Remarks on Arrival at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.

General Dougherty and all of the wonderful military and civilian personnel here at Offutt:

First, let me thank you all for coming out and giving me such a warm and wonderful welcome. For that, I thank you very, very much. It has been my good fortune to come to Offutt on a number of occasions in the past, and I am delighted, of course, to be here on this occasion today.

But the more important thing, as far as I am concerned, is that I and 214 million other Americans appreciate and recognize the important function, the great responsibility that all of you have as a part of our Strategic Air Command. We are deeply grateful for the alert professionalism that SAC performs, and of course, your headquarters here is the heart of this great organization.

I commend you and compliment you for this superb work that you do to ensure the peace and maintain our national security.

Of course, it is good to be in Nebraska. This is where I was born. So, I have a special affinity and a very personal relationship with Nebraska. Nebraska is the heartland of our country, just as SAC is the heart of our strategic defense.

So, it is nice to be with all of you. I wish I could shake hands with each and every one of you and give to you individually my best wishes for a good day and a very happy life.

Thank you very, very much.