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    "localId": "4526235",
    "label": "Veterans Day Ceremonies Sponsored by the 40 and 8, Grand Rapids, MI, November 11, 1969",
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    "id": "4526235",
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    "title": "Veterans Day Ceremonies Sponsored by the 40 and 8, Grand Rapids, MI, November 11, 1969",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4526235",
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        "Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers",
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    "subjects": [
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    "seq": 1,
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    "type": "document",
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    "ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box D28, folder \"Veterans Day Ceremonies\nSponsored by the 40 and 8, Grand Rapids, MI, November 11, 1969\" of the Ford\nCongressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential\nLibrary.\nCopyright Notice\nThe copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of\nphotocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to\nremain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid\ncopyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nVETERANS DAY CEREMONIES, NOV. 11, 1969, GRAND RAPIDS,\nSPONSORED BY THE 40 & 8.\nLADIES AND GENTLEMEN:\nWE ARE GATHERED HERE IN OBSERVANCE OF VETERANS\nDAY -- -- ARMISTICE DAY FOR MOST OF THE 51 YEARS SINCE NOVEMBER 11,\n1918.\nALTHOUGH MANY AMERICANS DO NOT MARK THIS DAY WITH\nANY GREAT FANFARE, VETERANS DAY IS ONE OF OUR GREAT NATIONAL\nHOLIDAYS. IT IS THE DAY WHEN WE QUIETLY AND SOLEMNLY REMEMBER\nDigitized from Box D28 of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary\nand Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\nVETERANS DAY/2\nAND SALUTE THIS NATION'S VETERANS AND OUR WAR DEAD, WHATEVER\nWAR THEY MAY HAVE FOUGHT IN.\nVETERANS DAY IS A GREAT NATIONAL HOLIDAY, Too,\nBECAUSE IN SALUTING OUR VETERANS AND OUR WAR DEAD WE ALSO TAKE\nNOTE OF OUR GREAT HERITAGE OF FREEDOM.\nIT IS NEARLY 200 YEARS SINCE OUR COUNTRY\nPROCLAIMED ITSELF A FREE NATION. IN THAT TIME SPAN AMERICANS\nHAVE FOUGHT MANY WARS. AND ALWAYS WE FOUGHT FOR WHAT WE\nTHOUGHT TO BE RIGHT. ALWAYS WE HAVE SOUGHT TO END WARS --\nVETERANS DAY/3\nIF FIGHT THEM WE MUST -- BECAUSE THE UNITED STATES HAS NOT\nBEEN THE AGGRESSOR. AND so IT IS THAT TODAY, IN PURSUING\nPEACE IN THE TRAGIC LAND CALLED VIETNAM, WE SEEK TO END WAR\nON TERMS THAT ARE REASONABLE AND JUST AND WILL NOT DESECRATE\nTHE MEMORIES OF THOSE WHO HAVE DIED IN THAT FARAWAY COUNTRY.\nTHIS IS ONE OF THE THOUGHTS I WANT TO LEAVE WITH\nYOU AS WE JOIN IN SALUTING THE NATION'S VETERANS ON THIS DAY\nSET ASIDE IN THEIR HONOR.