At American Progress, we honor the millions of Americans who have served our nation to defend our freedom and liberty. Today, our nation is engaged in conflicts in which American service men and women continue to make the ultimate sacrifice. Please join us in recognizing the U.S. and Coalition troops who have died during the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. You can support our nation’s veterans by donating to the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Important resources:
Text of the Proclamation establishing Veterans Day, May 13, 1938
Remarks of President George W. Bush at the dedication of the National WWII Memorial, May 29, 2004
The years of World War II were a hard, heroic and gallant time in the life of our country. When it mattered most, an entire generation of Americans showed the finest qualities of our nation and of humanity. On this day, in their honor, we will raise the American flag over a monument that will stand as long as America itself.
Remarks of President Bill Clinton at the dedication of the Korean War Memorial, July 27, 1995
Today we are surrounded by monuments to some of the greatest figures in our history, while we gather at this our newest national memorial to remember and honor the Americans who fought for freedom in Korea. In 1950, our nation was weary of war, but 1.5 million Americans left their family and friends and their homes to help to defend freedom for a determined ally halfway around the world – or, as the monument says, a place they had never been and a people they had never met.
Remarks of Sen. John McCain at the Vietnam War Memorial, March 7, 1997
One evening, I was here many years ago at sunset. And I saw two Vietnam veterans standing by the wall. Both of them, obviously, didn’t know each other; both of them, wearing parts of the uniform. And they were going over the names as we see them, and to make a long story short, in a few moments, they were embracing and crying.
Remarks of President Ronald Reagan at the dedication of the Vietnam War Memorial, November 11, 1984
The fighting men depicted in the statue we dedicate today, the three young American servicemen, are individual only in terms of their battle dress; all are as one, with eyes fixed upon the memorial bearing the names of their brothers in arms. On their youthful faces, faces too young to have experienced war, we see expressions of loneliness and profound love and a fierce determination never to forget.
Hidden Toll of the War In Iraq: Mental Health and the Military, by Stephen L. Robinson, September 14, 2004
The alarming number of suicides earlier this year among U.S. troops serving in Iraq has raised a red flag about the mental strain on our service men and women as they face grueling battles and a conflict with no clear end in sight.