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The original documents are located in Box D32, folder "21st Annual Michigan District Key
Club Convention, Traverse City, MI, April 15, 1972" of the Ford Congressional Papers:
Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
10 w/ Mr. 7 only
Office Copy
SPEECH BY REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH.
REPUBLICAN LEADER, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
BEFORE THE 21st ANNUAL MICHIGAN DISTRICT KEY CLUB CONVENTION
AT TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN
8:30 A.M. APRIL 15, 1972
FOR RELEASE ON DELIVERY
Good morning. It's great to be here with you this morning and to see all
these freshly scrubbed young faces. It reminds me of when I was young and felt I
could lick my weight in wildcats. That was quite a while ago, though.
Maybe you've heard about the fact that the House Majority Leader and I are
going to visit mainland China in a couple of months. I am really looking forward
to the trip.
I can see it now. I get off the plane in Peking, and one Communist says to
another, "Well, there goes the neighborhood!"
I'm practicing using chopsticks. But it'll be just my luck that when I get
to China and sit down to dinner the first course will be soup.
They say the Forbidden City is in China. I always thought it was downtown
Traverse City after midnight.
But I'm sure you're having a great time here in Traverse City. And certainly
each and every one of you can be proud of himself. You can be proud of yourselves
because you belong to one of the finest service organizations in the world, the
Key Club.
I look at you and I see what perhaps you yourselves do not see--that you
are honest and courageous and hungry to find the meaning in life.
There is meaning in life, and you will search it out because you are seeking
challenge. Above all, you want to make a contribution to society and you
are
already doing that.
What you want most is to feel that you count--that you stand for something.
You will achieve that feeling of standing for something only if you believe in
something--only if you have faith
in yourself, in God, in your fellowman, and in
your country.
This morning I hope to give you a little insight into yourselves and into
this great country we call America. I find today that too many people do not know
what it means to be an American and what it means to live in America.
(more)
Digitized from Box D32 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
-2-
One way of achieving the feeling that you stand for something comes from
seeing yourself as a part of the great history of the United States of America.
You are part of it, because you are the people and the American people are America.
The late President Dwight D. Eisenhower was a great American who knew what
it meant to be a dedicated citizen of this wonderful land of ours, and this was one
of the reasons we all loved him.
Ike was not a silver-tongued orator but he spoke words of wisdom because he
was a good man and he felt deeply about the American people and his country.
President Eisenhower lived to see racial turmoil and disorders on college
campuses. But to the end of his life he remained steadfast in his faith in young
Americans and in the land he loved.
Three years before he died, President Eisenhower granted an interview to a
White House correspondent. The occasion was his 75th birthday. And he said:
"i still have tremendous confidence and belief in my country. No matter
what we try to do in the world there is only one place from which we can do it--a
firm, sound base. That firm, sound base is the strength of the United States. And,
the United States' strength is not just its military might. Indeed, it's not just
its economic might. It's also its moral might.'
Ike went on to speak of the great virtues--individual self-reliance,
patriotism and dedication.
Then he said: "I'd like to think we live by such words as decency and
fairness, and the realization that each of us is a member of the proudest nation
in the world--and then act that way."
These are the lessons we find in the lives of great Americans--the lessons
we find woven throughout the strong fabric of our nation. Live the good life, the
moral life, the decent life--and be proud of it. "Be a member of the proudest
nation in the world--and then act that way."
Look at our history not as an assignment of so many pages to be read in a
textbook but as a vibrant, living story of the men and women who spent months tossing
about the Atlantic Ocean in tiny sailing vessels to reach a strange new world, who
survived threats of shipwreck, mutiny, Indian attack, hunger and disease, and
established a way of life that was to change the world.
We have great need of heroes today to put new inspiration and backbone into
a country grown weary and tired and, God forbid, bored.
(more)
-3-
Where can we find such inspiration, the moral courage we so desperately need
today?
Think awhile about the simple words uttered by President Eisenhower just
before he died. He said: "I have always loved my wife. I have always loved my
family. I have always loved my country. "
Ike lived a good life because he treasured moral values. Because he
treasured moral values, he had moral courage. You, too, can live the good life.
You, too, can be courageous and bold--and count for something.
We are historical human beings, we Americans, each of us who is worthy of
the name. We spring from ancestors who were heroes, every one--men and women whose
spiritual courage and back-breaking toil became the soul and sinew of a great
nation. No radical student leader who feels bored with or guilty about the life
of affluence bestowed upon him can destroy our sense of purpose.
