Representing North Carolina’s Ninth District                                                                        

The Loss of a Hero

In the 1960’s and 1970’s, America had lost its way.  Americans no longer trusted their elected leaders or the government.  Americans forgot how great America was, and how to believe in themselves.  One man changed America’s feelings of self-doubt and despair to that of hope.  The man was Ronald Reagan. 

President Reagan grew up in the small town of Dixon, Illinois.  He lived the American Dream, and told us we could live it too.  He always spoke of hope and a better tomorrow.  He sprinkled his speeches with phrases like “Morning in America” and “a shining city on a hill.”  He made us proud to be Americans again.

Many called Reagan the “Great Communicator,” but he humbly stated that he merely communicated great ideas.  As President, Reagan took a stumbling economy and made it vibrant again.  He believed that government was not the solution, but was the problem.    His policies of less government and lower taxes helped revive American businesses and the entrepreneurial spirit of America.  And he did everything with style, grace, and unforgettable humor.  

President Reagan also restored honor and prestige to the Presidency again.  He was a man who stood upon rock solid values and called things as he saw them. 

When Reagan took office in 1980, we were in the midst of a stalemate with the Soviet Union.  Our policy was to neutralize and contain them.  Reagan had a different idea.  He challenged them.  He called them the “evil empire.”  He told their leaders they could not beat the United States.  He told them to tear down the walls of Communism and allow people to be free. 

President Reagan’s deep belief in freedom caused the end of the Cold War in 1991.  America had won and Reagan took the yoke of nuclear holocaust off the back of the world.  American children would no longer have to hide under their desks in preparation for a nuclear war.  American families would no longer have to build bomb shelters.  America and its allies would no longer fear a Soviet attack.  Reagan made the world safe, and made America the world’s sole superpower.

There are many great things to say about Reagan’s Presidency, but there are even more great personal stories about him.  We will never forget his deep, soulful, love for his wife.  We will never forget his love of jellybeans, of freedom, of his country, and his unfailing love for all Americans. He was humble.  He was kind.  He was a hero when America needed one most. 

President Ronald Wilson Reagan passed away from us a few weeks ago at age 93.  He is one of our greatest and most beloved Presidents.  He will be missed, but his legacy still lives.  Millions of people around the world enjoy freedom today because of President Reagan.  The best way we can honor him is to commit ourselves to make America that “shining city upon a hill” he so often referred too. 

May God bless President Reagan, and his family, and may he rest in peace. 

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