A ‘Nation of Doers’ Draws Salute

President Reagan departed Tuesday night from his usual practice of picking out individuals for recognition as heroes in his State of the Union address and instead voiced a broad-ranging salute to an “uncommon nation of doers.”

“In America, we the people are in charge,” he said.

“They are the entrepreneurs, the builders, the pioneers, and a lot of regular folks--the true heroes of our land who make up the most uncommon nation of doers in history,” Reagan said.

“America isn’t finished,” he said. “Her best days have just begun.”

White House spokesman Larry Speakes, asked why the President did not single out individuals for recognition, said: “I think this year there were many heroes that the President wanted to honor.”

In previous State of the Union addresses, Reagan has invited individuals to be seated with First Lady Nancy Reagan in the President’s box in the House gallery and has saluted them during his speech.

In 1982, he honored Lenny Skutnik of Lorton, Va., who played a role in the rescue of survivors of an Air Florida plane crash in the Potomac River. In 1984, he honored Sgt. Stephen Trujillo, who rescued wounded soldiers during combat in Grenada. Those honored last year included Tyrone Ford, a 12-year-old handicapped gospel singer.