Why should we doubt ourselves? Why should anyone in his right mind question
the great virtues President Eisenhower held dear--decency and honor and the love
of a man for his wife and his family and his country?
We are strong here in America--strong as individuals and as a nation because
ours is a glorious heritage. Our nation performed mighty acts as a young giant
and indeed recorded some of its greatest feats in just the last 30 years.
It was America that was stung into action at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941,
and then for four years fought the first truly global war as no nation has ever
fought before
and won a tremendous victory.
It was America that went to work the minute the guns fell silent, to build
peace and to rebuild the world. We resurrected Europe. We occupied Japan only to
make it a democratic nation and one of the most prosperous on earth. We reluctantly
accepted the role of Free World leader forced on us by the Soviet Union and the
Cold War. We defended Greece and Turkey against Communist aggression and subversion
and saved South Korea from Communist takeover. We formed the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization and fashioned it into a great military force to keep the peace in
Europe. We lifted the Berlin blockade and kept a free people free. We have fought
valiantly in Vietnam for the right of a people to decide under what kind of
government they will live. The American people have been divided on Vietnam and
we are ending our involvement in that conflict. But let there be no doubt about
this. Our purpose in Vietnam was noble.
(more)
-4-
Ours is a glorious nation. Ours is a glorious history and you Key Club
members are part of it.
You are part of a nation dedicated to freedom and the highest ideals of
man, a nation that is determined to vanquish poverty and hunger, a nation that has
catapulted men through space to explore the surface of the moon, a nation that
has resolved to solve the problem of racism, a nation that is exalting the quest
for human excellence.
Life in America does have meaning. It speaks of what is best in man.
So live a life that is meaningful, a life that is rooted in the great
virtues of family love and love for your country.
Man walks this earth but a brief span of years. What matters most is not
how long he lives but how well.
Here is a little bit of advice, a capsule of wisdom I hope you will accept:
"Live among men as if God beheld you; speak to God as if men were
listening.
"
And now, God bless you, and good luck to you all.
###
alistribution 10 w/ Mr. Ford only
Office Copy
SPEECH BY REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH.
REPUBLICAN LEADER, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
BEFORE THE 21st ANNUAL MICHIGAN DISTRICT KEY CLUB CONVENTION
AT TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN
8:30 A.M. APRIL 15, 1972
FOR RELEASE ON DELIVERY
Good morning. It's great to be here with you this morning and to see all
these freshly scrubbed young faces. It reminds me of when I was young and felt I
could lick my weight in wildcats. That was quite a while ago, though.
Maybe you've heard about the fact that the House Majority Leader and I are
going to visit mainland China in a couple of months. I am really looking forward
to the trip.
I can see it now. I get off the plane in Peking, and one Communist says to
another, "Well, there goes the neighborhood!"
I'm practicing using chopsticks. But it'll be just my luck that when I get
to China and sit down to dinner the first course will be soup.
They say the Forbidden City is in China. I always thought it was downtown
Traverse City after midnight.
But I'm sure you're having a great time here in Traverse City. And certainly
each and every one of you can be proud of himself. You can be proud of yourselves
because you belong to one of the finest service organizations in the world, the
Key Club.
I look at you and I see what perhaps you yourselves do not see--that you
are honest and courageous and hungry to find the meaning in life.
There is meaning in life, and you will search it out because you are seeking
challenge. Above all, you want to make a contribution to society and you
are
already doing that.
What you want most is to feel that you count--that you stand for something.
You will achieve that feeling of standing for something only if you believe in
something--only if you have faith
in yourself, in God, in your fellowman, and in
your country.
This morning I hope to give you a little insight into yourselves and into
this great country we call America. I find today that too many people do not know
what it means to be an American and what it means to live in America.
(more)
-2-
One way of achieving the feeling that you stand for something comes from
seeing yourself as a part of the great history of the United States of America.
You are part of it, because you are the people and the American people are America.
The late President Dwight D. Eisenhower was a great American who knew what
it meant to be a dedicated citizen of this wonderful land of ours, and this was one
of the reasons we all loved him.
Ike was not a silver-tongued orator but he spoke words of wisdom because he
was a good man and he felt deeply about the American people and his country.
President Eisenhower lived to see racial turmoil and disorders on college
campuses. But to the end of his life he remained steadfast in his faith in young
Americans and in the land he loved.
