PEACE CORPS IN THE 21 ST CENTURY: A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS

8volunteer service an appealing look, which was a way to remind Americans of theorganization’s work.One result of recruiting more skilled volunteers was that the average age of PeaceCorps volunteers rose from 22 to 27, and five percent of volunteers were over the age of50. At the end of the 1970s two Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs), PaulTsongas and Christopher Dodd, were elected to the United States Senate. Dodd andTsongas were the first of many political figures who served as volunteers, giving PeaceCorps service a distinguished list of alumni. 23Tsongas and Dodd also worked onPresident Carter’s commission on human rights and developing nations, whichcontributed to Carter’s legacy as a president concerned with foreign diplomacy indeveloping countries. At that time, volunteers served in 69 countries, and more hostcountry nationals (HCNs) worked for the organization than ever before.In 1981 President Carter’s 1979 Executive Order passed as Congressionallegislation, making the Peace Corps an independent federal agency. Congress recognizedthat Carter’s order was important and worthy of approval, as it completely freed theorganization from the possibility of being confused or associated with othergovernmental branches.The Peace Corps was showing signs of revival. The Carter administration hadhelped to reshape and renew the vitality of the organization, adding funding to the budgetfor recruitment and advertising. However, the Reagan administration firmly rejectedJimmy Carter’s stance on foreign policy, which deeply affected the organization’sdevelopment. Within his first days in office, President Reagan signed his first fiscal yearbudget requesting a 25 percent reduction of funds. 24Reagan did not support overseas