Remarks at Troop Review Ceremonies, Fort Gordon, Georgia.

General Adams, General Hobson, Mr. Mayor, officers and men of Camp Gordon, and members of the garrison:

For me this is a distinct privilege and honor. I have long been wanting to visit Fort Gordon in order that I might thank the personnel which has been so helpful to my friends and my family and me during the intermittent trips that I make to Augusta. I assure you that our obligation to you is deep and lasting.

But I have a very special reason this morning to thank you for the opportunity you have given me to see again soldiers in ranks as I have just witnessed. Fifty years ago I entered the military service and even in the last 8 years, although I call myself a civilian--even sometimes a politician--I am still by law Commander in Chief and therefore I feel a part of you.

This is the last review that I shall ever receive in my life. I have been part of such ceremonies during this half-century. None has been more meaningful than this one. It gives me a chance, through you, to say goodbye to the Army--an Army that has had all these years not only my admiration and affection but my deep feeling of confidence that in such bodies as this, and in your sister services, the United States has a shield that no enemy dare attack or attempt to break down.

So this morning, as I have this chance to say goodbye to you, I hope that you will understand that my heart will always be filled with admiration for you, and there will be in my soul a certain nostalgia as I see a uniform, whether it be a single soldier on the streets or when I see a unit marching in a parade.

God bless you--and keep going. I have seen a command this morning that would thrill the heart of any soldier, and so I send with you my very best wishes for your future.