BY: Charles Bakaly - Ronald Reagan: An Essay on the Legacy of an American Icon
Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute
A nonprofit organization dedicated to completing President Reagan’s unfinished work and preserving his principles.
BY: Charles Bakaly
Former Director Press Advance during the Reagan Administration
President Reagan’s trip to Normandy for the fortieth anniversary of D-Day is one of the most consequential presidential visits in history. President Reagan was deemed “The Great Communicator” for skills that were on full display on June 6, 1984.
Successful presidential communications require a clear purpose, vivid images and moving spoken or written words.?
The purpose was clear – to honor those who served and died at Normandy. Regarding visuals, Mike Deaver was persuaded after a pre-advance trip to survey possible locations that the scene he liked from The Longest Day where the American paratrooper hung from the steeple of the church of Sainte-Mere-Eglise would be tough to replicate! Instead, we opted for images of windswept cliffs and bunkers of Pointe du Hoc as well as President and Mrs. Reagan walking through a sea of crosses at the Normandy American Cemetery and Mrs. Reagan laying flowers at the grave of Theodore Roosevelt Jr.
With the California primary taking place the day before, we sought to control the morning shows with moving content showcasing President Reagan on the beaches of Normandy - easier said than done.
The “invasion” of the White House Press Corps on Normandy required months of planning to coordinate the day’s events including President Reagan’s infamous speech to the “boys of Pointe du Hoc”, the surviving Rangers who gathered in front of the Ranger Monument.
I returned to the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc in 2022. The cliffs, bunkers, craters, and the Ranger Monument remain a reminder of courage, bravery, and sacrifice.
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5 个月Thank you for sharing this story. The speech and the visuals from that time honored the history of DDay but also created a legacy for President Reagan. His speech was so moving it still touches me today. The visuals really helped enhance the story and share the courage of our brave young men. As a young person it made me proud of your soliders, proud of our country and confident in our President.