Jonathan's Speech

Hello all;

Below is Jonathan's Woodsmen speech for the Greatest American Leader. Wish him luck. The contest is today. I will let you know how he does......


“Now I’m going to tell you something I’ve kept to myself for years. None of you ever knew George Gipp. He was long before your time, but you all know what a tradition he is at Notre Dame. And the last thing he said to me, ‘Rock’, he said, ‘sometime when the team is up against it and the breaks are beating the boys, tell them to go out there with all they’ve got and win just one for the Gipper. I don’t know where I’ll be then, Rock,’ he said, ‘but I’ll know about it and I’ll be happy.’”

There have been some great leaders in our countries’ past, to name a few, Abe Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Paris Hilton, but today, props go to my boy Ronald “The Gipper” Reagan.

Ronald Wilson Reagan was born to John and Nelle Reagan on February 6, 1911, lived in the small town of Tampico, Illinois. In his early years, Regan had already become a hero for many people. When he was a lifeguard in 1926, he saved about 80 peoples’ lives! During the school year, however (comma), he attended high school in nearby Dixon. He was a football player, a basketball player, a track runner, student body president, AND, to top it all off, he was an actor. An all-around lady-killer!

He had to work his way through Eureka College in Illinois. He majored in economics and sociology, and was student body president. After graduation, he became a sportscaster on the radio and enlisted in the Army Reserve and became 2nd lieutenant very quickly. In 1937, his career as an actor kicked off after winning a contract from a screen test and within 20 years, appeared in 53 movies!

In 1940, he married his first wife Jane Wyman whom he met while making the movie Brother Rat and had one daughter, Maureen and a son, Michael, who was adopted 4 years later. In 1947, he was elected president of Screen Actors Guild, and was a friendly witness before the House Committee of Un-American Activities. Two years later, Ronald and Jane divorced. 3 years later, he marries Nancy Davis. Nancy also being an actress. 7 months later, Patti Reagan is born and 6 years after that, they have another baby, Ronald Prescott Reagan.

I was ashamed and slightly flabbergasted to learn this, but Reagan was…[take glasses off in dramatic fashion] a democrat. Yes, in 1960, he campaigned with Nixon as a democrat.

Do not be alarmed! 2 years later was one of the greatest things he could have done for me, I mean us, of course, he became a Republican. If he didn’t, I would not be talking about him right now.

After his cross-over, things went better for him. He was Governor elect of California for 2 terms and in 1980 was elected by a landslide over Jimmy Carter.

In 1981, he and 3 other of his men were shot and wounded by John Hinckley Jr. Hinckley was charged and found not guilty due to reason of insanity. Later, Reagan ordered Mikhail Garbachev to “tear down this wall”, (of course referring to the Berlin Wall) and in 2 years, the Wall was down.

My story about the greatest president EVER ends with the tragic death of a 93 year old Ronald Wilson Reagan.

In closing, I would like to leave you with one of the most inspirational speeches to the youth of America: “You can play a special part in the future. You’ll be its’ author. Take full advantage of the wonderful life that lies in store for you.

Rejoice in your freedom, sample the full richness of opportunities that lie before you. Help one another, trust in yourselves and have faith in God, and you’ll find more joy and happiness than you can imagine.
And always remember that you are Americans, and it is your birthright to dream great dreams in this sweet and blessed land, truly, the greatest, freest, strongest country on earth.” Ronald Regan, 1988, the GREATEST American Leader.