An 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 -- service to country, patriotism, honor, and sacrifice.
“Not to be heroes, but to serve. Not to die, but to live. Not because we wanted to, but because there was a need.''
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 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 brutalize 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, 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.
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.
