[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 218 (Wednesday, November 12, 1997)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 60761-60762]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-29980]



[[Page 60759]]

_______________________________________________________________________

Part IV





The President





_______________________________________________________________________



Proclamation 7050--Veterans Day, 1997
 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 218 / Wednesday, November 12, 1997 / 
Presidential Documents  

 ___________________________________________________________________

 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 60761]]

                Proclamation 7050 of November 7, 1997

                
Veterans day, 1997

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Americans have always looked to the future. Planning 
                for next week, next month, or next year, we rarely 
                dwell on the past, but rather look ahead to tomorrow. 
                But each year in November, we pause to look back, to 
                reflect with pride and profound gratitude on the 
                achievements of our Nation's veterans. The service and 
                sacrifice of these millions of courageous men and women 
                is a gleaming thread that weaves, unbroken, through the 
                fabric of American history.

                More than two centuries ago, the framers of our 
                Constitution outlined in a few brief words the burden 
                and privilege that generations of American veterans 
                would willingly embrace: to ``provide for the common 
                defence . . . and secure the Blessings of Liberty to 
                ourselves and our Posterity . . . .'' Since the days of 
                the American Revolution, nearly 42 million patriots 
                have taken up arms to defend America and to guarantee 
                that the blessings of liberty are, indeed, secure. From 
                Lexington and Concord to Fort McHenry and San Juan 
                Hill, from the Argonne Forest to the shores of 
                Normandy, from the frozen terrain of Korea to the 
                jungles of Vietnam and the sands of Kuwait, America's 
                veterans have risked--and more than half a million have 
                lost--their lives to preserve our freedom and defend 
                our national interests.

                Today, more than 25 million American veterans live 
                among us. They come from every walk of life and from 
                every ethnic, religious, and racial background. They 
                are our family members, friends, and neighbors, but 
                these seemingly ordinary citizens have accomplished 
                extraordinary things. They have defended our liberty 
                against every challenge, preserved our values, advanced 
                democracy across the globe, and made America the 
                world's best hope for freedom and lasting peace.

                For these contributions, and for so much more, we owe 
                our veterans an enormous debt of gratitude that we can 
                never fully repay. To those who have completed their 
                service and returned to civilian life, we owe the 
                opportunity for a good education, a good job, and the 
                chance to buy a home. For those who have suffered 
                injury or illness in service to America, we must 
                provide relief, quality health care, and the 
                opportunity to live out their dreams. To the families 
                of those still missing, we owe the fullest possible 
                accounting and every effort to determine the fate of 
                their loved ones. And to those who have died for us and 
                for our country, whether here at home or on some 
                foreign battlefield, we owe our lasting respect and the 
                pledge to meet America's future challenges with the 
                same valor and generosity that infused their sacrifice.

                In recognition of and gratitude for the contributions 
                of those who have served in our Armed Forces, the 
                Congress has provided (5 U.S.C. 6103(a)) that November 
                11 of each year shall be set aside as a legal public 
                holiday to honor America's veterans.

[[Page 60762]]

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, do hereby proclaim Tuesday, 
                November 11, 1997, as Veterans Day. I urge all 
                Americans to acknowledge the courage and sacrifice of 
                our veterans through appropriate public ceremonies and 
                private prayers. I call upon Federal, State, and local 
                officials to display the flag of the United States and 
                to encourage and participate in patriotic activities in 
                their communities. I invite civic and fraternal 
                organizations, places of worship, schools, businesses, 
                unions, and the media to support this national 
                observance with suitable commemorative expressions and 
                programs.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                seventh day of November, in the year of our Lord 
                nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, and of the 
                Independence of the United States of America the two 
                hundred and twenty-second.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 97-29980
Filed 11-10-97; 11:05 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P