honored this belief and has labored to achieve these high principles.
You have loved the United States of America—as a duty, yes, but
much more than that—you have cherished it in grateful appreciation
of the many blessings you have received in its bosom. You have sup-
ported its Constitution and obeyed its laws, not as subjects of a
superior power but as men sustaining a government which they them-
selves have created and for which they themselves are responsible.
You have respected the flag, not in an empty prostration before a
meaningless emblem but because the Star Spangled Banner is a
symbol of your deep feeling for liberty, equality, justice and humanity.
You have proved, not by vain words but by courageous deeds per-
formed in time of war, your willingness to defend your country
against all enemies.

I salute the American Legion for its unyielding and undeviating
dedication to patriotism and true Americanism. I applaud the Ameri-
can Legion for the earnest concern it has demonstrated for the
happiness and well-being of the men and women who have served
in the Armed Forces of our country. I am grateful to the American
Legion for its relentless advocacy of military preparedness—for arous-
ing the citizenry as to the military dangers facing our nation.

All Americans, of course, owe a debt of everlasting gratitude to
patriots, like yourselves in this Legion post, who fought in the great
wars of our country to preserve and safeguard the freedoms we cherish.
We are obligated, too, to organizations like the American Legion for
keeping the people in this country constantly on the alert as to the
dangers which threaten us. Your experience as soldiers, sailors and
marines taught you the gravity of these dangers and endowed you with
sharp faculties for the protection of yourselves, and your families and
your friends, against these dangers. Your have contributed immeasur-
ably to the safety of our country, and consequently to the peace of
the world, by the success you have had in warning our people of the
perils they face and in pointing out the path by which they may
escape these perils.

The American Legion, and the other great veterans organizations
with which it has worked hand-in-hand through the years, have in
large measure succeeded, sometimes against great odds, in convincing
a majority of the people of our nation that we cannot deal with Com-
munism and the other forces of darkness and aggression, in peace or
in war, unless we remain strong. The father of our country—George
Washington, who lived near here and who loved this part of our
State—said in his first message to the Congress of the United States:

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