[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 221 (Wednesday, November 15, 2000)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 69231-69232]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-29454]


 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 221 / Wednesday, November 15, 2000 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 69231]]


                Proclamation 7375 of November 10, 2000

                
Veterans Day, 2000

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                On this day, in ceremonies across our Nation and around 
                the world, Americans gather to pay tribute to our 
                veterans. In community centers and church halls, at VFW 
                posts and U.S. embassies, in quiet cemeteries and on 
                battlefields fallen silent, we pause to honor the brave 
                men and women of our Armed Forces whose devotion to 
                duty and willingness to serve have sustained our 
                country for more than two centuries.

                Over the course of our history, some 41 million 
                Americans have served--and more than a million have 
                died--so that we might live in freedom. We are the 
                beneficiaries of their courage, their sacrifice, and 
                their vigilance; and so are countless freedom-loving 
                people around the world.

                In the past century alone, through two world wars and 
                the long, tense struggle of the Cold War; on the front 
                lines in Korea, Vietnam, Beirut, Grenada, Panama, 
                Somalia, Haiti, the Persian Gulf, and the Balkans, our 
                brave men and women in uniform have risked their lives 
                to protect U.S. interests, assist our allies, promote 
                peace, and advance our ideals. Thanks to their 
                extraordinary record of service, more people now live 
                under democratic rule than at any other time in 
                history. And today, America is a stronger Nation in a 
                more secure world because of our veterans.

                President Kennedy once said, ``Democracy is never a 
                final achievement. It is a call to untiring effort, to 
                continual sacrifice and to the willingness, if 
                necessary, to die in its defense.'' Today we give 
                thanks to the veterans of our Armed Forces for showing 
                that willingness. Whether serving on bases and in ports 
                at home or deployed across the globe, they have endured 
                hardship and danger to protect our Nation and assist 
                our allies. The story of America has been written, in 
                large part, by the deeds of our veterans--deeds that 
                bind us to our past, inspire us in the present, and 
                strengthen us to meet the challenges of the future.

                In honor 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. On Veterans 
                Day, we pay tribute to all those who have served in our 
                Armed Forces, and we remember with deep respect those 
                who paid the ultimate price for our freedom. America's 
                veterans have answered the highest calling of 
                citizenship, and they continue to inspire us with the 
                depth of their patriotism and the generosity of their 
                service.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, do hereby proclaim Saturday, 
                November 11, 2000, 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.

[[Page 69232]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                tenth day of November, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand, and of the Independence of the United States 
                of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 00-29454
Filed 11-14-00; 8:46 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P