[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 131, 115th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
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.

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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
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.
DONALD J. TRUMP