Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 104 Part 6.djvu/1036

 104 STAT. 5426 PROCLAMATION 6207—OCT. 17, 1990 our gratitude for their courage and sacrifice. World War I, which ended with the signing of the Armistice on November 11, 1918, did not, as milhons of people hoped, prove to be "The War to End All Wars." Nevertheless, we know that our world is safer, freer, and more peaceful today thanks to the vigilance and resolve of our Armed Forces. Indeed, our Nation's veterans have helped to bring peace and freedom to regions of the world that once suffered under the shadow of hostility and oppression. The triumph of democratic ideals in Eastern Europe and other parts of the world provides powerful evidence that their sacrifices were not made in vain. Although the dramatic social and political changes we have witnessed around the world during the past year provide a resounding affirmation of the ideals our veterans have fought to uphold, current events in the Persian Gulf region underscore the need for continued strength and vigilance on the part of free nations. As veterans have so often reminded us, eternal vigilance is, indeed, the price of liberty. These great heroes who have left their own "footprints on the sands of time" know that preparedness deters aggression, and they understand the important task before those American service men and women now keeping watch along the sands and off the shores of Saudi Arabia. On this Veterans Day, mindful of President Wilson's call to honor our Nation's war heroes with a 2-minute interval of silence at 11:00 a.m. on November 11, 1919, let us pause to remember and pray for all those men and women who have since served in the United States Armed Forces. Through special services, programs, and ceremonies held in their honor on this day, let us affirm that their singular contributions to our country are cherished and remembered. Let us also strive, each and every day of the year, to ensure that om-s remains a land worthy of the great love our veterans have shown for it. In order that we may pay due 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. NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Sunday, November 11, 1990, as Veterans Day. I urge all Americans to honor our veterans through appropriate public ceremonies and private prayers. I also 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, churches, 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 seventeenth day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fifteenth. GEORGE BUSH

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