[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 45 (Monday, November 15, 1999)]
[Pages 2292-2293]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7248--Veterans Day, 1999

November 8, 1999

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Throughout U.S. history, Americans have kept a special place of 
honor in their hearts for our veterans; and for more than 70 years, we 
have set aside each November 11 to recognize the men and women who have 
so valiantly served America. On this day, we remember and pay tribute to 
the millions of patriots whose courage and sacrifice have secured our 
freedom--from those who suffered through the harsh winter at Valley 
Forge to those who preserved our Union on the battlefields of Gettysburg 
to those who turned back the tide of tyranny and hatred on the beaches 
of Normandy to those who have kept the peace and defended our values 
around the globe.
    Since the first days of our independence, brave Americans have 
stepped forward to protect our country and promote our ideals. Some 48 
million men and women from every corner of our country and from every 
walk of life have served in our Nation's Armed Forces, and 41 million of 
them have done so under hostile conditions. Their service often put them 
in harm's way, far from home and family, and too often it cost them 
their lives.
    Time and again, America has called on her men and women in uniform 
to protect our national security, to advance our national interests, and 
to preserve our rights and freedoms. And time and again, our Armed 
Forces have responded by overcoming daunting challenges to achieve hard-
fought victories. In battles that would determine our Nation's destiny, 
in wars that would decide the fate of the free world, in peacekeeping 
missions that would change forever the lives and futures of peoples 
fighting oppression, they have persevered in the face of adversity and 
have prevailed.

[[Page 2293]]

    Such victories do not come easily. They exact a heavy toll in lives 
cut short, in families bereft, in human potential unfulfilled. It is a 
toll paid by the 25 million veterans still living among us, who every 
day carry with them the indelible memories of sacrifices made, battles 
fought, and comrades lost.
    To pay 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 aside as a legal public holiday to honor America's 
veterans. For all their sacrifices and for the peace, prosperity, and 
liberty their service has secured for us, our Nation owes our veterans a 
profound debt of gratitude. In commemorating this solemn day, we express 
our deep appreciation for the duties they have discharged.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 11, 1999, as 
Veterans Day. I urge all Americans to honor 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 eighth day of 
November, 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, 8:45 a.m., November 10, 
1999]

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