🕊️ America, Prepared for Peace Pt 4 – Veterans of Foreign Wars – Ronald Reagan 1984 * PITD

America, Prepared for Peace Pt 4 – Veterans of Foreign Wars – #RonaldReagan 1984 * PITD
August 24, 1984 (Remarks at the National Convention) Excerpt
. We're now in the 21st month of the best economic recovery since 1949, and last year was the best we've ever had for reenlistment in both the Navy and Air Force and one of the Army's best years for recruiting. And those trends are continuing.
You know, every time I see a young service man or woman I get a lump in my throat thinking of how lucky we are to have them serving our country and protecting our freedom with real honor, courage, and competence.
I believe that we've come too far, struggled too hard, and accomplished too much to turn back now. Once again the world knows that America will stand up for freedom, democracy, and peace with human dignity. And once again America is prepared for peace.
I don't know whether you're aware of this, but in every year from 1975 to 1980, armies, largely supplied by Moscow, or Soviet forces themselves, invaded or seized control of a different country. First, Vietnam, then Angola, followed by Ethiopia and Cambodia—finally, Afghanistan. Well, since 1981, that pattern has stopped. And in 1983 Grenada was saved. And every once in awhile, it's important to remember that success can also be measured by the disasters which do not happen.
Talking about those people in uniform, as I said last night at the convention—I quoted what General Marshall had said in World War II when he was asked what was our secret weapon, and he said, "The best damned kids in the world." Well, you aren't kids anymore, but there's another generation who are, and you can say the same thing about them.
I have to tell a little story—I promised all my people I wouldn't tell this anymore, I've told it so often, but I have to tell it to you. It has to do with Grenada. Not too long ago, the Armed Forces Journal over in the Pentagon came over and delivered me a little plaque, and they had engraved on that plaque some paragraphs from a letter received from a marine lieutenant, flyer of a Cobra, who had been at Grenada and then had gone on to Lebanon. And he wrote back to the Armed Forces Journal, and he said when he was at Grenada, he noticed that every news story contained someplace the line, "Grenada produces more nutmeg than any other spot on Earth." And he decided that appeared so often, that it was a code—and he had broken the code.
And he said, number one, Grenada produces more nutmeg than any other spot on Earth. Number two, the Soviets and the Cubans are trying to take Grenada. Number three, you can't have eggnog without nutmeg. And number four, you can't have Christmas without eggnog. And he said, number five, the Soviets and the Cubans are trying to steal Christmas. [Laughter] And he said, number six, we stopped them. [Laughter]
We can be confident that history is moving in the direction of self-government and human dignity. To paraphrase Jefferson, men and women are not born with saddles on their backs. Political systems based on a dreadful denial of the human spirit will, in the end, fail.
In our own hemisphere, 26 of 33 Latin American countries today are democracies or are striving to become democracies. Now, this represents 90 percent of the region's population—up from 50 percent only a decade ago.
We see this yearning for freedom and democracy among the brave people of Eastern Europe, in Afghanistan, in Africa, and elsewhere. The spirit of men and women to breathe free is a mighty force that cannot and will not be denied. Our country is the leader of the free world, and today we're providing that leadership. In my meetings with foreign leaders, they've often told me how good it is to know what the United States stands for once again.

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I am a proud American, blessed father, a staunch 2A activist and a Marine Corps Veteran that just happens to be 100% blind. This is a look at the Second Amendment, firearms, self Defense, Constitutionally protected rights, Liberty and Freedom from the perspective of a Visually Impaired, Blind American. #PatriotInTheDark
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