Three years before he died, President Eisenhower granted an interview to a
White House correspondent. The occasion was his 75th birthday. And he said:
"i still have tremendous confidence and belief in my country. No matter
what we try to do in the world there is only one place from which we can do it--a
firm, sound base. That firm, sound base is the strength of the United States. And,
the United States' strength is not just its military might. Indeed, it's not just
its economic might. It's also its moral might. "
Ike went on to speak of the great virtues--individual self-reliance,
patriotism and dedication.
Then he said: "I'd like to think we live by such words as decency and
fairness, and the realization that each of us is a member of the proudest nation
in the world--and then act that way."
These are the lessons we find in the lives of great Americans--the lessons
we find woven throughout the strong fabric of our nation. Live the good life, the
moral life, the decent life--and be proud of it. "Be a member of the proudest
nation in the world--and then act that way."
Look at our history not as an assignment of so many pages to be read in a
textbook but as a vibrant, living story of the men and women who spent months tossing
about the Atlantic Ocean in tiny sailing vessels to reach a strange new world, who
survived threats of shipwreck, mutiny, Indian attack, hunger and disease, and
established a way of life that was to change the world.
We have great need of heroes today to put new inspiration and backbone into
a country grown weary and tired and, God forbid, bored.
(more)
-3-
Where can we find such inspiration, the moral courage we so desperately need
today?
Think awhile about the simple words uttered by President Eisenhower just
before he died. He said: "I have always loved my wife. I have always loved my
family. I have always loved my country."
Ike lived a good life because he treasured moral values. Because he
treasured moral values, he had moral courage. You, too, can live the good life.
You, too, can be courageous and bold--and count for something.
We are historical human beings, we Americans, each of us who is worthy of
the name. We spring from ancestors who were heroes, every one--men and women whose
spiritual courage and back-breaking toil became the soul and sinew of a great
nation. No radical student leader who feels bored with or guilty about the life
of affluence bestowed upon him can destroy our sense of purpose.
Why should we doubt ourselves? Why should anyone in his right mind question
the great virtues President Eisenhower held dear--decency and honor and the love
of a man for his wife and his family and his country?
We are strong here in America--strong as individuals and as a nation because
ours is a glorious heritage. Our nation performed mighty acts as a young giant
and indeed recorded some of its greatest feats in just the last 30 years.
It was America that was stung into action at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941,
and then for four years fought the first truly global war as no nation has ever
fought before
and won a tremendous victory.
It was America that went to work the minute the guns fell silent, to build
peace and to rebuild the world. We resurrected Europe. We occupied Japan only to
make it a democratic nation and one of the most prosperous on earth. We reluctantly
accepted the role of Free World leader forced on us by the Soviet Union and the
Cold War. We defended Greece and Turkey against Communist aggression and subversion
and saved South Korea from Communist takeover. We formed the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization and fashioned it into a great military force to keep the peace in
Europe. We lifted the Berlin blockade and kept a free people free. We have fought
valiantly in Vietnam for the right of a people to decide under what kind of
government they will live. The American people have been divided on Vietnam and
we are ending our involvement in that conflict. But let there be no doubt about
this. Our purpose in Vietnam was noble.
(more)
-4-
Ours is a glorious nation. Ours is a glorious history and you Key Club
members are part of it.
You are part of a nation dedicated to freedom and the highest ideals of
man, a nation that is determined to vanquish poverty and hunger, a nation that has
catapulted men through space to explore the surface of the moon, a nation that
has resolved to solve the problem of racism, a nation that is exalting the quest
for human excellence.
Life in America does have meaning. It speaks of what is best in man.
So live a life that is meaningful, a life that is rooted in the great
virtues of family love and love for your country.
Man walks this earth but a brief span of years. What matters most is not
how long he lives but how well.
Here is a little bit of advice, a capsule of wisdom I hope you will accept:
"Live among men as if God beheld you; speak to God as if men were
listening.
"
And now, God bless you, and good luck to you all.
