Honoring Our Veterans
Today is Veterans Day — a day set aside to recognize the courage and sacrifice of the men and women who have served our country in uniform.
Veterans Day was originally known as Armistice Day, marking the cessation of fighting that ended World War I on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918.
In June 1954, after World War II and Korea, Congress decided that November 11th should recognize all veterans. Thus Armistice Day became Veterans Day.
As communities across the country honor our veterans today, Wal-Mart, a great American success story, is doing its part to salute our veterans with its “Wall of Honor.” If you would like to honor a veteran in your family or a friend in uniform, click here to upload a photo and brief message saluting them for their service.
And please don’t miss this opportunity to explain the importance of this day to your children and grandchildren. Tell them about the sacrifices made to ensure that we remain free.
Unfortunately, as our soldiers stand ready to defend our freedoms, they are increasingly under attack here at home from the intolerant forces of political correctness. As we have reported recently, senior officers are being purged. There is ideological and cultural coercion taking place within the ranks. Religious liberty inside the military is under siege.
American Values is part of a coalition effort fighting to defend the first freedoms of men and women in uniform. Please take a few moments to watch this brief video.
If you are serving in the military today, or if you have friends or family members who are in active service, please know that there is place you can turn to for help and assistance if you have experienced similar intimidation.
This should not be happening. And it wasn’t always this way. On June 6, 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt led the nation in prayer for men who were landing on the beaches of Normandy. I want to share Roosevelt’s D-Day prayer with you. I pray America can rediscover that same courage and faith that led us to victory then.
My fellow Americans: Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far.
And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer:
Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity. Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.
They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.
They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest-until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men’s souls will be shaken with the violences of war.
For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.
Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.
And for us at home — fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas — whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them — help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.
Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.
Give us strength, too — strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces. And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.
And, O Lord, give us Faith. Give us Faith in Thee; Faith in our sons; Faith in each other; Faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.
With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister Nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace, a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.
Thy will be done, Almighty God. Amen.
To the millions who have always been there to stop the tyrant, protect the weak and preserve the peace — we have not forgotten you. A grateful nation thanks God for giving us men and women like you.
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