Ronald Reagan was the first President I voted for in 1980; a civics high school project had us identify what values were important to us, then identify a candidate that most closely matched those values. I chose… George Bush Sr.
That was in the Spring of 1980, and before the year was out, Reagan had chosen Bush for his running mate. I voted for Reagan less for who he was than I did for who he chose to run with him. My feelings for him over the next decade steadily rose. It was Reagan’s leadership that first showed me that it was not only ok to hold conservative values, but ok to talk about them. As I experienced life and left the mediocre middle-of-the-road-no-real-opinion world for conservatism, Reagan was leading the world against communism. He wasn’t afraid to call the USSR “evil;” the collapse of the USSR soon followed. The Eastern European countries freed from the grasp of that tyranny are now our partners in Iraq, fighting for the freedom there.
His steady leadership and candid wit was missed shortly after his Presidency; his medical condition mandated family privacy. His legacy and leadership still echo through today though, the founder of the modern conservative movement.
God be with you, Mr. Reagan.
Chasing the Wind 
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