 Thank you. Thank you very much When we finish this lunch, and I hope you'll stick around a little while. We're having a tag sale upstairs and everything must go But really thank you all for coming to be with us here today Truly one of the privileges of this office, which I've found Greatest joy in exercising has been the opportunity to Present our nation's highest civilian of honor the Medal of Freedom To stand as I have had the honor of doing with the recipients of this award Has been to stand with the flesh and blood and spirit that is the greatness of America Men and women who so greatly served our nation and helped keep her free The contribution of each recipient has been unique and noteworthy and today is no exception as We honor two remarkable Americans Mike Mansfield and George Schultz Mike Mansfield has dedicated the entirety of a long and productive lifetime to public service He served in both houses of Congress Spanning seven presidents and held the host post of Senate majority leader longer than any other person a Former professor of far Eastern history. He played an important part in shaping America's Asian policy Serving in both the House for an America's committee and the Senate for an relations committee and then as our ambassador to Japan For a sizable portion of America's history as a nation Mike Mansfield has been in service to his country George Schultz why did my voice crack just as I got to you George Schultz has been a Marine an academic a businessman and a public servant He has held four cabinet level posts distinguishing himself as secretary of labor director of the office of management and budget Treasury secretary and finally as one of America's great secretaries of state over the last six and a half years in managing our foreign policy has served wisely and Met great challenges and great opportunities George Schultz has helped to make the world a freer and more peaceful place and there is nothing so precious and Irreplaceable as America's freedom In a speech I gave 25 years ago. I told a story that I think bears repeating Two friends of mine were talking to a refugee from communist Cuba He had escaped from Castro and as he told his story of his horrible experiences One of my friends turned to the other and said we don't know how lucky we are and the Cuban stopped and said How lucky you are? I had some place to escape to Well, no America's freedom does not belong to just one nation We're custodians of freedom for the world in Philadelphia two centuries ago James Allen wrote in his diary that If we fail Liberty no longer continues and inhabitant of this globe Well, we didn't fail and still we must not fail For freedom is not the property of one generation. It's the obligation of this and every generation It's our duty to protect it and expand it and pass it undiminished to those still unborn Now tomorrow is a special day for me. I'm going to receive my gold watch Since this is the last speech that I will give as president I think it's fitting to leave one final thought an Observation about a country which I love It was stated best in a letter I received not long ago a man wrote me and said You can go to live in France, but you cannot become a Frenchman You can go to live in Germany or Turkey or Japan, but you cannot become a German a Turk or Japanese But anyone from any corner of the alert of the earth can come to live in America and become an American Yes, the torch of Lady Liberty symbolizes our freedom and represents our heritage the Compact with our parents our grandparents and our ancestors It is that lady who gives us our great and special place in the world For it's the great life force of each generation of new Americans that guarantees that America's triumph Shall continue unsurpassed into the next century and beyond Other countries may seek to compete with us But in one vital area as a beacon of freedom and opportunity that draws the people of the world No country on earth comes close This I believe is one of the most important sources of America's greatness We lead the world Because unique among nations we draw our people our strength from every country and every corner of the world And by doing so we continuously renew and enrich our nation While other countries cling to the stale past here in America. We breathe life Into dreams we create the future and the world follows us into tomorrow Thanks to each wave of new arrivals to this land of opportunity We're a nation forever young forever bursting with energy and new ideas and Always on the cutting edge always leading the world to the next frontier This quality is vital to our future as a nation If we ever closed the door to new Americans our leadership in the world would soon be lost A number of years ago an American student traveling in Europe took an East German ship across the Baltic Sea One of the ship's crew members from East Germany a man in his 60s struck up a conversation with the American student After a while the student asked the man how he'd learned such good English and the man explained that he'd once lived in America He said that for over a year he'd worked as a farmer in Oklahoma and California that he planted tomatoes and picked ripe melons It was the man said the happiest time of his life Well, the student who'd seen the awful conditions behind the iron curtain Blurted out the question. What why did you ever leave? I? Had to he said The war ended The man had been in America as a German prisoner of war Now I don't tell this story to make the case for former POWs Instead I tell this story just to remind you of the magical intoxicating power of America May we may sometimes forget it, but others do not Even a man from a country at war with the United States While held here as a prisoner Could fall in love with us Those who become American citizens love this country even more and that's why the Statue of Liberty lifts her lamp To welcome them to the Golden Door It is bold men and women Earning for freedom and opportunity who leave their homelands and come to a new country to start their lives over They believe in the American dream and over and over they make it come true for themselves for their children and for others They give more than they receive they labor and succeed and often they are entrepreneurs But