[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 212 (Friday, November 2, 2007)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 62403-62404]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-5512]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 212 / Friday, November 2, 2007 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 62403]]


                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.

[[Page 62404]]

                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. 
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                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 07-5512
Filed 11-1-07; 9:38 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P