“Today, we honor generations of America’s veterans — patriots who have stood on the frontlines of freedom and kept the light of liberty shining bright around the world. Just as they have kept the ultimate faith in our Nation, we must keep ultimate faith in them.
Each one of our Nation’s veterans is a link in a chain of honor that stretches back to our founding days — bound by a sacred oath to support and defend the United States of America. Throughout history, whenever and wherever the forces of darkness have sought to extinguish the flame of freedom, America’s veterans have been fighting to keep it burning bright. I remember so clearly the pride the First Lady and I felt in our son Beau during his service in Iraq. He — like all our veterans from Belleau Wood, Baghdad, and Gettysburg to Guadalcanal, Korea, and Kandahar and beyond — lived, served, and sacrificed by a creed of duty. We owe them a debt of gratitude we can never fully repay, not just for fighting for our democracy, but for giving back to our communities and inspiring the next generation to serve, even after they hang up their uniforms.
President Joe Biden, A Proclamation of Veterans Day, 2024
"I’ll have you know that a soldier is the most holy of all humans because he is the most tested — most tested of all."
John Steinbeck, East of Eden
Today is a day that the world remembers and honors those who serve their countries.
Armistice Day. Remembrance Day. Veterans Day.
The world remembers and celebrates the end of what was supposed to be the war to end all wars. The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Oh, were that true.
As Americans, we remember and honor those who serve and sacrifice for our country. Who sacrifice for our freedoms as the wars rage ever on.
Thank you. We owe you more than we can say. May we never forget.
"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."
President John F. Kennedy
That is the key, isn’t it. May we not just continue to repeat these words, may we live by them. May we enact policies that truly show the value we place on our soldiers. May our leadership thoroughly weigh the costs every time before engaging them. May we repair the broken systems we have to ensure they are supported throughout their lives.
And then, may our words on Veterans Day be an everyday remembrance.
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