Remarks at the Municipal Airport, Niagara Falls, New York

Mr. Dent Lackey, Sheriff, fellow Democrats, ladies and gentlemen:

I want to express my thanks to all of you for coming out here and being kind enough to greet an itinerant traveling resident of Washington, D.C.

I've come here today for two reasons: first, to express my thanks to all of you for your generosity to me 2 years ago, and also to take part in the ceremony honoring Pulaski. I think that the anniversary which we celebrate today on his behalf has a particular significance to our country, because it reminds us for how long our country has been the great hope of people all over the world. I know that Americans sometimes become dissatisfied and discontented, but I think that, as citizens of this country, we should realize that the hope of the free world, the hope of the enslaved world, stretching all the way from northern Europe to southeast Asia, rests upon you, upon all of us, on 180 million Americans who've held back the Communist advance for over 17 years, and who, today, stand watch and ward for freedom in 40 or 50 different countries.

That is a proud role which we did not seek, but from which we do not flinch. And I think it's most appropriate to remind ourselves when we salute Pulaski, who fought for our freedom, that we in this country maintain the freedom of hundreds of millions of people who without us would be permanently enslaved.

That's why I am proud to be an American. That's why I'm proud to be a citizen of this country in the great decade through which we're living. And that's why I'm grateful to all of you for coming out and saying "Hello."

Thank you.