President Ronald Reagan Passes Away - 2004-06-05

Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who had long suffered from Alzheimer's disease, passed away at the age of 93. He is said to be credited with ending the 'Cold War.' Mr. Reagan, the 40th President of the United States and a member of the Republican Party, previously an actor and Governor of California, assumed the presidency in 1981. He considered his greatest mission to be the dissolution of the Soviet Union and what he called the 'evil empire,' which led him to strengthen the military of the United States. On the other hand, critics viewed Mr. Reagan as possessing naive and warlike ideas and deserving of all kinds of criticism. Supporters of President Reagan pointed to his abilities in promoting optimism, patriotism, and American values. President Reagan survived an assassination attempt. His passing coincides with the anniversary of one of his important and historic speeches, delivered two decades earlier in June 1984, announcing the Allies' victory and the achievement of democracy on Omaha Beach in Normandy. In that speech, President Reagan stated that World War II taught fighters that their unity makes them 'invincible' and added that our unity, born amidst the hardships of war and shaped by the realities of the post-war world, has achieved success. Now we are free, and this is a blessing worth fighting and dying for. Mr. Reagan also stated in that speech that the United States is committed to achieving peace and security in the world, and we are always ready, and thus we will always remain free. The body of the former U.S. President will lie in state for a time in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington before being buried at the Presidential Library in California.