Happy Veterans Day 2006

The above copyrighted graphic was designed by the DESA webmaster. The flag was flown aboard USS ATHERTON DE 169.

With Heartfelt Appreciation
To All DE, DER, APD and FF Sailors

On Veterans Day, America Honors Our Nation’s Men And Women In Uniform And Their Families Who Have Sacrificed For Our Nation. Members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard have protected our country and liberated millions of people around the world from tyranny and terror.

Veterans Encouraged to Wear Military Medals on Veterans Day

A Message from Secretary of Veterans Affairs R. James Nicholson
November 8, 2006

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson called on veterans across the country to pin on their military medals Saturday as a show of patriotism on Veterans Day.

"On this holiday we honor the 24 million among us who once wore our nation’s uniforms to serve the cause of liberty," he said. "By displaying their medals, veterans can band together again by to show their pride in America and its Armed Forces on this special day."

Nicholson launched the "Veterans Pride Initiative” for Veterans Day 2006 to encourage the wearing of military medals as a gesture of patriotism. Veterans are urged to show their medals no matter what they are doing on Veterans Day, but especially when attending public events. Nicholson said he hopes to see the movement become a tradition.

Additional information about the initiative is featured at VA's Website where veterans can also learn how to replace mislaid medals or confirm the decorations to which they are entitled.

Nicholson said he hopes veterans will sustain the trend by wearing medals on Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, and continue to show pride in their military service on these patriotic holidays for years to come.

Major U.S. veterans organizations joined Nicholson at a recent kickoff to endorse the Veterans Pride Initiative.

A Message From The Webmaster

I could never let a Veterans Day pass without taking the opportunity to extend a personal message to each DESA veteran. I am honored to serve as your webmaster and and priviledged to know you.

Your sacrifice, courage and dedication to duty is remembered every day, but especially today. You served our country in a time of turmoil and crisis and because of you I live in freedom.

President Franklin Roosevelt described you as the "pride of our Nation," who struggled to preserve our civilization. "Pride of our Nation" and "The Greatest Generation" are descriptions that could never be mistaken as describing anyone but you.

You set a standard for Naval service that is unmatched and continues to be an inspiration to the men and women who wear the blue uniform today. You can probably never fully realize your tremendous impact and the level of respect felt for you.

May you remember today your shipmates and how, together, you freed and brought peace to other nations.

I ask for God's blessings upon each of you and wish for you a very happy Veterans Day.

Pat

Veterans Day, 2006
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

Through the generations, America's men and women in uniform have defeated tyrants, liberated continents, and set a standard of courage and idealism for the entire world. On Veterans Day, our Nation pays tribute to those who have proudly served in our Armed Forces.

To protect the Nation they love, our veterans stepped forward when America needed them most. In conflicts around the world, their sacrifice and resolve helped destroy the enemies of freedom and saved millions from oppression. In answering history's call with honor, decency, and resolve, our veterans have shown the power of liberty and earned the respect and admiration of a grateful Nation.

All of America's veterans have placed our Nation's security before their own lives, creating a debt that we can never fully repay. Our veterans represent the best of America, and they deserve the best America can give them.

As we recall the service of our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen, we are reminded that the defense of freedom comes with great loss and sacrifice. This Veterans Day, we give thanks to those who have served freedom's cause; we salute the members of our Armed Forces who are confronting our adversaries abroad; and we honor the men and women who left America's shores but did not live to be thanked as veterans. They will always be remembered by our country.

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, 2006, as Veterans Day and urge all Americans to observe November 5 through November 11, 2006, 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 six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.

GEORGE W. BUSH

2006 Veterans Day Events

Arlington National Cemetery - A patriotic ceremony honoring America’s military members is scheduled for November 11 at 11 a.m. in Arlington National Cemetery. A wreath-laying ceremony will take place at the Tomb of the Unknowns, followed by a ceremony in the Memorial Amphitheater. The event will commence with a prelude concert by the U.S. Marine Band at 10:30 a.m. inside the amphitheater.

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.

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.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Annual Veterans Day Observance at The Wall , 1 p.m., Washington, D.C.

For more events, click here.

Veterans Day Regional Sites

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?

Veterans History Project

The Library of Congress invites you to join it in collecting audio- and video-taped oral
histories, along with documents such as letters, diaries, maps, photographs, and home movies,
of America's war veterans and those who served in support of them during World War I, World War II,
and the Korean, Vietnam, and Gulf Wars. Click for more information.

Links

Department of Defense - Veterans Days

History of Veterans Day

Veterans Presidential Certificates

Print A Veterans Day Poster

The Veterans of Foreign Wars

The American Legion

Vietnam Veterans of American

Directory of Veteran Service Organizations

Back To The DE Veterans Tribute Page