a spaniard had lived in moscow for four years. He'd been a refugee from the Spanish civil war He was an interpreter There wasn't anything in that to warrant his getting the medal I discovered that eight years before that he had been in castros cuba, but apparently nothing there but a journalist Who had the ability to research further than I did Came up with the total story before the eight years in cuba. He had spent 23 years in mexico In prison He was the man Who buried That isaac's mountaineers mountain climbers carry in the head of leon trotsky And I found my memory going back to those things that I had read during the war any one of them A thrilling story of heroism above and beyond the call of duty But one in particular seemed appropriate at that time A b-17 Coming back across the channel From a raid over europe badly shot up by anti aircraft The ball turret that hung underneath the belly of the plane had taken a hit The young ball turret gunner Was wounded and they couldn't get him out of the turret there while flying But over the channel the plane began to lose altitude And the commander had to order bail out And as the men started to leave the plane the last one to leave was a boy Understandably knowing he was left behind to go down with the plane cried out in terror The last man to leave the plane saw the commander Sit down on the floor He took the boy's hand And said never mind son We'll ride it down together Congressional medal of honor posthumously awarded They in another society give their highest honor to a political assassin We gave ours to a man who would sacrifice his life simply to bring comfort To a boy who had to die I think there's that explains the great difference Between our societies and the great significance Of this particular award The bedrock of our strength Is america's moral and spiritual character Peace with freedom is the highest aspiration of the american people We negotiate for peace we sacrifice for it We will never surrender for it Our commitment to arms reduction is unshakable We'll not give up our search for peaceful solutions in the middle east or central america or elsewhere But let us hope and pray That a tomorrow Will come in which we will never have to call upon the courage Of men and women in the field of battle General douglas macarthur Express this hope when he said Could i have but one line a century hence Crediting me with a contribution to the advancement of peace I would yield every honor which i have been accorded which have been accorded me by war God bless all of you And may god continue to bless this land Thank you Thank you very much. I'm not doing an encore I I just have to um Before I'll please sit down I have been given a very pleasant shore And I hope that it is a surprise for zack fischer I hope it's a surprise i've learned in washington that the only place That's the only place where sound travels faster than light The intrepid sea air space museum Is zackery fischer its founder and chairman And There is a plaque Being held here they said that he would hold him because it weighs 40 pounds. I can lift 40 pounds, but i'm glad you Zackery fischer We're presenting you this plaque it's given with the heartfelt thanks of millions of americans The inscription reads Due to the tireless and dedicated work of many americans The intrepid will serve as an inspiration to both young and old for years to come One man deserves special tribute zackery fischer a patriotic american who never forgot And who cares so much Mr. President An honored guest My cup runneth over the ship Very few people know i'm really a very selfish man The ship has done more for me Than I have done for the ship We've had some problems lately Financially with the ship The japanese couldn't sink it And nobody is going to sink it This ship this museum Will never close My family knows that And they'll always be in back of me Mr. President It is an honor that I have never thought I would receive By receiving it from you Is something that I could never forget Thank you again I'm happy also to be here today to present another very very cherished award of the congressional melancholy societies The congressional melancholy societies patriot award Is the highest award of the united states of america President of the united states of america commander-in-chief Of our armed forces president reagan For your personal leadership And contributions to revive the american spirit of love of country self-sacrifice And youthful idealisms We are privileged to present to you the congressional melancholy Patriots award Because of you All americans today Stand a little straighter With their heads held a little higher And their hearts fill with a greater love and respect For our beloved america Mr. President Thank you all very much There are no words to express How honored I feel Because particularly of All of you and what you mean who Who made this possible My feelings are also compounded by a little guilt It's A medal for patriotism, but it's so easy to love america And I don't know whether you're entitled to a medal for doing that But I do and I mostly Thank you very much I just have to say one thing so that you all won't be in suspense Ron is going to be able to tell his mother now the picture was the outlaw and the girl was lorraine day While you're standing, I think we should really Give a great hand to tex mccrary and what a job he has done with the show today The cowboys will be better next year Will you please Remain standing now for the retiring of the colors. Are you sitting down? This isn't worse than being an episcopalian, isn't it? Ms. McArthur with that accent of yours. How did you wind up in the union side? Oh, okay. All right. Okay Will you please stand for the retiring of the colors and the benediction by reverend robert montey chaplain maguire air force base And then will you all join in clear the lump in your throat? For the army chorus on erving berlin's god bless america And we'll all exit march to the grand old flag footnote Will everybody air force one the party? With the president she's sort of drift over that way a little bit That's general vessey senator mortos harry walters Robert mcfarland is bob here. I forgot to introduce that marina that peacekeeper anyway post script Ben river and robert montey chaplain maguire air force base the benediction Let us pray Well father all powerful and ever-living god We do well to give you praise forever and to give you thanks and all that we do You spoke to man a message of peace and taught us to live as brothers and sisters Your message took form in the vision of our fathers as they fashioned a nation where all might live as one This message lives in our midst is a task for us today and a promise for tomorrow We ask you lord to bless our president Give him the wisdom and the strength to carry out his awesome task As commander in chief of our armed forces and as leader of our country Bless the members of the congressional medal of honor society As your power came upon them And as it did to many other unsung heroes from valley forge to lebanon and granada And transformed them from ordinary people into heroes of our country Let that same power now aid them in their work of fostering the ideals of justice and peace Of freedom and service to country Help us all to accept those ideals and work for their fulfillment This is our prayer in the midst of a world that is often far from peace Let your power be greater than all that seeks to destroy us But never let our prayer become an excuse for doing nothing For you have given us the grace and the power to do the works of your kingdom Amen Will you all join in with the army chorus on Irving Berlin's god bless america mr president Will you give the first lady the love of all of us