Modern American Presidents and Veterans Day Speeches

“Now, Therefore, I, Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States of America, do hereby call upon all of our citizens to observe Thursday, November 11, 1954, as Veterans Day. On that day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain. I also direct the appropriate officials of the Government to arrange for the display of the flag of the United States on all public buildings on Veterans Day.”

— President Dwight D. Eisenhower, October 8, 1954

A month later, the first Veterans Day would be recognized by this nation. There were American veterans who served during the Spanish-American War to the Korean War. Eisenhower spent almost his entire life in the military and as the Supreme Commander in Europe during World War II, he vividly recalled the efforts and losses of his armies.

As a Midwesterner from Abilene, Kansas, Eisenhower understood that there were growing communities and cities across America that were represented by veterans. When Eisenhower returned to Normandy Beach with Walter Cronkite, he became emotional remembering the sacrifices of his soldiers whom he ordered to oppose Hitler’s Atlantic Wall.

“. . . [but] I had to think of the effect of my decision on the next generation and on the future of peace and freedom in America and in the world. Let us all understand that the question before us is not whether some Americans are for peace and some are against peace. The question at issue is not whether Johnson’s war becomes Nixon’s war.”

— President Richard M. Nixon, 1969

Just entering the White House, Nixon’s presidency was immediately impacted by the Vietnam War. There were 540,000 American soldiers who endured the difficulties of the Tet Offensive in South Vietnam.

Trusted news reporter Walter Cronkite stated, “To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe, in the face of the evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past. To suggest we are on the edge of defeat is to yield to unreasonable pessimism. To say that we are mired in stalemate seems the only realistic, yet unsatisfactory, conclusion.

“On the off chance that military and political analysts are right, in the next few months we must test the enemy’s intentions, in case this is indeed his last big gasp before negotiations. But it is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy and did the best they could.”

Nixon’s name often presents a negative view, but he quickly initiated “Vietnamization,” and slowly proceeded to turn over the war to the South Vietnamese and began sending home American forces.

“…I represent the kind of family that's close to all your hearts. And the prospect in the service in war has touched almost every life in our country. Francis Bacon said that peace is much better than war, because in peace, sons bury fathers and in war, fathers bury sons.

“My son Jack served in Vietnam. And although I came back from the wars as something of a hero although I was not a hero--my son came back unappreciated, sometimes scorned by his peer group who did not join in the conflict. And I think there's a special debt of gratitude on the part of American people to those young men and women who served in Vietnam, because they've not been appreciated enough.

“It's difficult enough to fight in a war that's popular with our people because of a sense of patriotism and dedication and gratitude that is a sustaining force when one's life is threatened to the danger of combat. But to fight in a self-sacrificial way in Vietnam, when there was not this depth of gratitude and commitment on the part of the people back home, is an extremely difficult thing, even above and beyond the difficulty of previous wars….”

— President Jimmy Carter, October 24, 1977

At the Arlington National Cemetery, Carter spoke about the history of his family’s service to this nation from the Revolutionary War through to his son’s deployment to South Vietnam.

Carter presided over the nation during the poor moments over the end of the Vietnam War, the resignation of Nixon, stagflation, and a total lack of domestic and foreign American confidence.

Many Vietnam War veterans in the 1970s were almost abandoned by our government and people. Unlike other wars when members of the Armed Forces received parades and good cheer, the Vietnam veterans were often disregarded for their national defense efforts to this nation.