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| HONORING
VETERANS — U.S. President George
W. Bush makes remarks to American and British veterans
in the East Room of the White House on Veteran's
Day, November 11, 2002. White
House photo by Paul Morse. |
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President
Honors Veterans;
Pledges to Defeat Terrorism |
| By Jim Garamone /
American Forces Press Service |
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ARLINGTON
NATIONAL CEMETERY, Va., Nov. 11, 2002
— Before a rain-soaked crowd here,
U.S. President George W. Bush pledged
that the United States will continue
the war on terrorism until those who
struck America "are fully and finally
defeated."
In
a somber ceremony at the Tomb of the
Unknowns, Bush placed a wreath and then
addressed veterans and their families
at the cemetery's Memorial Amphitheater.
Bush
told the crowd that American service
members are serving around the world
in a new kind of war. "In Afghanistan
and beyond, they're on the trail of
killers who brought death to the innocent
and war to our country," he said.
The
president also spoke about Saddam Hussein
and his outlaw regime. "We will
not permit a dictator who has used weapons
of mass destruction to threaten America
with chemical, biological, or nuclear
weapons," he said. "This great
nation will not live at the mercy of
any foreign plot or power. The dictator
of Iraq will fully disarm, or the United
States will lead a coalition and disarm
him." More |
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| Wolfowitz:
Terrorists Destined For "Dust Heaps
of History" |
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| By Gerry J. Gilmore
/ American Forces Press Service |
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PHILADELPHIA,
Nov. 11, 2002 — Rainy, gray and
blustery skies didn't deter Deputy Defense
Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz from flying
here Monday to attend a Veterans Day
ceremony honoring Revolutionary War-era
troops.
Wolfowitz
praised past and present military veterans
during a dedication ceremony marking
the transfer of Washington Square from
the city of Philadelphia to the National
Park Service.
Located
near historic Independence Hall, Washington
Square is the burial site of thousands
of U.S. Continental Army soldiers commanded
by then-Gen. George Washington. It also
features the gravesite of the unknown
American soldier of the Revolutionary
War. More |
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| 20TH
ANNIVERSARY — Roni Aborn
(from left), Mike Walters, Ron Detmer
and Bob Smith, members of the Vietnam
Veterans of America Chapter 97, Dayton,
Ohio, stand color guard duties during
opening ceremonies Nov. 7 commemorating
the 20th anniversary of the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial. Aborn served in the
Air Force during Vietnam as a B-52 avionics
technician. She is now an F-16 program
manager at Wright Patterson Air Force
Base, Ohio. U.S.
Air Force Photo by Tech. Sgt. Jim Varhegyi
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Myers: America
Must Never
Forget to Honor Its Veterans |
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| By Kathleen T. Rhem
/ American Forces Press Service |
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WASHINGTON,
Nov. 11, 2002 — Americans must
never fail to honor this country's veterans
on this important holiday, the nation's
top general said Monday.
"When
we remember, we keep their legacy alive,"
said Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Myers
and other dignitaries, most of them
veterans, spoke at a Veterans Day ceremony
commemorating the 20th anniversary of
the Wall's dedication. Thousands braved
the rain and ever-present mud to pay
their respects.
Myers said veterans in this country
are part of a family. "They're
our fathers, our sons, our mothers,
our daughters, our friends, our neighbors,"
he said. "Their selfless service
touches so many lives." More |
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| Waiting for
Care |
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| Afghan villagers
wait for free medical care. |
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Vote
Proves World
United Against Saddam |
WASHINGTON,
Nov. 11, 2002 – The unanimous U.N. Security Council
vote shows that concerns about Saddam Hussein are not
limited to the United States. It shows Iraq that the world
is united against him, U.S. President George W. Bush said
during his Nov. 9 radio address.
U.N.
Security Council Resolution 1441 on Nov. 8 presents Iraq
with a final test, the president said. "Iraq must
now, without delay or negotiations, give up its weapons
of mass destruction, welcome full inspections and fundamentally
change the approach it has taken for more than a decade,"
Bush said.
Iraq now
has until Friday to decide to honor the resolution. More |
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Video
Special
(250K
requires Windows Media Player) |
Enduring
Freedom
The Opening Chapter |
|
A U.S. Marine Corps-Navy
video honoring all who have made sacrifices
to protect freedom and all who continue to
do so.
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| On
Veterans Day |
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Up until the 1960s veterans groups used the red poppy
as the symbol of Veterans Day. In Great Britain, it still
is. The symbol comes from a poem written by a Canadian
doctor John M. McCrae in 1915: |
"In Flanders fields the
poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below. |
We are the Dead. Short days
ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields."
More |
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| Who Are America’s
Veterans? |
| There are 25.6 million living veterans:
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- 24.1 million men and 1.5 million women
- 48 million Americans have served since 1776
- Nearly 1 million people have died in combat or
combat-related events.
- This year, an estimated 88,000
veterans will be laid in honored rest at National
Cemeteries.
- There are more than 578,800 surviving spouses,
children, and parents of deceased veterans.
- The largest number of living veterans served during
the Vietnam War: 8.2 million. Veterans make up the
majority of all men in the U.S. population ages 65-85.
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'Vietnam Wall'
Honors
Vets for 20 Years |
11/07/02
- WASHINGTON (AFPN) — Thousands will gather at the
National Mall in the coming days to witness and participate
in ceremonies marking the 20th anniversary of the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial.
The
weeklong remembrance began with a musical tribute to Vietnam
veterans Nov. 6 and will end with a Veterans Day observance
Nov. 11. In between, more than 1,000 volunteers began
reading the names inscribed on "The Wall," at
3:30 p.m. Nov. 7 and are scheduled to end at midnight
Nov. 10. More |
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'Virtual Wall'
Remembers
Those Lost in Vietnam |
WASHINGTON,
Nov. 8, 2002 – Each year, visitors to the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial here leave thousands of mementos at
the base of the Wall. Since 1997, visitors to a non- profit
Internet site can do the same – virtually.
The Virtual Wall, at www.virtualwall.org,
is run by volunteers whose only purpose is to provide
an alternate way for people to remember those lost in
Vietnam.
Nov. 13 is
the 20th anniversary of the dedication of the actual Wall
on the national Mall. Government officials and veterans
groups are planning reunions and presentations at the
Wall on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, and throughout that week
to mark the occasion.
Visitors
to the virtual site can also submit notes and photographs
to be placed on memorial pages dedicated to individuals
whose names are on the true Wall. Not all the Wall's names
are memorialized on the Web site, but thousands are —
mostly sent in by family members and friends. More |
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| Sept.
11, 2001, marked the beginning of the war on terrorism
and brought a tragic end to thousands of lives.
Here we honor those who died in the attack on the
Pentagon. |
| Pentagon
Attack |
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| Since
Oct. 7, 2001, 53 Americans have died supporting
the war on terrorism. Here we honor those who died
while serving their country. |
| Fallen
Warriors |
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