[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 30, Number 43 (Monday, October 31, 1994)]
[Pages 2171-2172]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6750--Veterans Day, 1994

October 27, 1994

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Each year, we set aside November 11 to honor the men and women who 
have served in our Nation's Armed Forces. Their stories are not only of 
past glory and current sacrifice; their lasting contributions are to our 
future as well. Their deeds and dedication assure us and the generations 
to come that America's great promise of freedom and happiness will 
endure and flourish.
    Fifty years ago on this day, American forces of World War II were 
pushing the enemy back across the European continent, liberating 
hundreds of thousands along the way. These heroic Americans fought to 
win the peace, not just for themselves and for their Nation, but for 
oppressed millions in many lands.
    The world has changed tremendously since then. Today, the 
international role of the United States has evolved from peacemaker to 
peacekeeper. And still we call upon our Armed Forces to serve our Nation 
and to defend the cause of freedom everywhere. Our men and women in 
uniform understand that the ideals of democracy and self-determination 
are larger than any single nation. The blood of Americans spilled on 
battlefields from Normandy to Korea to Vietnam and the vigilant defense 
of freedom throughout the Cold War have taught us a lasting lesson: 
America can only rest secure when every individual knows liberty and all 
nations live at peace.
    It is an extraordinary person who is willing to step in harm's way 
to protect others. Our Nation has always been blessed with an abundance 
of such men and women. We owe our veterans an inestimable debt of 
gratitude. On this day, we recognize how much they have done, and are 
doing, to make a better, safer tomorrow for all of us.
    In order that we may pay due 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

[[Page 2172]]

aside as a legal public holiday to honor America's veterans.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, do hereby proclaim Friday, November 11, 1994, as 
``Veterans Day.'' I urge all Americans to honor the resolution and 
commitment of 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.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-seventh 
day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-
four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two 
hundred and nineteenth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of Federal Register, 11:19 a.m., October 28, 
1994]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on October 
31.