Posted on 06/05/2004 6:46:55 PM PDT by wagglebee
Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground. But, we've never lost an astronaut in flight; we've never had a tragedy like this. And perhaps we've forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle; but they, the Challenger Seven, were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly. We mourn seven heroes: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe. We mourn their loss as a nation together.
For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we're thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, "Give me a challenge and I'll meet it with joy." They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths.
They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us.
We've grown used to wonders in this century. It's hard to dazzle us. But for twenty-five years the United States space program has been doing just that. We've grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we've only just begun. We're still pioneers. They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers.
And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's takeoff. I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them...
There's a coincidence today. On this day 390 years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama. In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and a historian later said, "He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it." Well, today we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake's, complete.
The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for the journey and waved goodbye and "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to "touch the face of God."
God Bless You President Reagan
Opps I accedently PM'd this to you:
I have this one recorded live on Beta.
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REAGAN's
"Slip the Surley Bonds of Earth"
...Speech is listed in the new Book about what makes American Heroes due out this July 4th titled:
'MODERN DAY HEROES: In Defense of America'
http://www.ModernDayHeroes.com
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Thank you God for blessing us with this man. May he enjoy his place in your kingdom as much as we enjoyed his place here on Earth. God bless Ronald Reagan and God bless America.
I just don't know how to put in words how Ronald Reagan touched my life.He gave me hope and I will carry that hope all my life. He got me interested in politics and that "we" could make a change in this world. I am a man who usually doesn't shed tears,but today I mourn his passing and shed many tears for a great man. The world is less empty whith out Ronnie! Rest In Peace My Friend.
I'll never forget the news conference following the Challenger disaster because one of the reporters asked Reagan if he had ordered the Challenger to be blown up. OK, OK, what he actually asked was, "Did you know it was going to blow up"? With more restraint than I would have had, Reagan simply answered, "No".
How typical, I hear that the DUmmies are jubilant.
Isaiah 40:31
President Reagan is soaring now.
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RONALD REAGAN was called a Man of HATE.
RONALD REAGAN loved us all in return.
Praise GOD that...
LOVE is the Only Reality and that...
GOD is LOVE.
RONALD REAGAN, Pray for US now.
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God Bless America again - Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn
http://gabbiash.nstemp.com/BlessAmerica.html
Bob - Great post!......
BobbyD......
I'm on Flyers 'puter
Anyway......great post.....thank you
no tshirts, carnival, politics, etc; just leadership
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