###
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"ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box D32, folder \"21st Annual Michigan District Key\nClub Convention, Traverse City, MI, April 15, 1972\" of the Ford Congressional Papers:\nPress Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nCopyright Notice\nThe copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of\nphotocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to\nremain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid\ncopyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\n10 w/ Mr. 7 only\nOffice Copy\nSPEECH BY REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH.\nREPUBLICAN LEADER, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES\nBEFORE THE 21st ANNUAL MICHIGAN DISTRICT KEY CLUB CONVENTION\nAT TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN\n8:30 A.M. APRIL 15, 1972\nFOR RELEASE ON DELIVERY\nGood morning. It's great to be here with you this morning and to see all\nthese freshly scrubbed young faces. It reminds me of when I was young and felt I\ncould lick my weight in wildcats. That was quite a while ago, though.\nMaybe you've heard about the fact that the House Majority Leader and I are\ngoing to visit mainland China in a couple of months. I am really looking forward\nto the trip.\nI can see it now. I get off the plane in Peking, and one Communist says to\nanother, \"Well, there goes the neighborhood!\"\nI'm practicing using chopsticks. But it'll be just my luck that when I get\nto China and sit down to dinner the first course will be soup.\nThey say the Forbidden City is in China. I always thought it was downtown\nTraverse City after midnight.\nBut I'm sure you're having a great time here in Traverse City. And certainly\neach and every one of you can be proud of himself. You can be proud of yourselves\nbecause you belong to one of the finest service organizations in the world, the\nKey Club.\nI look at you and I see what perhaps you yourselves do not see--that you\nare honest and courageous and hungry to find the meaning in life.\nThere is meaning in life, and you will search it out because you are seeking\nchallenge. Above all, you want to make a contribution to society and you\nare\nalready doing that.\nWhat you want most is to feel that you count--that you stand for something.\nYou will achieve that feeling of standing for something only if you believe in\nsomething--only if you have faith\nin yourself, in God, in your fellowman, and in\nyour country.\nThis morning I hope to give you a little insight into yourselves and into\nthis great country we call America. I find today that too many people do not know\nwhat it means to be an American and what it means to live in America.\n(more)\nDigitized from Box D32 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\n-2-\nOne way of achieving the feeling that you stand for something comes from\nseeing yourself as a part of the great history of the United States of America.\nYou are part of it, because you are the people and the American people are America.\nThe late President Dwight D. Eisenhower was a great American who knew what\nit meant to be a dedicated citizen of this wonderful land of ours, and this was one\nof the reasons we all loved him.\nIke was not a silver-tongued orator but he spoke words of wisdom because he\nwas a good man and he felt deeply about the American people and his country.\nPresident Eisenhower lived to see racial turmoil and disorders on college\ncampuses. But to the end of his life he remained steadfast in his faith in young\nAmericans and in the land he loved.\nThree years before he died, President Eisenhower granted an interview to a\nWhite House correspondent. The occasion was his 75th birthday. And he said:\n\"i still have tremendous confidence and belief in my country. No matter\nwhat we try to do in the world there is only one place from which we can do it--a\nfirm, sound base. That firm, sound base is the strength of the United States. And,\nthe United States' strength is not just its military might. Indeed, it's not just\nits economic might. It's also its moral might.'\nIke went on to speak of the great virtues--individual self-reliance,\npatriotism and dedication.\nThen he said: \"I'd like to think we live by such words as decency and\nfairness, and the realization that each of us is a member of the proudest nation\nin the world--and then act that way.\"\nThese are the lessons we find in the lives of great Americans--the lessons\nwe find woven throughout the strong fabric of our nation. Live the good life, the\nmoral life, the decent life--and be proud of it. \"Be a member of the proudest\nnation in the world--and then act that way.\"\nLook at our history not as an assignment of so many pages to be read in a\ntextbook but as a vibrant, living story of the men and women who spent months tossing\nabout the Atlantic Ocean in tiny sailing vessels to reach a strange new world, who\nsurvived threats of shipwreck, mutiny, Indian attack, hunger and disease, and\nestablished a way of life that was to change the world.\nWe have great need of heroes today to put new inspiration and backbone into\na country grown weary and tired and, God forbid, bored.\n(more)\n-3-\nWhere can we find such inspiration, the moral courage we so desperately need\ntoday?\nThink awhile about the simple words uttered by President Eisenhower just\nbefore he died. He said: \"I have always loved my wife. I have always loved my\nfamily. I have always loved my country. \"\nIke lived a good life because he treasured moral values. Because he\ntreasured moral values, he had moral courage. You, too, can live the good life.