Date: Tue, 3 Oct 1995 00:33:24 -0400 From: NRA Alerts To: firearms-alert@shell.portal.com Subject: SPEECH: Marion Hammer to American Legion in re Education Award MS. MARION P. HAMMER First Vice President, National Rifle Association of America to the AMERICAN LEGION 1995 NATION CONVENTION On the ocassion of the presentation of the AMERICAN LEGION'S NATIONAL EDUCATION AWARD to The National Rifle Association of America for The Eddie Eagle Gun Safety Program for Children September 1, 1995 The American Legion and the National Rifle Association of America are perhaps the two most dedicated, patriotic, country-flag- Constitution-and-freedom loving organizations in America. And I am deeply honored to have an opportunity to stand before one of those organizations to represent the other. Both organizations, founded in the bedrock of Liberty by military officers and enlisted men, dedicated themselves to principles of FREEDOM, PATRIOTISM and JUSTICE. Both organizations have become a part of the fiber and fabric of our nation's history. The National Rifle Association of America, founded in November, 1871, has a distinguished history of education and training. Established to teach the skills of marksmanship and training to defend and protect our great nation and the Freedom provided by our Constitution, the NRA is the nation's leader in firearms safety and training. And, the NRA is the sentry that stands watch over the Second Amendment -- the amendment that guarantees our right to keep and bear arms and assures our ability to defend our nation and ourselves. The American Legion, was conceived in March, 1919, at the Caucus in Paris France by battle weary patriots waiting to return home from the physical battle to preserve Freedom in World War I. These brave men and women who had given so much of themselves to our nation, were destined to continue their sacrifice as they organized to preserve our nation's future in peace time as well as in battle. The spirit and love of America beats strong in the hearts of our two great organizations that are committed to the future through the programs we provide for the youth of America. In 1918, the words of William Tyler Page were adopted by the United States House of Representatives as the "AMERICAN CREED." And within that creed are some very moving words. William Tyler Page wrote that this Nation was: "[E]stablished upon the principles of freedom, equality, justice and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes. I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies." DEFEND IT AGAINST ALL ENEMIES. Strong words with deep meaning. Since our forefathers carved America out of the wilderness, our nation has faced many enemies. American patriots for generations, have made many sacrifices for freedom. In 1945, in enemy action at Okinawa, my father added his name to the long role call of American patriots who have paid the ultimate price -- who have given their lives to the cause of freedom. The role call is long, the sacrifices are many, and those of us who breathe freedom's air today, owe them. And we owe the men and women who came home bearing the scars of battle. We have a duty to continue in their footsteps. We owe it to them to carry America's flag against our enemies until we can hand it over to the next generation. Today, America has new enemies. Enemies that are tearing at the fabric of our heritage and our society. Those enemies are moral decay, disrespect, parental neglect, dependence on government, and phony quick fix government solutions to complex social problems. America's children are the victims of those enemies. Because we love our country, our flag, our Constitution and our Freedom, we have a duty to America's youngsters. They are the future of America. We must love and nurture them. We must teach them values and strengths. Teach them discipline, self-reliance, respect and honor. Teach them to love America and what it stands for. Through your youth programs and our youth programs, we are making a difference. And working together with other community groups we can make an even bigger difference. The NRA's Eddie Eagle Gun Safety program for young children is about much more than just teaching safety. Youngsters learn safety but they also learn respect for guns and at the same time they learn respect for themselves when they gain knowledge. They learn to resist temptation and not to touch a gun left carelessly unattended -- that's discipline. They learn to leave the area and make their friends and playmates leave the area -- that's leadership. They learn to quickly find and inform an adult of an unsafe situation -- that's responsibility. And when an adult has removed the gun and the area safe again, they learn pride and a sense of accomplishment and self-worth for having used their knowledge and skills. In our youth marksmanship programs and youth hunting programs they learn values other than how to shoot safely and accurately. They learn concentration, commitment, sportsmanship, self-reliance, teamwork, citizenship, and conservation of our natural resources -- values that are just as important as skills. I am a mother and a grandmother and I know that when NRA reaches out and takes the hand of a child we are touching America's future. I know that when you love a child and give your time and patience to teaching values, patriotism, and skills, you are investing in the future. I know that when you win the heart of a child and enrich his or her life with knowledge, you are building a solid foundation for the next generation. I know that within the body of this nation, the hearts of many children long for someone to reach out to them with kindness, knowledge and guidance. The NRA is committed to expanding our programs, to reaching out to more children and to investing in the future by helping to instill values and to build character in the youngsters we touch throughout America. Today, you have honored the National Rifle Association of America for its Eddie Eagle Gun Safety Program and I am privileged to be here to accept your award. And I am proud to tell you that this program has now been taught to over 7 million youngsters -- 7 million youngsters whom we hope will be the safest generation our nation has ever seen. On behalf of the NRA, I thank you sincerely for this honor, and I promise you that I am committed to doing everything that I can to help the NRA continue its mission of teaching America's youth the fundamentals of what made our nation great. If we all work together to fulfill our duty to our country and to the dedicated men and women who have given so much to keep us free, our children and our grandchildren and generations to follow them will learn to love their freedom, their country, their flag, their Constitution and THEMSELVES. Thank you -- each and every one of you -- for the sacrifices you have made for our country. God bless you all, and God bless America. =+=+=+=+ This information is provided as a service of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, Fairfax, VA. This and other information on the Second Amendment and the NRA is available at any of the following URL's: http://WWW.NRA.Org, gopher://GOPHER.NRA.Org, wais://WAIS.NRA.Org, ftp://FTP.NRA.Org, mailto:LISTPROC@NRA.Org (Send the word help as the body of a message) Information may also be obtained by connecting directly to the NRA-ILA GUN-TALK Bulletin Board System at (703) 934-2121.