[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 45 (Monday, November 10, 1997)]
[Pages 1749-1750]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7050--Veterans Day, 1997

November 7, 1997

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Americans have always looked to the future. Planning for next week, 
next month, or next year, we rarely dwell on the past, but rather look 
ahead to tomorrow. But each year in November, we pause to look back, to 
reflect with pride and profound gratitude on the achievements of our 
Nation's veterans. The service and sacrifice of these millions of 
courageous men and women is a gleaming thread that weaves, unbroken, 
through the fabric of American history.
    More than two centuries ago, the framers of the Constitution 
outlined in a few brief words the burden and privilege that generations 
of American veterans would willingly embrace: to ``provide for the 
common defence . . . and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves 
and our Posterity . . . .'' Since the days of the American Revolution, 
nearly 42 million patriots have taken up arms to defend America and to 
guarantee that the blessings of liberty are, indeed, secure. From 
Lexington and Concord to Fort McHenry and San Juan Hill, from the 
Argonne Forest to the shores of Normandy, from the frozen terrain of 
Korea to the jungles of Vietnam and the sands of Kuwait, America's 
veterans have risked--and more than half a million have lost--their 
lives to preserve our freedom and defend our national interests.
    Today, more than 25 million American veterans live among us. They 
come from every walk of life and from every ethnic, religious, and 
racial background. They are our family members, friends, and neighbors, 
but these seemingly ordinary citizens have accomplished extraordinary 
things. They have defended our liberty against every challenged, 
preserved our values, advanced democracy across the globe, and made 
America the world's best hope for freedom and lasting peace.
    For these contributions, and for so much more, we owe our veterans 
an enormous debt of gratitude that we can never fully repay. To those 
who have completed their service and returned to civilian life, we owe 
the opportunity for a good education, a good job, and the chance to buy 
a home. For those who have suffered injury or illness in service to 
America, we must provide relief, quality health care, and the 
opportunity to live out their dreams. To the families of those still 
missing, we owe the fullest possible accounting and every effort to 
determine the fate of their loved ones. And to those who have died for 
us and for our country, whether here at home or on some foreign 
battlefield, we owe our lasting respect and the pledge to meet America's 
future challenges with the same valor and generosity that infused their 
sacrifice.
    In recognition of and gratitude for the contributions 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.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, do hereby proclaim Tuesday, November 11, 1997, 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.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this seventh day of 
November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, and 
of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
twenty-second.
                                            William J. Clinton

[[Page 1750]]

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:05 a.m., November 10, 
1997]

Note: This proclamation will be published in the Federal Register on 
November 12.