[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 129 (Monday, July 7, 2003)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 40115-40116]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-17235]


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                         Presidential Documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 129 / Monday, July 7, 2003 /  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 40115]]

                Proclamation 7690 of July 1, 2003

                
30th Anniversary of the All-Volunteer Force

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Throughout our history, members of the United States 
                Armed Forces have inspired our citizens with their 
                bravery, honor, and dedication. Our Nation continues to 
                be grateful for the courageous men and women who have 
                demonstrated extraordinary patriotism in choosing to 
                help defend America and the cause of freedom.

                For the last 30 years, we have been fortunate to have a 
                military composed entirely of volunteers. When our 
                country's All-Volunteer Force was born on July 1, 1973, 
                no comparable military in the world operated on a fully 
                volunteer basis. Throughout most of the 20th century, 
                the majority of our Armed Forces personnel were 
                drafted, serving our Nation in both World Wars, the 
                Korean conflict, and Vietnam. In the late 1960s, the 
                American public's dissatisfaction with the draft 
                prompted President Richard Nixon to establish The 
                President's Commission on an All-Volunteer Armed Force. 
                After studying whether to retain the draft or establish 
                a volunteer military, the Commission concluded that a 
                volunteer force would be economically viable and 
                potentially more effective. After much debate, the 
                Nixon Administration and the Congress allowed the 
                authority for the draft to lapse, and the All-Volunteer 
                Force was created.

                Since that time, our volunteer Armed Forces personnel 
                have upheld the finest traditions of our military and 
                our country. Today, more than 1.4 million men and women 
                choose to serve on active duty, along with nearly 
                880,000 members of the National Guard and Reserves. 
                These volunteer soldiers helped to win the Cold War, 
                turn back aggression during the Persian Gulf War, keep 
                the peace in the former Yugoslavia, liberate oppressed 
                people in Afghanistan and Iraq, and defend freedom 
                around the world.

                As we look toward the future of our country and our 
                military, our Nation gives thanks for the prowess of 
                our military, and we remain committed to providing our 
                service men and women with the tools and training they 
                need to continue to be the best in the world. On the 
                celebration of the 30th anniversary of our All-
                Volunteer Force, I join Americans in thanking these 
                brave men and women for choosing to serve in defense of 
                the Nation.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim July 1, 2003, as the 30th 
                Anniversary of the All-Volunteer Force. I call upon all 
                Americans to join me in recognizing this anniversary 
                with heartfelt thanks and continued support for the men 
                and women who defend our great Nation.

[[Page 40116]]

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

                    (Presidential Sig.)B

[FR Doc. 03-17235
Filed 7-3-03; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P