\nYou, too, can be courageous and bold--and count for something.\nWe are historical human beings, we Americans, each of us who is worthy of\nthe name. We spring from ancestors who were heroes, every one--men and women whose\nspiritual courage and back-breaking toil became the soul and sinew of a great\nnation. No radical student leader who feels bored with or guilty about the life\nof affluence bestowed upon him can destroy our sense of purpose.\nWhy should we doubt ourselves? Why should anyone in his right mind question\nthe great virtues President Eisenhower held dear--decency and honor and the love\nof a man for his wife and his family and his country?\nWe are strong here in America--strong as individuals and as a nation because\nours is a glorious heritage. Our nation performed mighty acts as a young giant\nand indeed recorded some of its greatest feats in just the last 30 years.\nIt was America that was stung into action at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941,\nand then for four years fought the first truly global war as no nation has ever\nfought before\nand won a tremendous victory.\nIt was America that went to work the minute the guns fell silent, to build\npeace and to rebuild the world. We resurrected Europe. We occupied Japan only to\nmake it a democratic nation and one of the most prosperous on earth. We reluctantly\naccepted the role of Free World leader forced on us by the Soviet Union and the\nCold War. We defended Greece and Turkey against Communist aggression and subversion\nand saved South Korea from Communist takeover. We formed the North Atlantic Treaty\nOrganization and fashioned it into a great military force to keep the peace in\nEurope. We lifted the Berlin blockade and kept a free people free. We have fought\nvaliantly in Vietnam for the right of a people to decide under what kind of\ngovernment they will live. The American people have been divided on Vietnam and\nwe are ending our involvement in that conflict. But let there be no doubt about\nthis. Our purpose in Vietnam was noble.\n(more)\n-4-\nOurs is a glorious nation. Ours is a glorious history and you Key Club\nmembers are part of it.\nYou are part of a nation dedicated to freedom and the highest ideals of\nman, a nation that is determined to vanquish poverty and hunger, a nation that has\ncatapulted men through space to explore the surface of the moon, a nation that\nhas resolved to solve the problem of racism, a nation that is exalting the quest\nfor human excellence.\nLife in America does have meaning. It speaks of what is best in man.\nSo live a life that is meaningful, a life that is rooted in the great\nvirtues of family love and love for your country.\nMan walks this earth but a brief span of years. What matters most is not\nhow long he lives but how well.\nHere is a little bit of advice, a capsule of wisdom I hope you will accept:\n\"Live among men as if God beheld you; speak to God as if men were\nlistening.\n\"\nAnd now, God bless you, and good luck to you all.\n###\nalistribution 10 w/ Mr. Ford only\nOffice Copy\nSPEECH BY REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH.\nREPUBLICAN LEADER, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES\nBEFORE THE 21st ANNUAL MICHIGAN DISTRICT KEY CLUB CONVENTION\nAT TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN\n8:30 A.M. APRIL 15, 1972\nFOR RELEASE ON DELIVERY\nGood morning. It's great to be here with you this morning and to see all\nthese freshly scrubbed young faces. It reminds me of when I was young and felt I\ncould lick my weight in wildcats. That was quite a while ago, though.\nMaybe you've heard about the fact that the House Majority Leader and I are\ngoing to visit mainland China in a couple of months. I am really looking forward\nto the trip.\nI can see it now. I get off the plane in Peking, and one Communist says to\nanother, \"Well, there goes the neighborhood!\"\nI'm practicing using chopsticks. But it'll be just my luck that when I get\nto China and sit down to dinner the first course will be soup.\nThey say the Forbidden City is in China. I always thought it was downtown\nTraverse City after midnight.\nBut I'm sure you're having a great time here in Traverse City. And certainly\neach and every one of you can be proud of himself. You can be proud of yourselves\nbecause you belong to one of the finest service organizations in the world, the\nKey Club.\nI look at you and I see what perhaps you yourselves do not see--that you\nare honest and courageous and hungry to find the meaning in life.\nThere is meaning in life, and you will search it out because you are seeking\nchallenge. Above all, you want to make a contribution to society and you\nare\nalready doing that.\nWhat you want most is to feel that you count--that you stand for something.\nYou will achieve that feeling of standing for something only if you believe in\nsomething--only if you have faith\nin yourself, in God, in your fellowman, and in\nyour country.\nThis morning I hope to give you a little insight into yourselves and into\nthis great country we call America. I find today that too many people do not know\nwhat it means to be an American and what it means to live in America.\n(more)\n-2-\nOne way of achieving the feeling that you stand for something comes from\nseeing yourself as a part of the great history of the United States of America.\nYou are part of it, because you are the people and the American people are America.