Remarks at a Ceremony Marking the Reenlistment of Five Servicemen.

Secretary Packard, ladies and gentlemen:

This reenlistment ceremony provides an opportunity for me to express appreciation not only to these five fine young Americans who are reenlisting in the armed services of this country, but to the millions of young Americans who have served in our armed services over the years, and particularly in these last very difficult years of service, the four million who have served in Vietnam.

I note that four of these five men have served in Vietnam, and with distinction.

As these five men reenlist, they enter the service at a period when the war in Vietnam is being brought to an end, and we are winning a just peace in that part of the world. They will be serving in the service after that, along with many other young Americans. They will be serving because even when that war is over, if we are to have peace for the generation ahead, we must have the Armed Forces strong enough to keep the peace, so that the United States, as the nation the strongest in the free world, will be respected throughout the world as one strong enough to maintain the peace.

And these men can proudly look to their service in the past, during wartime, as service for their country. But in the future they also can be very proud of the fact that in a period when there is no war, that it is because of the strength they helped to maintain that we are able to have peace in the world. They are part of the peace forces of the United States of America and the peace forces of the world.

And I am very proud today to participate in the ceremony.

Secretary Packard will ask them to take the oath.

I can only say that this is also an indication of another change that is occurring in our Armed Forces, the fact that we are going to be moving from a period of wartime to peacetime, but also a period of the draft to an all-volunteer force.

As we move to that all-volunteer force it is going to be necessary to develop within this country the kind of motivation that these men have indicated by their reenlistment, the fact that they consider serving in the Armed Forces a position and a career that is worthwhile, in which they are serving their country, and one in which they are respected by the whole Nation.

We think their example is a good indication of what the years ahead may hold with regard to moving from a position of an armed force necessarily built on the draft, but then moving to, eventually, the all-volunteer force.

Secretary Packard will now read the oath and the men will take it together.

[David Packard, Deputy Secretary of Defense, administered the oath. The President then resumed speaking.]

We also want to welcome the members of their families who are standing immediately behind each of the men reenlisting.

As they have been told, and as is our custom on such ceremonies, we have a special tour of the White House which is provided for you.

We want you to enjoy your visit to the White House. If you can come back next week, we'll have the Christmas decorations up. You are just a couple of days too early for that.

Thank you very much.