Ronald Reagan, former president of the United States of America, died this past weekend from Alzheimer's Disease. He was 93 years old.

You can go all over the Internet and find information out about this guy (just type his name into google), so I won't waste time saying what everyone else is saying. I will just sort of comment quickly how the events of the last week have made me feel. He was an incredible person, with great insight. He was one of us, an American, a patriot at heart and in practice. He wasn't a perfect man, but he certainly came closer than most I've ever known.

When I was born, Ronald Reagan had just been elected a week earlier. His election and subsequent inauguration were the most visible and important events at the beginning of my life. As a child growing up, I didn't know much about the man or his policies, his position or his opposition. I don't think I truly came to understand what he did for this nation until about a year or so ago. Even before then, however, I'd always regarded him as an impressive leader, and even added him to my mental list of people I'd like to meet one day.

Though he is gone now, I'll always feel like I knew him my whole life. And I know I'm not alone either. Millions of other people whose lives Reagan touched now mourn his passing. We've lost a great man.