\nThe late President Dwight D. Eisenhower was a great American who knew what\nit meant to be a dedicated citizen of this wonderful land of ours, and this was one\nof the reasons we all loved him.\nIke was not a silver-tongued orator but he spoke words of wisdom because he\nwas a good man and he felt deeply about the American people and his country.\nPresident Eisenhower lived to see racial turmoil and disorders on college\ncampuses. But to the end of his life he remained steadfast in his faith in young\nAmericans and in the land he loved.\nThree years before he died, President Eisenhower granted an interview to a\nWhite House correspondent. The occasion was his 75th birthday. And he said:\n\"i still have tremendous confidence and belief in my country. No matter\nwhat we try to do in the world there is only one place from which we can do it--a\nfirm, sound base. That firm, sound base is the strength of the United States. And,\nthe United States' strength is not just its military might. Indeed, it's not just\nits economic might. It's also its moral might. \"\nIke went on to speak of the great virtues--individual self-reliance,\npatriotism and dedication.\nThen he said: \"I'd like to think we live by such words as decency and\nfairness, and the realization that each of us is a member of the proudest nation\nin the world--and then act that way.\"\nThese are the lessons we find in the lives of great Americans--the lessons\nwe find woven throughout the strong fabric of our nation. Live the good life, the\nmoral life, the decent life--and be proud of it. \"Be a member of the proudest\nnation in the world--and then act that way.\"\nLook at our history not as an assignment of so many pages to be read in a\ntextbook but as a vibrant, living story of the men and women who spent months tossing\nabout the Atlantic Ocean in tiny sailing vessels to reach a strange new world, who\nsurvived threats of shipwreck, mutiny, Indian attack, hunger and disease, and\nestablished a way of life that was to change the world.\nWe have great need of heroes today to put new inspiration and backbone into\na country grown weary and tired and, God forbid, bored.\n(more)\n-3-\nWhere can we find such inspiration, the moral courage we so desperately need\ntoday?\nThink awhile about the simple words uttered by President Eisenhower just\nbefore he died. He said: \"I have always loved my wife. I have always loved my\nfamily. I have always loved my country.\"\nIke lived a good life because he treasured moral values. Because he\ntreasured moral values, he had moral courage. You, too, can live the good life.\nYou, too, can be courageous and bold--and count for something.\nWe are historical human beings, we Americans, each of us who is worthy of\nthe name. We spring from ancestors who were heroes, every one--men and women whose\nspiritual courage and back-breaking toil became the soul and sinew of a great\nnation. No radical student leader who feels bored with or guilty about the life\nof affluence bestowed upon him can destroy our sense of purpose.\nWhy should we doubt ourselves? Why should anyone in his right mind question\nthe great virtues President Eisenhower held dear--decency and honor and the love\nof a man for his wife and his family and his country?\nWe are strong here in America--strong as individuals and as a nation because\nours is a glorious heritage. Our nation performed mighty acts as a young giant\nand indeed recorded some of its greatest feats in just the last 30 years.\nIt was America that was stung into action at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941,\nand then for four years fought the first truly global war as no nation has ever\nfought before\nand won a tremendous victory.\nIt was America that went to work the minute the guns fell silent, to build\npeace and to rebuild the world. We resurrected Europe. We occupied Japan only to\nmake it a democratic nation and one of the most prosperous on earth. We reluctantly\naccepted the role of Free World leader forced on us by the Soviet Union and the\nCold War. We defended Greece and Turkey against Communist aggression and subversion\nand saved South Korea from Communist takeover. We formed the North Atlantic Treaty\nOrganization and fashioned it into a great military force to keep the peace in\nEurope. We lifted the Berlin blockade and kept a free people free. We have fought\nvaliantly in Vietnam for the right of a people to decide under what kind of\ngovernment they will live. The American people have been divided on Vietnam and\nwe are ending our involvement in that conflict. But let there be no doubt about\nthis. Our purpose in Vietnam was noble.\n(more)\n-4-\nOurs is a glorious nation. Ours is a glorious history and you Key Club\nmembers are part of it.\nYou are part of a nation dedicated to freedom and the highest ideals of\nman, a nation that is determined to vanquish poverty and hunger, a nation that has\ncatapulted men through space to explore the surface of the moon, a nation that\nhas resolved to solve the problem of racism, a nation that is exalting the quest\nfor human excellence.\nLife in America does have meaning. It speaks of what is best in man.\nSo live a life that is meaningful, a life that is rooted in the great\nvirtues of family love and love for your country.\nMan walks this earth but a brief span of years. What matters most is not\nhow long he lives but how well.\nHere is a little bit of advice, a capsule of wisdom I hope you will accept:\n\"Live among men as if God beheld you; speak to God as if men were\nlistening.\n\"\nAnd now, God bless you, and good luck to you all.\n###"
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