Veterans Day, 2007

Proclamation 8199 of October 31, 2007

Veterans Day, 2007

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Throughout our history, America has been protected by
patriots who cherished liberty and made great
sacrifices to advance the cause of freedom. The brave
members of the United States Armed Forces have answered
the call to serve our Nation, ready to give all for
their country. On Veterans Day, we honor these
extraordinary Americans for their service and
sacrifice, and we pay tribute to the legacy of freedom
and peace that they have given our great Nation.

In times of war and of peace, our men and women in
uniform stepped forward to defend their fellow citizens
and the country they love. They shouldered great
responsibility and lived up to the highest standards of
duty and honor. Our veterans held fast against
determined and ruthless enemies and helped save the
world from tyranny and terror. They ensured that
America remained what our founders meant her to be: a
light to the nations, spreading the good news of human
freedom to the darkest corners of the earth.

Like the heroes before them, today a new generation of
men and women are fighting for freedom around the
globe. Their determination, courage, and sacrifice are
laying the foundation for a more secure and peaceful
world.

Veterans Day is dedicated to the extraordinary
Americans who protected our freedom in years past, and
to those who protect it today. They represent the very
best of our Nation. Every Soldier, Sailor, Airman,
Marine, and Coast Guardsman has earned the lasting
gratitude of the American people, and their service and
sacrifice will be remembered forever. In the words of
Abraham Lincoln: `` . . . let us strive on to finish
the work we are in, to bind up the Nation's wounds, to
care for him who shall have borne the battle . . . .''
On this Veterans Day, I ask all Americans to express
their appreciation to our Nation's veterans.

With respect for and in recognition of the
contributions our service men and women 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.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim November
11, 2007, as Veterans Day and urge all Americans to
observe November 11 through November 17, 2007, as
National Veterans Awareness Week. I encourage all
Americans to recognize the valor and sacrifice of our
veterans through ceremonies and prayers. I call upon
Federal, State, and local officials to display the flag
of the United States and to support 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 commemorative expressions
and programs.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirty-first day of October, in the year of our Lord
two thousand seven, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
second.