[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 218 (Thursday, November 12, 1998)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 63121-63122]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-30451]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 218 / Thursday, November 12, 1998 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 63121]]
Proclamation 7146 of November 9, 1998
Veterans Day, 1998
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
This year on Veterans Day, we celebrate the 80th
anniversary of the armistice that finally silenced the
guns of World War I. Millions of brave Americans
marched into Europe and into the brutality of trench
warfare to fight that war. Although President Woodrow
Wilson recognized that ``it is a fearful thing to lead
this great peaceful people into war,'' he also realized
that it was important to do so ``for the things which
we have always carried nearest our hearts--for
democracy, for the right of those who submit to
authority to have a voice in their own Governments . .
. .'' The veterans of the First World War accepted this
burden and privilege, which American men and women in
uniform have borne throughout the decades and still
bear today.
At Cantigny, St. Mihiel, Chateau-Thierry, Belleau Wood,
and the Meuse-Argonne, American soldiers withstood the
onslaughts of the enemy and, with extraordinary valor
and unbending determination, turned the tide of battle
and won a signal victory for democracy. Our Nation has
been truly blessed by the service of these veterans who
set an extraordinary example of courage and devotion to
country that inspired the generations of Americans who
followed them into the Armed Forces.
Through two world wars, through long and costly
struggles against aggression in Korea and Vietnam,
through conflict in the Persian Gulf, and in numerous
peacekeeping and humanitarian missions, America's
veterans have risked their lives and spilled their
blood to keep faith with our Nation's fundamental
values of freedom, democracy, and human dignity. We owe
an enormous debt of gratitude to these patriots, whose
service and sacrifice have allowed us to raise our
children in a country blessed with peace and prosperity
and to shape a brighter future for nations around the
world.
In grateful recognition of 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. On Veterans Day, we honor all
those who have served in our Armed Forces, and we
remember with deep respect those who paid the ultimate
price for our freedom. America's veterans have answered
the highest calling of citizenship, and they continue
to inspire us with the depth of their patriotism and
the generosity of their service.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim Wednesday,
November 11, 1998, 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.
[[Page 63122]]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen
hundred and ninety-eight, and of the Independence of
the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-third.
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 98-30451
Filed 11-10-98; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P
