 I'll be back to work here. Stand by. The more than two million active service members and one and a half million National Guard and Reserve personnel have a challenging task—preserving peace and defending freedom. The freedom and liberty that Americans enjoy today result from the dedication, spirit, courage, and patriotism of our men and women in the armed forces. We must never forget that you who wear our country's uniform are the armor that shields our democratic way of life. You are the strength and security that help keep the free world free. It is appropriate this year, as we commemorate the bicentennial of the Constitution, to remember that twenty-three signers of our Constitution were soldier statesmen. As our nation celebrates Armed Forces Day 1987, all Americans should reflect upon the proud heritage of the armed forces and remember their sacrifices. As your Commander-in-Chief, I am proud as every American should be of the unparalleled progress we've made in attracting and retaining quality volunteers to our military services. The renewed appreciation and confidence Americans are showing for our servicemen and women are a direct reflection of the high-quality personnel who proudly serve this nation. In return for your dedication and in the interest of national security, I solemnly promise to continue to press for the best equipment and the best living and working conditions for all members of the Armed Forces and their families who sacrifice so much in defending our democracy. God bless you. This Memorial Day, we remember with solemn pride and gratitude America's sons and daughters who have paid the ultimate price for the preservation of freedom. From the shot heard around the world that marked our birth as a nation, Americans have time and again taken up arms in liberty's defense. Knowing the ferocity of war and the immensity of the sacrifice it exacts, they have nonetheless followed the spirit of our founders who pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to the support of freedom. The debt we owe to those who have left home and family to serve this cause is beyond measure, but our greatest debt of all is to those who fell in battle. Their ranks are legion, the stories of their heroism countless, many of them lie beneath the soil of distant lands and many here at home. Their final bivouac may be a well kept cemetery or an unknown unmarked field or lane or shore, but glory guards each one well. These heroes who fought with all the faith and valor that free men can muster. Oliver Wendell Holmes expressed a fitting thought when he said, at the grave of a hero we end not with sorrow at the inevitable loss but with the contagion of his courage. I join all of you who proudly share that spirit in your own service to our nation as you pay tribute to these brave Americans. May we always walk in the light of their memory, the light of liberty which shines from age to age and still illumines the way forward. God bless you and God bless America.