“Just as you protected America, we’re going to pass our country to the next generation, stronger and safer and more respected in the world,” Obama said at the 113th annual convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Reno, Nevada

“So if anyone tries to tell you that our greatness has passed, that America is in decline, you tell them this: Just like the 20th century, the 21st is going to be another great American Century,” Obama said. “For we are Americans, blessed with the greatest form of government ever devised by man, a democracy dedicated to freedom and committed to the ideals that still light the world. We will never apologize for our way of life; we will never waver in its defense.”

The president continued, “We are a nation that freed millions and turned adversaries into allies. We are the Americans who defended the peace and turned back aggression. We are Americans who welcome our global responsibilities and our global leadership. The United States has been, and will remain, the one indispensable nation in world affairs.”