[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 217 (Monday, November 13, 2017)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 52641-52642]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-24689]



[[Page 52639]]

Vol. 82

Monday,

No. 217

November 13, 2017

Part III





The President





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Proclamation 9672--Veterans Day, 2017
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  Federal Register / Vol. 82 , No. 217 / Monday, November 13, 2017 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 52641]]

                Proclamation 9672 of November 7, 2017

                
Veterans Day, 2017

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Our veterans represent the very best of America. They 
                have bravely answered the call to serve in the finest 
                military force in the world, and they have earned the 
                dignity that comes with wearing the uniform and 
                defending our great flag. On Veterans Day, we honor all 
                Americans who have served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, 
                Marines, and Coast Guard, both in times of war and 
                peace. For nearly 100 years, since the end of World War 
                I, Veterans Day has given us a time to pay due respect 
                to our veterans, who have passed the torch of liberty 
                from one generation to the next.

                Part of paying our respect means recommitting to our 
                Nation's sacred obligation to care for those who have 
                protected the freedom we often take for granted. I have 
                pledged to provide our service members with the best 
                equipment, resources, and support in the world--support 
                that must continue after they return to civilian life 
                as veterans. This is why veterans' healthcare is a top 
                priority for my Administration. I have signed 
                legislation that improves accountability at the 
                Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and provides 
                additional funding for the Veterans Choice Program, 
                which ensures veterans continue to receive care in 
                their communities from providers they trust. I have 
                also signed legislation to give veterans GI Bill 
                education benefits for their lifetime, and legislation 
                to fix the VA appeals process, to ensure veterans can 
                access the resources they are rightly due.

                Additionally, this Veterans Day, more than 50 years 
                from the beginning of the Vietnam War, I will be in Da 
                Nang, Vietnam, with leaders of the Asia-Pacific 
                Economic Cooperation forum. As we discuss ways to 
                improve economic relationships between the United 
                States and Asia in a country where Americans and 
                Vietnamese once fought a war, we are compelled to 
                recall and recognize the sacrifices of the more than 8 
                million Vietnam veterans who served here, beginning 
                with those who arrived in the first American troop 
                deployment in 1965 and ending with those who fought 
                through the cease-fire of 1973. These men and women 
                dedicated themselves, during one of the most 
                challenging periods in our history, to promoting 
                freedom across the globe. Many spent years away from 
                their loved ones as they endured the burdens of battle 
                and some experienced profound pain and anguish as their 
                fellow warriors, more than 50,000 of them, lost their 
                lives. Some of these heroes have yet to return home, as 
                1,253 of America's sons and daughters still remain 
                missing. Along with our Vietnamese partners, however, 
                we continue to work to account for them and to bring 
                them home to American soil. We will not rest until that 
                work is done.

                With respect for, and in recognition of, the 
                contributions our service members have made to the 
                cause of peace and freedom around the world, 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 our Nation's veterans. As Commander in 
                Chief of our heroic Armed Forces, I humbly thank our 
                veterans and their families as we remember and honor 
                their service and their sacrifice.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the 
                United States of America, do hereby proclaim November 
                11, 2017, as Veterans Day. I encourage all Americans to 
                recognize the fortitude and sacrifice of our

[[Page 52642]]

                veterans through public ceremonies and private thoughts 
                and prayers. I call upon Federal, State, and local 
                officials to display the flag of the United States and 
                to participate in patriotic activities in their 
                communities. I call on all Americans, including civic 
                and fraternal organizations, places of worship, 
                schools, and communities to support this day with 
                commemorative expressions and programs.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                seventh day of November, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand seventeen, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                second.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2017-24689
Filed 11-9-17; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F8-P