Conversation 737-007

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I thought everybody was from Colorado.

Yes.

or three boys

Joe, how are you?

Before we come in and tell you how this is going to work, it's very simple.

I think what we will spend, I don't think we've done it the best we could.

I think you'd be interested to know that the last time I saw Mr. Van Ham was in this room.

I had seen him in Vietnam, because I was very many trips there.

And I did not see him when he was on the military side.

I saw him after 1965, 1965, 1966, 1967.

And like Joe Alsop, who's gone out there,

many good men, good leaders, all of them trying.

But once in a while, you come across one who's just head and shoulders above the rest.

And when I say that, I'm speaking of the fact that he had that unique combination of having a splendid military man and then working on the civilian side.

But he worked with such dedication, such

selflessness, gave so much of himself.

He never asked his men, his associates, to do anything that he wouldn't do.

That's why he was in the helicopter.

I remember the last time we were here, it was here, it was in a rather rough time in Vietnam, and he never lost confidence in it.

He had a very strong hand-shake there.

He stood here in front of me, he swiped right where we are, and I said goodbye to him.

I tried to deceive him again.

But I think you, as members of the band, should know that when I read about his death, I was at Camp David working on some matters that had to do with my Soviet trip.

And I immediately got a link with General Haig to see what we could do to at least honor him.

I can tell you that had he been in the service at that time,

even though it would have been an exception.

But I think the kind of disservice, the totality of the disservice was such as to American congressional mail, because it was beyond the call of duty in the military, and beyond the call of duty in the fire department, and the civilians as well.

The highest thing we can give to this government, for people that are not in the military service, of course, is the Medal of Freedom.

I've given as many as previous presidents have, so it's perhaps worth a little more.

But I wanted the members of this family to know before the press came in that if I could have done it, if the law would have allowed it, that this is one man who would have the congressional medal.

Because the country, this country, is in its debt for its example.

Vietnam, which we all hope will end in a way that will serve peace rather than war in the future.

When it's over, to the extent the South Vietnamese have any chance to survive without having the oppression of a communist government imposed upon them, he will deserve a lot of credit.

I think in the years ahead, as this citation will read, that South Vietnamese children may read about John Vann.

As we read about Lafayette, you've got to have a man.

You've got to dress your man.

was tremendously

of a difficult cause, a left cause, for the United States and for me personally.

And this citation tries to put it in words, but we all know about it, and I'm certain these words reflect that.

I feel a lot of individualism when I'm reading so well over these years.

The President of the United States of America awards his presidential medal of freedom to John Paul Madison, soldier of peace,

His military and civilian service in Vietnam spanned the decades, marked throughout by

with LaBelle in that gallery of heroes who have made another brave people's cause their own.

Yeah, right here on the side.

All right, fine.

Well, I wish you the best of luck.

I'd like to give you a little tour of the hotel.

Are you feeling all right?

Well, he was obviously a little way out.

It wasn't difficult to identify which was the one.

I don't know why they like to wear such a mark.

That's it, they wear their uniforms.

I'm not controlling them in these cases, but it's an amazing difference in attitude.

Well, he was obviously a little...

misguided by so many of these people, by their so-called teachers and professors.

He probably got into school.

And his father was away, that's another thing.

You just need to turn around and come down, please.