their greatest contribution is more than economic Because they understand in a special way How glorious it is to be an American they renew our pride and gratitude in the United States of America The greatest freest nation in the world The last best hope of men on earth The Medal of Freedom represents the reverence the American people have for liberty and it honors the men and women who through their lives Do greatest honor to that freedom The lives of the two men we honor here today tell a story about freedom and all its possibilities and responsibilities and Well both those that inherit each free man and woman and those that fall upon a great and free nation Our honorees have dedicated their lives to preserving and protecting America's freedom They have engaged themselves in the larger cause that of humanity and of the world to help extend freedom To people of other lands There is no task more fitting for Americans than that So I will now read the citations for our two very distinguished award recipients and present to them their medals Perhaps I should mention that our first recipient today the one who calls me kid is the son of immigrants from a country called Ireland and now If Michael Mansfield and George Schultz would please come forward George you're due here During World War one Mike Mansfield not yet 15 enlisted in the United States Navy Crossing the Atlantic seven times before he was discharged His service to country would span seven decades and would help shape America's destiny as a Pacific power through 40 years 34 years in Congress including 16 as Senate Majority Leader and With more than a decade as U.S. Ambassador to Japan Mike Mansfield has set his indelible mark upon American foreign policy and Distinguished himself as a dedicated public servant and loyal American mr. President the first lady Mr. Secretary of State and Mr. Schultz Ambassador Matsunaga and Mrs. Matsunaga My former colleagues from both the House and the Senate are distinguished guests ladies and gentlemen I can't begin to express in words mr. President my deep appreciation for what you've said about me and the encouragement which you've given me in my post as Your ambassador your personal representative our country's ambassador to Japan however, I think that Much of the credit should go to Maureen my wife Who down through the years has been such a wonderful helpmate Whose advice counsel and understanding I appreciated Who worked harder at any job I've had and received Little credit in the process So I want to say how much I Oh to her how much I'm indebted to her How much I appreciate what the president has said Who has laid out a sound policy for our future in the Pacific and East Asia I? appreciate the advice and counsel that George Schultz has given to me from time to time and I appreciate the fact that for the first time in memory That we have both a president of the United States and a secretary of state Who are actively interested in the Pacific in Japan and in East Asia I Anticipate that the policies these men have laid down will be continued in conclusion We may recall that Robert Sandberg one of our poets Said on a certain occasion There are things to do miles to go and promises to keep Before we sleep Well Maureen and I have traveled many miles We have had and still have things to do and We still have the promises we made Over half a century ago When we were joined together So to her I want to give special thanks for all that she has been able to do with me and to the president and Nancy My thanks my appreciation for their thoughtfulness and consideration. Thank you very much Unyieldingly dedicated to the protection of the American national interest The advancement of freedom and human rights the battle against tyranny and reductions in nuclear arms George P. Schultz has presided over the Department of State During one of the most critical periods in the history of this nation's foreign policy For years of public service and his vital part in inaugurating a new era of hope in foreign policy his countrymen Honor him. Mr. President, you know obi has been traveling a million miles around the world with me So it's been a great partnership But mr. President I feel Very Special about receiving this award from you and let me explain why there's a phrase that's catching on The Reagan years There's a ring to it and mr. President It is the ring of freedom You have advocated it fought for it. You have known That the price of freedom is eternal vigilance You have known This is a matter of principle On which you don't compromise You have known That there are times when it requires action sometimes At least initially not necessarily popular action But you have to do it you have also known and I've heard you say many times That the strength comes from we the people That we get our legitimacy and you get your legitimacy as president from the people and You've never been in a doubt and none of us have About who we came here to serve The American people and I see you went there with your arm around Nancy I had the privilege of going with Nancy a couple of months ago to the united nations where she spoke About drugs And she had the courage to say That one of the root causes of this worldwide problem is to is use of drugs in the united states And we have to say no So Nancy too has been a fighter for freedom Freedom from drugs And we love you for it and revere you for it Nancy So all of these things Make me Especially proud to have served with you To have been your secretary of state And to receive a medal from you Called the medal of freedom Has a significance For my life and Obi's life and my children that we will never forget Thank you, mr president Thank you Well ladies and gentlemen I Have been privileged to participate in this recognition of the service of these two gentlemen to this great country of ours I'm glad that all of you could be here And now my clock tells me that Like the letter I got the first week I was here from the little 11 year old girl Who told me all the things that I had to do And then said now get over to the oval office and go to work I see I've still got a few more hours of work ahead of me and we're a little behind schedule And so We'll bid you all Farewell and thank you again for all being here and participate