Veterans Day, 1999

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 7248 of November 8, 1999

Veterans Day, 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.

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.