Governor Hogan was invited by the Ronald Reagan Foundation and Institute to author an essay to mark the 20th anniversary of the passing of President Reagan and observe the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy.
See below for an excerpt from Governor Hogan’s contribution to this commemorative project.
The power of Ronald Reagan was not just his extraordinary policy achievements that helped revitalize America at home and defeat the Soviet Union abroad. It was his power to tell stories that help define who we are as Americans and commit us to a greater cause. At a tumultuous time in American history following the Kennedy assassination, Vietnam War, Watergate, widespread civil unrest and rising global tensions, “Morning Again in America” meant more than a booming economy. It symbolized a new era of confidence and optimism in our country.
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There may be no greater example of this than President Reagan’s historic address at Normandy on the 40th anniversary of D-Day honoring the selfless and heroic actions of the “boys of Pointe du Hoc.”
The heroes President Reagan paid tribute to exemplified the values that make our nation exceptional: noble, courageous, committed to our allies and higher ideals.
These Americans believed that our country and democracy as “the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man” was “worth dying for.” President Reagan’s America “loved liberty” and “willing to fight tyranny.” While others hid for their lives, these Americans took the cliffs.
Today, in a fractured media environment and deeply polarized electorate, that idea of American heroism seems to be further and further from the popular imagination. These truly American stories are a language that are not spoken nearly enough by leaders today, including in our party.
Despite these divisions, these stories still have the power to remind us that there is far more that unites us than that which divides us.
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In his Pointe Du Hoc address, President Reagan posed a question to the surviving heroes of the Normandy landings. He asked, “You were young the day you took these cliffs… Yet, you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it?”
“We look at you, and somehow we know the answer,” President Reagan said. “It was faith and belief; it was loyalty and love.”
That answer President Reagan provided can guide us through the turmoil of our times. Faith in America; belief in the American people; loyalty to our nation; love of country, spoken with an optimistic spirit that resonates with Americans across generations and of any political affiliation. That’s what makes Reagan the Great Communicator and reminds us that our country’s brightest days are still ahead because of the character and courage of the American people.
I still believe, as President Reagan did, with faith, loyalty and love, in the promise of America.
