ARNOLD PAYS RESPECT TO PRESIDENT REAGAN!
President Ronald Reagan Dies at 93!
Reported By: TheARNOLDFANS.com Staff
Wednesday, June 9, 2004

Schwarzenegger was deeply saddened by Reagan's death on Saturday as he knew the former President well. Arnold followed in Reagan's footsteps from screen hero to political hero.

"I did not just admire him, I was fortunate enough to know him. He was a hero to me," Schwarzenegger, a Republican like Reagan, said in an emotional statement.

Schwarzenegger ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at the California Capitol in honor of Reagan.

"Many people forget what a tremendous force Ronald Reagan was for California as our governor. He served with dignity and determination, and left us with a blueprint for executive leadership that is still a model today," he said.

On Monday, June 7th, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was among the first mourners to pay tribute at the coffin of his "hero" and fellow former movie star Ronald Reagan.

Schwarzenegger arrived at the Reagan presidential library to say farewell to the man who served as a role model for his extraordinary career governor moments after Reagan's casket went on public display.

The Austrian-born former bodybuilder and his Kennedy heiress Maria Shriver stopped reverentially in front of the flag-draped coffin as the first of an expected total of tens of thousands of people began paying their respects.

"It was an emotional visit," Schwarzenegger said after his farewell to Reagan, with whom he has a great deal in common.

Both are from poor families from the countryside, both came to California and became Hollywood movie stars, and then, as their careers waned, went into politics to become governors of California.

"President Reagan is my hero. I idolized him," Schwarzenegger said.

Reagan died Saturday aged 93, after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. On Wednesday, Reagan leaves for Washington for a lying in state at the US Capitol and a state funeral.

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TheARNOLDFANS.com Staff