Johnny writes of the fortieth President, Ronald Reagan, who died last week from Alzheimer's disease.
Our country has lost a great president. Although I am not that familiar with him, I have heard my parents talking about him, and they said he was a very great man who did a lot of good for our country.
He was 93 when he died. He had a disease that caused him to become increasingly forgetful (Alzheimer's disease it is called), and people who have it get worse until they don't know who they are (or anyone else, for that matter), and it also caused him to become dependent on other people to take care of him. He was married to his wife, Nancy, and they had several children.
Before Ronald became President (after Jimmy Carter), there were hostages in Iran who were held for 444 days by Iranian terrorists, and when Ronald Reagan became president the hostages who were left became free, and it was a great change for our country. Ronald was an actor, and he was also the former Governor of California. The country was in a bad way, and somehow, President Reagan managed to turn things around, and he brought hope and pride to a lot of people.
I watched the funeral on tv yesterday (we all did), and we all cried. It was a very sad and moving affair, and people said a lot of nice things about Ronald Reagan. His wife was there, and she looked so sad, as did his children. President Bush and his daddy (also named George) was there, along with their wives, and the former Prime Minister of England and the former leader of the Soviet Union were there, too. Former Presidents Carter, Clinton, and Ford were there, too, as were many actors and actresses who were all good friends with Mr. Reagan. The funeral went on for several hours, and all day long, the news channel had tributes and showed memorial services across the country for the former President. It was a very sad day, and I will always remember June 11, 2004.
After the funeral, there was an evening burial service (the former president wanted to be buried in the Simi Valley hills, and he wanted to be buried at sunset), and that was very sad too, especially when his wife, Nancy, started crying, and her kids went up to her and hugged her and cried right along with her. I was crying, too, and so were my parents and my brothers and sisters who were in the room with me.
One thing I didn't know about former President Reagan was that he was a Christian. I was glad to hear that he was because I now know he is in Heaven, and He is with our Lord and Saviour; and best of all, he no longer has Alzheimer's and can probably remember everything before he got sick and then some!
Because of the memorial service for Ronald Reagan, all government offices were closed, and there was no mail running. If it had been a school day, I am sure that schools would have been closed too, so everyone could have a chance to watch the memorial service on tv. It was sad, but I am glad I watched it, and I know that he will be missed and remembered by many people for a very long time to come. They said that he was a very caring and compassionate man, and that he did a lot for America and her people and her morale.
I guess I am going to have to learn more about him by reading some books about him and his life, or look up things on the Internet. I bet I could do a very good report on him in History class by the time school starts in the fall!
~Written by Johnny, aged 11 on June 12, 2004 (Saturday), at 4:05 p.m., C.S.T.
Karen , your Johnny did a terrific job on this tribute;-)!
I enjoyed reading about our wonderful 49th president , Ronald Reagan was the real thing!Well done!
Reviewed by Connie Washburn
6/12/2004
Death through the eyes of a child - so optimistic and innocent. Enjoyed!
*tears* through the eyes of a child, we are moved deeply by this lovely tribute to my commander in chief (mr. reagan was in office when i was in the united states air force). he shall be missed. :(
Rosetta was born in 1909 as the youngest of ten children. The family had more laughter than money and neighbors would knock on their door to ask, "Can we come in and laugh, too?"
Inside the Methadone Clinic. Addiction to heroin, methadone, and other opiates. Destruction. The primal addiction" of the child, power and control over your own life, the institutions and the characters, the love between a mother and son. This book i
Our country has lost a great president. Although I am not that familiar with him, I have heard my parents talking about him, and they said he was a very great man who did a lot of good for our country.
