Joe Pitts: “last week as I reflected on the anniversary of D-Day, I recalled President Reagan's speech on the 40th anniversary of…”

“last week as I reflected on the anniversary of D-Day, I recalled President Reagan's speech on the 40th anniversary of that first day of liberation of Europe on June 6, 1984. President Reagan spoke of ``the men of Normandy'' who ``had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead, or on the next.'' As he so often did, his conviction and passion, his grace and sincerity connected a distant event to the struggle each and every human being faces every day, fighting to know what we are doing is right. Later that day he told a different audience, ``We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared so that we may always be free.'' Newsweek called this freedom, which President Reagan mentioned in 1984, the freedom ``from self-doubt, from the Soviet threat, from uneasiness about our national power and capacity to do great things.'' This was Reagan's gift to his country. He knew that America was great and that our greatness had not come without a price. Indeed, we will always remember, Mr. President. We will always remember so that we may always be free.”