Remarks on Departure From Texas.

BEFORE we fly on to Washington, with a stop in Mississippi to look at the flood damage in between, I just wanted to take this opportunity to express, on behalf of Mrs. Nixon and myself, our appreciation for all of you for giving us such a warm welcome. I am not speaking of the weather. I am speaking of the welcome that you have given us by coming out here to the airstrip as we arrived and when we take off.

I understand that most of the people here are, one way or another, with the Laughlin Air Force Base. You serve in the Air Force or you are dependents of Air Force families.

Having just traveled around the world with my wife on a world trip in an Air Force plane, a pretty good one, incidentally, and having also traveled to Europe and all over the United States, I know many of the top Air Force personnel in that capacity, but also I have seen them in our bases around the world.

I am really tremendously proud of the men and the women who serve in the Armed Forces of the United States, proud of them for the job they do abroad and proud of them for the job they do here in bases like this in the United States.

We often hear a lot of criticism of our Armed Forces these days. I can only say that as far as those who are serving in the Armed Forces, you can look at your service with pride. You can recognize that by reason of what you do the United States of America is able to maintain a position of world leadership which is so essential if peace is to be brought to this world, and if we are going to have peace with freedom in the world.

That is the goal of any President. It is the goal of any diplomat. That goal cannot be achieved without the strong Armed Forces strength which the Air Force makes a great contribution to.

With those words, let me say again, thank you so much for coming out and welcoming us. We wish you the very best and we look forward to seeing you again, perhaps in Washington, or some other base, or at your hometown, wherever that may be.

Thank you very much.