Veterans Day Events
The Veterans Day National Ceremony will take place at the Arlington National Cemetery Memorial Amphitheater
on November 11. The ceremony will begin promptly at 11:00 a.m. and will end at approximately 12 noon. The Ceremony will be carried live on television. Check your local
listings.
Veterans Day At The Navy Memorial - 1:00 p.m., Nov. 11 --U.S. Navy
Memorial, 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. A wreath will be laid at the Lone
Sailor Statue in commemoration of Veterans Day. The U.S. Navy Ceremonial Band, Ceremonial Guard and Color Guard will participate in the public ceremony.
Veterans Day At The Coast Guard Monument - Wreath laying ceremony at the Coast Guard Monument in Arlington National Cemetery, section 4, from 12:30 - 1:30
p.m.
“The Story of Veterans Day,” is a 30 minute program that will air nationally on Thursday, Nov. 11 at 8 a.m.
and 2 p.m. ET/PT on the History Channel. The program explores the origin and meaning of the Veterans Day holiday while examining the service, sacrifice, honor and courage of our veterans.
The film features interviews with veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming!
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there:
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? |
President's Veterans Day Proclamation
Veterans Day, 2004
Americans live in freedom because of our veterans' courage, dedication to duty, and love of country. On Veterans Day, we honor these brave men
and women who have served in our Armed Forces and defended our Nation.
Across America, there are more than 25 million veterans. Their ranks include generations of citizens who have risked their lives while serving in military conflicts, including World War
II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and the war on terror. They have fought for the security of our country and the peace of the world. They have defended our founding ideals, protected
the innocent, and liberated the oppressed from tyranny and terror. They have known the hardships and the fears and the tragic losses of war. Our veterans know that in the harshest hours
of conflict they serve just and honorable purposes.
Through the years, our veterans have returned home from their duties to become active and responsible citizens in their communities, further contributing to the growth and development of
our Nation. Their commitment to service inspires all Americans.
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 veterans.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim November 11, 2004, as Veterans Day and urge all Americans to observe November 7 through
November 13, 2004, as National Veterans Awareness Week. I urge 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 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 commemorative expressions and programs.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-ninth.
GEORGE W. BUSH
President Honors America's Veterans
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington, Virginia
11:36 A.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you for that warm welcome. Laura and I are honored to be here today. Mr. Secretary, thank you for your kind introduction, and thank you for your strong leadership in
making sure our veterans have got the very best care possible.
Secretary Principi has done a fantastic job for the American veteran. (Applause.)
I thank the members of my Cabinet who have joined us today. I appreciate the Chiefs of Staff and other members of the United States military who have joined us. I want to
thank all the veterans who are here today. I want to thank the representatives of
veterans organizations. And I want to thank my fellow Americans.
Veterans Day is set aside to remember every man and woman who has taken up arms to defend our country. We honor every soldier, sailor, airman, Marine and
Coastguardsman who gave some of the best years of their lives to the service of the
United States and stood ready to give life, itself, on our behalf. Twenty-five million
military veterans walk among us, and on this day, our nation thanks them all.
(Applause.)
These are the hidden heroes of a peaceful nation: our colleagues and friends, neighbors and family members who answered the call and returned to live in the land they defended.
Our veterans are drawn from several generations and many backgrounds. They're Americans who remember the swift conflict of the Persian Gulf War; and a long Cold War vigil; the heat of
Vietnam and the bitter cold of Korea. They are veterans in their 80s, who served under MacArthur and Eisenhower and saved the liberty of the world. And still with us in the year 2004 are
a few dozen Americans who fought the Kaiser's army and celebrated the end of the Great War on this day in 1918. (Applause.) The last doughboys are all more than 100 years old. Our nation
will always be proud of their service.
Some of our veterans are young men and women with recent memories of battle in mountains and in deserts. In Afghanistan, these brave Americans helped sweep away a vicious tyranny allied
with terror and prepared the way for a free people to elect its own leaders. In Iraq, our men and women fought a ruthless enemy of America, setting the people free from a tyrant who now
sits in a prison cell. (Applause.)
All who have served in this cause are liberators in the best tradition of America. Their actions have made our nation safer in a world full of new dangers. Their actions have also upheld
the ideals of America's founding, which defines us still. Our nation values freedom -- not just for ourselves, but for all. And because Americans are willing to serve and sacrifice for
this cause, our nation remains the greatest force for good among all the nations on the Earth. (Applause.)
Some of tomorrow's veterans are in combat in Iraq at this hour. They have a clear
mission: to defeat the terrorists and aid the rise of a free government that can defend
itself. They are performing that mission with skill and with honor. They are making us
proud. They are winning. (Applause.)
Our men and women in the military have superb training and the best equipment and
able commanders. And they have another great advantage -- they have the example of American veterans who came before. From the very day George Washington took
command, the uniform of the United States has always stood for courage and decency and shining hope in a world of darkness. And all who have worn that uniform have won the thanks of the
American people.
Today, we're thinking of our fellow Americans last seen on duty, whose fate is still undetermined. We will not rest until we have made the fullest possible accounting for every life.
(Applause.)
Today we also recall the men and women who did not live to be called "veterans," many of whom rest in these hills. Our veterans remember the faces and voices of fallen comrades. The
families of the lost carry a burden of grief that time will lighten, but never lift. Our whole nation honors every patriot who placed duty and country before their own lives. They
gave us every day that we live in freedom. The security of America depends on our active leadership in the world to oppose emerging threats and to spread freedom that leads to the peace
we all want. And our leadership ultimately depends on the commitment and character of the Armed Forces.
America has needed these qualities in every generation, and every generation has stepped forward to provide them. What veterans have given our country is beyond our power to fully repay,
yet, today we recognize our debt to their honor. And on this national holiday, our hearts are filled with respect and gratitude for the veterans of the United States of America.
(Applause.)
May God bless our veterans and their families, and may God continue to bless our great nation. Thank you. (Applause.)
END 11:45 A.M. EST
Courtesy of the White House website
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"ONE NATION UNDER GOD"
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE
This is my right
Each day of my life
To honor my Country
In dawns early light
TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
The place of my people
Who walked on these shores
Who fought and died for
The colors she bore
AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS
For a nation of many
Who came to be free
Oppressed and all broken
Who sought liberty
ONE NATION UNDER GOD
For power and glory
His name shall remain
We shall not relinquish
His light is our flame
INDIVISIBLE
Each state born together
In power shall reign
With God's hands upon us
Our power remains
WITH LIBERTY
For it is our right
And we shall be strong
To always remember
Where Glory belongs
AND JUSTICE
No panel of judges
Can choose what we say
Our Nation's allegiance
Will not change today
FOR ALL
We watch as these people
Who brought so much pain
Now given the same rights
This Nation ordained
We will not abandon
The rights we all share
God and our Nation
The glory we wear
So wave sacred colors
Of red, white and blue
Stand in allegiance
With God next to you
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