FREEDOM is an achievement, not a gift; and its maintenance depends upon the vigilance of those who share its blessing.
The American Nation has survived for nearly two centuries because our people have been vigilant and selfless and determined to prove that the great experiments--freedom-can succeed.
National Defense Week, February 1222, 1970, is an occasion to recall the sacrifices of those who have over the life-span of the Republic served their country in uniform. It is also a time to pay tribute to the millions who serve today, many in distant outposts, and whose sacrifice and selflessness are in the finest tradition of the American citizen-soldier.
Note: The statement was released at Key Biscayne, Fla.
Richard Nixon, Statement About National Defense Week, 1970 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/240118