[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 39 (Monday, October 4, 1999)]
[Pages 1857-1858]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7227--100th Anniversary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars

September 29, 1999

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    As a free Nation, we must always remember that our achievements in 
peace have been built on the sacrifices of our veterans in war. We owe a 
profound debt to brave Americans like the members of the Veterans of 
Foreign Wars of the United States who knew their duty and did it well--
even at the

[[Page 1858]]

risk of their freedom and their lives, and we are proud to honor the VFW 
as it celebrates its 100th anniversary.
    Each VFW member has given double service to our Nation by answering 
the call to duty in the Armed Forces and by joining the VFW. Whether 
raising the morale of our men and women in uniform, helping veterans 
receive their much-deserved benefits, providing scholarships for our 
youth, or bringing hope and help to families and communities in need, 
these veterans have upheld the highest standards of service and 
citizenship. Perhaps most important, they are the living reminder of the 
countless men and women who have served and sacrificed throughout past 
decades to defend our Nation and preserve the liberties we hold so dear. 
VFW members and their fallen comrades have carried the torch of freedom 
both at home and in distant lands, and America remains forever grateful.
    We have a solemn responsibility to ensure that all our veterans 
enjoy the quality of life they deserve. On Veterans Day last year, I was 
proud to sign into law the Veterans Programs Enhancement Act. This 
legislation improves a wide range of benefits and programs, including an 
increase in compensation payments to veterans with disabilities as well 
as benefits to the survivors of Americans who died serving our country.
    The small groups of Spanish-American War veterans who first banded 
together in 1899 could not have envisioned that their numbers would grow 
to more than two million strong, or that the VFW would come to have such 
an enormous positive influence on the lives of generations of veterans, 
their families, and communities throughout our Nation. As we celebrate 
the centennial of the VFW, we honor these veterans for all they have 
done to build a proud past for our Nation and to ensure a brighter 
future for us all.
    Recognizing the contribution of the Veterans of Foreign Wars to the 
continued strength of our country and success of our democracy, the 
Congress, by H.J. Res. 34, has called on the President to issue a 
proclamation in observance of September 29, 1999, as the ``100th 
Anniversary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.'' On this day, let us 
reflect with pride on our great country and remember with gratitude the 
contributions of the many loyal and courageous veterans who have given 
so much of themselves both at home and around the world to preserve our 
freedom.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, do hereby proclaim September 29, 1999, as the 100th 
Anniversary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. I urge all Americans to 
recognize this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and 
activities.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth 
day of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-
nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America, the two 
hundred and twenty-fourth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 9:23 a.m., October 1, 
1999]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on October 
4.