An awesome speech. Reagan was the first President I ever voted for. We were in Greece when he died, and in Normandy a year later on the anniversary. A great man - we all owe him a debt of gratitude.
I was on my way to Woodland Hills, CA, when I got the official announcement of President Reagan's passing. At 4:00 PST, I was listening to Tammy Bruce's program. She is someone who went from being strongly against RWR to being a very strong supporter of his, and she was talking about how bad she felt about being so mean to him (though not face to face, but from her association with NOW in Los Angeles).
She was "cowboying up", doing the best she could, and as she went to her first break, she started to read Reagan's 1994 "farewell letter", after he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. She couldn't get to the end of it, before breaking down in tears...had to take a break to compose herself. I'm glad I was pulled over, cause I was crying too, and praying for her that she would have some comfort.
(I've since meant to call or write her, to tell her that it was the best show I've ever heard her do.)
I cried the whole week of the viewings, and took the day off of work to see the funerals live. Everything was so tastefully and wonderfully done (except for "Non" - nee Ron - Reagan's backhanded slap at GWB, at the Library Service).
I particularly remember Speaker Hastert's quoting of Abraham Lincoln as RWR lay in State at the Rotunda, saying that "it is altogether fitting and proper that we do this". (man, two years later and i still lose it, thinking about that) I also remember President Bush 41 with his poignant memories of Reagan at the Washington service, and the President current (who has seen more than a "fair share of grief" in his five years in office), who said "We just lost President Reagan the other day, but we have missed him for a long time."
Me, too, Mr. President. Me, too.