Ronald Reagan's 1982 Memorial Day

Remarks at Memorial Day Ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery May 31, 1982 Mr. President, General, thedistinguishedguests here with us today,my fellow citizens: In America's cities and towns today,flags willbe placed on graves in cemeteries; public officials will speak of thesacrificeand thevalorofthose whosememorywehonor. In 1863, when he dedicated a small cemetery in Pennsylvania marking a terrible collision between thearmies of North and South, Abraham Lincoln noted theswiftobscurity of such speeches. Well, we know now thatLincoln was wrong about thatparticular occasion.His remarks commemorating thosewho gave their ``lastfullmeasureofdevotion'' werelong remembered. But since that moment at Gettysburg, few othersuch addresses have become part of our national heritage -- not because of theinadequacyofthespeakers,but because of theinadequacyofwords. I haveno illusions about whatlittleI canadd now to thesilent testimony of thosewho gave their lives willingly for their country. Words are even more feeble on this Memorial Day, for the sight before us is thatofa strong and good nationthatstands in silenceand remembers thosewho werelovedand who,in return,loved their countrymen enough to diefor them. Yet,wemusttry to honorthem-- notfor their sakes alone,but for ourown.And ifwords cannotrepay thedebtweowe these men, surely with ouractions we must strive to keep faith with themand with thevision thatled themto battleand to final sacrifice. Our first obligation to them and ourselves is plain enough: TheUnited States and the freedom for which it stands, thefreedom for which theydied, mustendureand prosper.Their lives remind us thatfreedom is notbought cheaply. It has a cost; itimposes a burden.And just as theywhomwecommemoratewere willing to sacrifice, so too must we -- in a less final, less heroic way -- be willing to give of ourselves. It is this, beyond thecontroversyand the congressional debate, beyond theblizzardof budget numbers and thecomplexity of modern weapons systems,thatmotivates us in our search for security and peace. War will not come again, otheryoung men willnothaveto die,ifwe will speak honestly of thedangers thatconfront us and remain strong enough to meet those dangers. It's notjuststrength orcouragethatweneed, but understandingand a measureofwisdom as well. We must understand enough about our world to see thevalueofouralliances. We must be wise enough about ourselves to listento our allies, to work with them, to build and strengthen thebonds between us. Our understandingmustalsoextend to potential adversaries. We must strive to speak of them not belligerently, but firmly and frankly. And that's why we must never fail to note, as frequentlyas necessary, thewidegulf between our codes of morality. And that's whywemustneverhesitate to acknowledge theirrefutabledifference between ourview of man as master of the state and their view of man as servantof the state. Nor must we ever underestimate the seriousness of their aspirations to global expansion. Therisk is theveryfreedom thathas been so dearly won. It is this honestyof mind thatcanopenpaths to peace, thatcanlead to fruitfulnegotiation,that can build a foundation upon which treaties between ournations canstandand last--treaties thatcansomeday bringabout a reduction in theterrible arms of destruction, arms thatthreaten us with wareven more terrible thanthosethathavetaken thelivesof theAmericans we honortoday. In thequest for peace, theUnited States has proposed to theSovietUnion thatwereducethe threatofnuclear weapons by negotiating a stable balanceat far lower levels of strategic forces. This is a fitting occasion to announcethat START, as we call it, strategicarms reductions, thatthenegotiationsbetween ourcountry and theSovietUnion willbegin on the29th ofJune. As for existing strategicarms agreements, we will refrain from actions which undercut them so long as theSovietUnion shows equalrestraint. With good will and dedication on both sides, I pray thatwewillachieve a safer world. Our goal is peace. We can gain that peace by strengthening ouralliances, by speaking candidly of thedangers beforeus,by assuring potential adversaries of ourseriousness,by actively pursuing every chance of honest and fruitful negotiation. It is with thesegoals in mind thatI willdepart Wednesday for Europe,and it's altogetherfitting thatwehavethis moment to reflect on the price of freedom and thosewho haveso willinglypaid it. Forhoweverimportant thematters ofstate before us this next week, theymustnotdisturb thesolemnityof this occasion.Normustthey dilute oursenseofreverenceand thesilent gratitude we hold for thosewho areburiedhere. Thewillingness of some to give their lives so that others might live never fails to evoke in us a sense of wonderand mystery.One gets that feeling here on this hallowed ground, and I have known thatsamepoignant feeling as I looked outacross therows of white crosses and Stars of David in Europe,in thePhilippines, and the military cemeteries here in our own land. Each onemarks theresting placeofan American hero and,in my lifetime, theheroes of World War I, theDoughboys,theGI's ofWorld WarIIorKorea or Vietnam. Theyspan severalgenerations of young Americans,alldifferent and yet all alike, like the markers abovetheir resting places, all alike in a truly meaningfulway. Winston Churchill said of those he knew in World War II theyseemed to be theonly young men who could laugh and fight at thesame time. A great general in thatwarcalled them our secret weapon,``justthebest darn kids in theworld.'' Each died for a cause he considered more important thanhis own life. Well, they didn't volunteer to die; theyvolunteered to defend values for which men havealways been willing to die if need be, thevalues which makeup what we call civilization. And how theymusthave wished, in all theugliness thatwarbrings, that no othergenerationofyoung men to follow would haveto undergothatsame experience. As we honortheirmemorytoday,letus pledge thattheirlives, their sacrifices, their valor shall be justified and remembered for as long as God gives life to this nation. And let us also pledge to do ourutmostto carry outwhatmusthavebeen their wish: that no othergenerationofyoung men will every have to share their experiences and repeat their sacrifice. Earlier today,with themusicthatwehaveheard and thatofourNationalAnthem -- I can't claim to know thewords of all thenational anthems in theworld, but I don't know ofany otherthat ends with a question and a challenge as ours does: Does thatflag still wave o'er the land of thefreeand thehomeofthebrave? Thatis what we must all ask. Thankyou. Ronald Reagan