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Dear Colleagues:
Tomorrow is Veterans Day, a day when we pause and honor the 25 million Americans who have served in our Armed Forces. We honor them for their love of county and their willingness to serve. It is because of their great sacrifice that we all enjoy our freedom as we know it today.
In his Veterans Day proclamation, which I am attaching below, President Bush thanked our veterans for protecting our security and defending our founding ideals. He also noted another important benefit: the long-lasting contribution that veterans make to our country after their military service. As the President said, “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.”
That sentiment is certainly true for the many veterans who are continuing their service to the nation by working here at the Corporation. In fact, we know of more than 50 Corporation employees who are military veterans themselves, and I’m sure that there are others. Earlier this afternoon, in fact, I attended a Veterans Appreciation Day event at Corporation headquarters and was inspired by the stories of a number of employee veterans, as well as by their deep and abiding commitment to service. I know you would want to join me in thanking all of them for their service past and present.
Because the debt we owe our nation’s military service men and women is so huge, it is appropriate that many of the programs funded by the Corporation focus on veterans and the families of active military personnel. For example:
- U.S. VETS, an AmeriCorps grantee, has ten chapters across the country that help homeless veterans become independent and productive. The program assesses the veterans’ needs and provides shelter, job training, job placement, and treatment for any health problems. Thanks to AmeriCorps, U.S. VETS is the largest provider of services to homeless veterans in the nation, reaching 20,000 veterans.
- Our NCCC, which was created with the military service model in mind, has helped thousands of veterans, including providing one-on-one support to residents at the Perry Point VA Medical Center in Maryland.
- Learn and Serve America is involved in a variety of service projects across that nation that involve veterans, including a number of oral history projects in which the students interview veterans and record or transcribe their memories of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and more recent conflicts. In many cases, the resulting books and tapes have been presented to the veterans as well as sent to state archives or the Library of Congress. In some cases, oral history projects are components of U.S. History or Social Studies courses, and some combined with visits to veterans’ hospitals and/or the development and execution of ceremonies honoring local veterans.
- Senior Corps is actively working to ensure that the families of the men and women serving in our military today have the support they need to cope with the hardship of having a loved one serving far from home. For example, Senior Corps volunteers are assisting the Rhode Island National Guard in its campaign to reach out to every Rhode Island family that has a relative deployed overseas. Senior Corps volunteers have been contacting each family monthly to let them know how much their loved one's service is appreciated and to identify any needs the family has, which they then refer to the National Guard Family Readiness Office.
These are just several of many examples of how Corporation volunteers are lending a hand to veterans. As the President notes, the service offered to our nation by those in the military and those volunteering in our communities – or those spending part of their careers in government service – it falls on the same continuum. On Veterans Day – and indeed throughout the year – we should never forget that our way of life would not be possible without the great sacrifices made by generation upon generation of military personnel who have protected our freedoms for more than 200 years.
I hope you have a good Veterans Day and enjoy reading the President’s proclamation, which follows.
David Eisner
VETERANS DAY, 2004
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
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
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