[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 218 (Friday, November 12, 1999)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 61473-61474]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-29761]


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                         Presidential Documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 218 / Friday, November 12, 1999 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 61473]]

                Proclamation 7248 of November 8, 1999

                
Veterans Day, 1999

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Throughout U.S. history, Americans have kept a special 
                place of honor in their hearts for our veterans; and 
                for more than 70 years, we have set aside each November 
                11 to recognize the men and women who have so valiantly 
                served America. On this day, we remember and pay 
                tribute to the millions of patriots whose courage and 
                sacrifice have secured our freedom--from those who 
                suffered through the harsh winter at Valley Forge to 
                those who preserved our Union on the battlefields of 
                Gettysburg to those who turned back the tide of tyranny 
                and hatred on the beaches of Normandy to those who have 
                kept the peace and defended our values around the 
                globe.

                Since the first days of our independence, brave 
                Americans have stepped forward to protect our country 
                and promote our ideals. Some 48 million men and women 
                from every corner of our country and from every walk of 
                life have served in our Nation's Armed Forces, and 41 
                million of them have done so under hostile conditions. 
                Their service often put them in harm's way, far from 
                home and family, and too often it cost them their 
                lives.

                Time and again, America has called on her men and women 
                in uniform to protect our national security, to advance 
                our national interests, and to preserve our rights and 
                freedoms. And time and again, our Armed Forces have 
                responded by overcoming daunting challenges to achieve 
                hard-fought victories. In battles that would determine 
                our Nation's destiny, in wars that would decide the 
                fate of the free world, in peacekeeping missions that 
                would change forever the lives and futures of peoples 
                fighting oppression, they have persevered in the face 
                of adversity and have prevailed.

                Such victories do not come easily. They exact a heavy 
                toll in lives cut short, in families bereft, in human 
                potential unfulfilled. It is a toll paid by the 25 
                million veterans still living among us, who every day 
                carry with them the indelible memories of sacrifices 
                made, battles fought, and comrades lost.

                To pay tribute to 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. For 
                all their sacrifices and for the peace, prosperity, and 
                liberty their service has secured for us, our Nation 
                owes our veterans a profound debt of gratitude. In 
                commemorating this solemn day, we express our deep 
                appreciation for the duties they have discharged.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, do hereby proclaim Thursday, 
                November 11, 1999, as Veterans Day. I urge all 
                Americans to honor our veterans through appropriate 
                public ceremonies and private prayers. I call upon 
                Federal, State, and local government 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.

[[Page 61474]]

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

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 99-29761
Filed 11-10-99; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P