Reagan Again Cites Heroes Who Overcame Adversity

Although few knew the names of the two women who sat beaming beside Nancy Reagan during Wednesday’s State of the Union address, savvy observers divined why they were there long before President Reagan had finished speaking.

The women--Jean Nguyen and “Mother” Clara Hale--were Reagan’s latest American heroes, part of a tradition of honoring unusual achievers that has graced all but one of Reagan’s four State of the Union speeches.

Aids Addicted Children

Mrs. Hale, 79, founded and runs Hale House for Children, a home for drug-addicted youngsters in New York City’s Harlem. Since 1969, Mrs. Hale, her daughter and a seven-member staff have cared for more than 500 children who were born to addicted mothers and, as a result, suffered drug dependency themselves.

Nguyen, 21, will be graduated on May 22 from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. In 1974, she fled from Vietnam with her parents and five other children before the fall of Saigon. The family later settled in Milton, Pa.

Reagan kept his tribute secret until the end of his speech. Then, he turned to praise the women as examples of the opportunity that American society offers.

“Jean, Mother Hale, your lives tell us that the oldest American saying is new again--anything is possible in America if we have the faith, the will and the heart,” Reagan said.

Deputy White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater said heroes pop up in Reagan’s speeches because he has a soft spot for stories of triumph over adversity.

“As he’s said before, one of the nicest things about his job is to be able to help individual people,” Fitzwater said. “His campaign speeches were punctuated with stories of individuals like these.”

Paid Own Expenses

Fitzwater said that Mrs. Hale and Nguyen came to Washington at their own expense.

Reagan’s first State of the Union address honored Lenny Skutnik, who had leaped into the icy Potomac River weeks earlier to rescue a victim of an airline disaster.

The President’s 1983 address was devoid of heroes. But last year, he cited no fewer than five, only one of whom was present for the honor. He was Sgt. Stephen G. Trujillo, who rescued American soldiers wounded during the U.S. invasion of Grenada in October, 1983.