 Mr. President, Mrs. Reagan, Judge Webster, distinguished guests, some years ago Congress passed an Act which provided for the recognition of outstanding acts of bravery and outstanding service on the part of young Americans 18 years of age and younger. The names are submitted to the Department of Justice by the governors of the various states and the distinguished committee then makes the selections which are to be presented personally by the President of the United States. The Act states that there shall be no more than four in any given year. Today we have nine. The reason for that is that for some reason in the past, during the period from 1975 to date, no awards were made. So some of the awardees today are receiving their awards for years and for acts that took place in previous years. Mr. President, I would like to say that I think the future of the country is assured so long as we can produce people such as we are honoring today. Attorney General Smith, Bill Webster, the FBI, the families and friends who are here with these young people and these young people who are going to be honored today. Senator, we're delighted to have you here. They come to the White House as already-citizen heroes, be honored with their government and their fellow citizens for their courage, their character, and their service. The true test of civilization that's been said is not the census or the size of cities or the crops, but the kind of people the country turns out. And ours is a country that was born of heroes. And now in the first decade of our third century, tried by all the challenges those years could hold, our moral fiber is stronger still. These nine young Americans are proof of that fiber and that strength. It's now my honor and my privilege to be able to present the young American Medals for Bravery and Service to nine of our citizens who make all Americans very proud. And the Attorney General is going to present them to me. First Mr. President, let me present Daryl Gregory and Wade Cornick of Virginia Beach, Virginia. You're Daryl. Wade, turn around, let these people see you here. Let me tell you what, on the citation just briefly, these two young men are here, awarded the Medal of Bravery for their exceptional courage, presence of mind, and swiftness of action. On the fourth day of March 1975, regardless of their personal safety, they rescued Mrs. Isaiah Carr in actual imminent danger of losing her life in a fire in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Next may I present David and Robert Christie, brothers from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The citation there in greater length than I am reading here today determines that these two young men were given the Medal of Bravery for having exhibited exceptional courage, presence of mind, and swiftness of action, and again regardless of their own personal safety. On the fifth day of August 1975, they rescued nine injured occupants from a burning vehicle near Thorpe, Wisconsin. And I left one thing out I should have added. The measure of their heroism is that only a few seconds after they had completed the rescue, the vehicle exploded. Next, the winner of the 1976 Young American Medal for Bravery is Donna Lee Slack of West Bloomfield, Michigan. All right. Hello there. It's nice to see you. And Donna Lee Slack is awarded this medal for the same courage and the same swiftness of action and the same disregard for her own personal safety. On the 20th day of March 1976, in rescuing three small children when a tornado demolished their home in Bloomfield, Michigan. I just shook hands. Next I would like to present Tim Hoover of Hot Springs, Arkansas, winner of the 1978 Young American Medal for Service. Somehow I have lost a paper. But anyway, we know what it is for. And it is no less heroic of young people that are willing to give of their time and their effort in public service. Their fellow man, the young people and those who need our help on a voluntary basis. This is one of the things that we hope is going to, we're going to see revived in America is more volunteerism, more effort expended by people in a neighbor to neighbor way, and less of the officialdom of government intervening in that field. The medal that he has given is, I say, for that kind of service that he has rendered. From Hot Springs, Arkansas. Next the 1978 Young American Medal for Bravery is to be converted on Joel Peterson of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Welcome up here. This was December 1978, three years ago. And Joel, in great danger and risk to himself, laid down in the ice and pulled himself across the ice to rescue his friend who had fallen through the ice on the Eau Claire River and was in imminent danger of drowning and certainly was disregarding his own personal safety in doing this. Joel, congratulations. Mr. President, the winner of the 1979 Young American Medal for Bravery is Jerome Dale of Baltimore, Maryland. Congratulations. And here again, the young man who demonstrated that bravery and disregard for his own welfare in rescuing two small children from a burning house in Baltimore, Maryland. Finally may I present the winner of the 1979 Young American Medal for Service, Carmen Maria Hernandez Rodriguez of Cogwas, Puerto Rico. And here again, Carmen Maria Hernandez Rodriguez is recognized again for that equally heroic task in the long hours and devoting her full time in service to her fellow man. And we're deeply grateful to you. Well, that concludes our ceremony today, but I think all of us should go away a little more inspired. There's nothing wrong with our country. We've got young people doing things like that. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks, sir. Thank you very much.