As a young girl I was taught to love God and my Country. There have been many great presidents in our history and some bad ones, but through it all the ones I admire the most have left their footprints on my heart. President John F. Kennedy was one of those presidents I admired as a young girl not so much for his political views but for his words. No, he was not perfect, but many things he said was. I memorized his inaugural address and when he died I recited this address before the whole student body at St. Bernard Academy. His words have burned in my heart a passion for Freedom and Respect for this Great Land that I love. Lately, those words have come back into my mind.
How appropriate these words are for us today. I would like to share with you a quote from John F. Kennedy's Inaugural address, may these words burn in your heart also the same passion they have sparked in mind. And May God give us all the courage to lead the land we love!
John F. Kennedy
Friday, January 20, 1961
We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans—born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage—and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this Nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
This much we pledge—and more.
In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility—I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it—and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.
http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres56.html
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