Ronald Reagan: a True American Hero

Reagan carefully chose his words during his speech on the Challenger Disaster, using specific pronouns completely changed the way the country received the message. It was initiated when he said, “we’ve never lost an astronaut in flight; we’ve never had a tragedy like this” (5). Later he also stated: “We’ve grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we’ve only just begun” (7). Reagan’s use of “we” throughout the speech shows the nation that even high figures such as celebrities and political figure, in which Reagan represented both, also feel as the common people do in times of struggle and devastation. Allowing the citizens of America a shoulder to cry on for a dark and challenging time in the history of the country. Towards the end of the text Reagan started to create allusions for the American people to compare the fallen astronauts to. Such as when Reagan stated: “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”” (10). Also he makes reference to the religious figures at the end when he says, “”slipped the surly bongs of earth” to “touch the face of God”” (11). Using these allusions, Reagan was able to effectively convince the audience that the astronauts died for a reason and a cause, to expand our knowledge of space and explore what it could possibly contain. In the case that Reagan had not given this speech it could be possible that many people around the world would want to back off from exploring space because it could kill people that attempt to travel into it. But Reagan’s speech was able to revoke confidence in NASA and other space programs, letting moms let their kids become astronauts and not saying no because of how dangerous it could be.

Rockwell, the shuttle’s primary contractor, did not support the launch due to the possibility of ice leaving the structure and damaging the thermal shield tiles during takeoff. Their concerns were relayed to NASA, but in such a way that NASA chose to proceed with the launch [2]. Though this was eventually determined to be a non-issue in the Challenger launch, the true nature of the problems that can occur when an object strikes the shuttle during takeoff would not be learned until 2003, when the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated on re-entry due to damage of a heat shield tile that occurred during takeoff [2]--[3].

Ronald Reagan is to this date the oldest serving president, and the effects of his presidency have affected not only the United States of America but most of the world as well. The consensus among historians is that Ronald Reagan left a lasting legacy that was a great one in numerous ways. His Reaganomics improved America’s economy greatly, and secured its future economic prosperity. He also fought communism head on and was able to end it in most parts of the world, but more importantly in Soviet Russia. However, in doing so he got wrapped up in the Iran-Contra Affair, which will forever be tied to his name in a negative regard. Within America, Reagan was able to improve society such as his success in curbing the use of illegal drugs.

The odds that someone will die in a plane crash are 1 in 11 million (Bowman). Unluckily for the passengers of Trans World Airlines (TWA) Flight 800, they beat the odds. TWA Flight 800 mysteriously exploded just minutes after takeoff. The plane’s crash has peaked the interest of theorists for decades. The mystery behind TWA Flight 800 can be summed up in two theories: Mechanical failure, and a surface to air missile.

What does it take to stand up against politicians? To fight for what you believe in and what you think would benefit the United States of America? It takes courage. Ronald Reagan has that courage, not only did he stay true to his beliefs and ideas, he accomplished them within his presidency. He believed people should be less dependent on their government. Reagan asked citizens to "Begin an era of national renewal" during his inaugural address. He also declared, "Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem." These were not popular ideas among some politicians, but that did not sway the USA's fortieth president.

Ronald Reagan was a true hero to many Americans. He was a strong president who cared for this country dearly, and Reagan really proved this by his actions during his presidency. He also proved his love for country by serving in the U.S Army during World War II. Ronald Reagan also came through as a hero by fixing the American Economy that was heading for disaster just like today’s. If you can reflect on what he had accomplished throughout his administration you can clearly see why he was a popular two term president. When you read this passage you will find that Ronald Reagan took on many challenges that shaped his legacy, and why many people consider him a hero .

In the speech that Ronald Reagan gave about the Space Shuttle Challenger gave peace of mind to the nation that was mourning about such a devastating event that they witnessed. The Space Shuttle Challenger was the first space shuttle that had a normal person on it and was going to be a huge leap forward for the space program. But the shuttle had a malfunction and blew up during the employment of going into space. They were not sure what exactly happened when it blew up, they just knew that the whole nation just witnessed a tragic event live on the radio and television. It was Ronald Reagan’s job to address the grieving public about what happened and to express their condolences, but also express their strength that would carry the nation through.

On the morning of Janurary 28th 1986, the world witnessed in shock and horror what was known as the Challenger disaster as the space shuttle exploded only 73 seconds after its launch, killing all seven crew members onboard including one teacher Christa McAuliffe. Approximately 17 percent of Americans watched the live broadcast of this launch, many of them schoolchildren including those from McAuliffe’s school. From this grave moment emerged an exigency that demands immediate action by the president. Later on that same day, President Ronald Reagan delivered his Challenger address to the nation.

     Lou Cannon has covered Ronald Reagan for thirty-six years, first as a reporter for the San Jose Mercury News, later as the White House correspondent for the Washington Post. He began with covering Reagan's first campaign for governor of California in 1966 and continued until Reagan's recent death in 2004. His other books on Reagan include Ronnie and Jesse: A Political Odyssey, Ronald Reagan: The Presidential Portfolio, President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime, Governor Reagan: His Rise to Power, and several others.

| 1. Initiated the no child left behind act 2. Modernized Medicare by adding prescription drug benefit 3. Pioneered a new model of partnership in development that tied American foreign aid to reform and good governance

Leading up to the election of 1980, the United States was facing many difficult situations in the nation and abroad. These potentially catastrophic situations consisted of a cold war with the Soviet Union, communism and socialism spreading throughout the world, and the United States economy heading towards another Great Depression. The combination of these three crisis’s caused a national panic in the homes of all citizens. A growing distrust in the government erupted throughout the country and the nation was truly split. When Ronald Reagan took office in 1981 it became his goal to extinguish these catastrophes and to return America back to normalcy. Reagan believed a strong bond of trust between civilian

Ronald Reagan, born in Tampico, Illinois, had a modest upbringing from parents whose values contrasted considerably. His mother, Nelle, was a dedicated prohibitionist and religious woman. She often participated in performing for the sick through music and reading, allowing Ronald to assist. This early exposure to performing for others probably contributed to his desire to be part of the entertainment industry. Ronald’s father, Jack, a polarity of Nelle, was an alcoholic and he had difficulties maintaining employment. Jack had little involvement in his children’s lives and he rarely attended school activities to show support. Neil, Ronald’s older brother, relates most to his father while Ronald seems to be most attached to his mother.

Ronald Reagan overcame his poor and deprived childhood by having a successful theatrical career and changing the world forever through politics. Reagan had a poor yet eventful childhood. In Tampico, Illinois, Ronald Reagan was born on February 6, 1911 (Banks 199). He acquired the nickname “Dutch” because he looked like a Dutchman when he was born (Orr13). Ronald Reagan had one older brother named John Neil Reagan (Boyarsky 164), who was born in late 1908 (Orr 14). Reagan and his brother were polar opposites when it came to their personalities, and they went in opposite directions while growing up (Orr 14). Reagan’s parents were named John Edward Reagan and Nelle Wilson Reagan (Boyarsky 164). His parents came from quite different

Throughout our nation's history it has endured 43 presidents,some of them have been remembered as great men who served our country well and made it a better place. Others are more well known for the scandals they caused and others are hardly remembered at all. Despite the amount of presidents that we have had there has never been a president who stands out as the best president ever. Although there are two presidents from the post world war 2 era, each from two separate parties that I believed both had some of the skills to be the best president ever.

5. The Challenger disaster and the near failure of Apollo 13 are different in a few ways.