Few Americans can forget the words of Ronald Reagan at so many key moments in our nation’s and our world’s history.

His challenge, while in Berlin, to the Soviet Union’s Mikhail Gorbachev to &uot;tear down this wall&uot; was a powerful phrase that embodied our nation’s efforts to end communism.

And his sober remembrance of the Challenger astronauts the day the space shuttle exploded helped soothe the country at a time of great sorrow.

Elected president less than a decade after Watergate and before Bill Clinton’s impeachment, Reagan’s term in office marked a time when Americans could respect and admire the president.

The same sunny, boy-next-door personality that he showed as an actor in Hollywood buoyed Reagan into politics and eventually into the White House, where his eight years were filled with great prosperity for many in America.

His time in office was marked by the beginning of the end of the Cold War but also the Iran Contra scandal that tainted some members of his administration.

Reagan dominated the 1980s, but his policies and his patriotism have also fueled 21st century politics as well.

Certainly his economic policies had a lasting effect, driving down inflation during his tenure and boosting the country into 72 months of recovery after two years of recession at the beginning of his first term.

Reagan was a popular president, and even those who disagree with his policies can agree his service to his country was great and his belief in America’s promises was inspiring. He promised to make us believe it was &uot;morning in America&uot; again, and that optimism was one of his greatest strengths.

Even in his last years, when Reagan endured Alzheimer’s disease &045;&045; known heart-breakingly as &uot;the long good-bye&uot; &045;&045; his family made sure that while the former president’s image was protected, they pushed for awareness of the disease. His wife Nancy’s devotion to her husband as his primary caretaker is a testament to her own strength.

As Colin Powell, Reagan’s national security adviser, said upon hearing of his death Saturday: ”President Reagan fueled the spirit of America. His smile, his optimism, his total belief in the ultimate triumph of democracy and freedom, and his willingness to act on that belief, helped end the Cold War and usher in a new and brighter phase of history.”