\nWE ARE SALUTING TODAY MEN WHO FOUGHT FOR FREEDOM --\nVETERANS DAY/4\nAND MEN WHO DIED FOR FREEDOM'S CAUSE.\nI DARE TO SAY THIS EVEN THOUGH WE NOW ARE LIVING IN\nA WORLD WHEN SOME AMERICANS SNEER AT PATRIOTISM AND RIDICULE\nTHOSE WHO SPEAK OF DEFENDING FREEDOM. I DO NOT CONDEMN THOSE\nWHO CONSIDER THEMSELVES TOO ENLIGHTENED TO FEEL A DEEP\nDEVOTION TO THE PRINCIPLES OF AMERICANISM OR THE RIGHTEOUSNESS\nOF OUR CAUSE. I FEEL SORRY FOR THEM.\nI FEEL SORRY FOR THEM BECAUSE TO ME AMERICA MEANS\nTHE SAME THINGS IT MEANT TO PRESIDENT THEODORE ROOSEVELT --\nVETERANS DAY/5\nCOURAGE, HONOR, JUSTICE, TRUTH, SINCERITY AND HARDIHOOD. THESE\nARE THE VIRTUES THAT MADE AMERICA. AND AS TEDDY ROOSEVELT\nSAID, AMONG THE THINGS THAT WILL DESTROY AMERICA IS PEACE AT\nANY PRICE.\nCITIZENS OF THIS COUNTRY HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO DISSENT\nFROM A COURSE THAT THEIR GOVERNMENT HAS TAKEN. BUT I WOULD\nHOPE THEY WOULD BE CONSTRUCTIVE IN THEIR DISSENT. IT IS NOT\nCONSTRUCTIVE TO URGE PEACE THROUGH CAPITULATION.\nIS PATRIOTISM AN UNFASHIONABLE WORD TODAY? I USE\nVETERANS DAY/6\nIT WITHOUT APOLOGY. I AM PROUD THAT I FEEL A STIRRING DEEP\nWITHIN ME WHENEVER I SEE MY COUNTRY'S FLAG. AND I FEEL SURE THAT\nTHE VETERANS WE HONOR HERE TODAY EXPERIENCE THAT SAME TUG OF\nEMOTION WHENEVER THEY LOOK AT THE STARS AND STRIPES.\nIF WE TRULY LOVE AMERICA, WE MUST SHOW THAT WE\nCARE ABOUT FREEDOM.\nWE WHO WERE BORN AMERICANS SOMETIMES FORGET THE\nTRUE MEANING OF FREEDOM AND WHAT A GREAT PRIVILEGE IT IS TO\nBE AN AMERICAN.\nVETERANS DAY/7\nI RECENTLY TALKED WITH A MAN WHO EMIGRATED TO THIS\nCOUNTRY IN 1947 WITH JUST $120 IN HIS POCKET. BY DINT OF\nGREAT PERSONAL ABILITY AND HARD WORK, THIS MAN HAS MADE A\nFORTUNE. TODAY HE GOES ABOUT OUR COUNTRY SELLING AMERICA ---\nBECAUSE HE KNOWS WHAT PRECIOUS GIFTS FREEDOM AND OPPORTUNITY\nARE, THE GIFTS THAT AMERICA BESTOWS ON EACH AND EVERY ONE OF\nUS. HE NNOWS THAT IF WE WHO WERE BORN IN AMERICA HAD EVER\nEXPERIENCED LIFE IN A LAND WHERE TOTALITARIANISM HAD\nEXTINGUISHED THE LAMP OF FREEDOM WE WOULD DROP DOWN ON OUR\nVETERANS DAY/8\nKNEES AND KISS THE GROUND WE NOW STAND UPON.\nALL OF US, ALONG WITH OUR VETERANS, SHOULD PROUDLY\nANNOUNCE OUR AMERICANISM TO ALL THE WORLD -- FOR WHEN WE DO\nso WE SPEAK OF THE GREATEST SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT EVER CREATED,\nTHE FREEST, THE ONE MOST COMPLETELY BASED ON THE SOVEREIGN WILL\nOF THE PEOPLE THEMSELVES.\nI BELIEVE IN AMERICANISM AND I BELIEVE IN\nPATRIOTISM.\nI BELIEVE IN THE KIND OF PATRIOTISM THAT SUSTAINS\nVETERANS DAY/9\nOUR FIGHTING MEN IN VIETNAM -- THE KIND OF PATRIOTISM WHICH\nRECOGNIZES BOTH OUR STRENGTHS AND OUR WEAKNESSES, WHAT WE\nARE AS A NATION AND A PEOPLE, AND WHAT WE ARE CAPABLE OF\nBECOMING.\nTHIS IS THE KIND OF PATRIOTISM WE CELEBRATE WHEN\nWE PAY TRIBUTE TO OUR VETERANS AND OUR WAR DEAD ON THIS\nSOLEMN NATIONAL HOLIDAY.\nLET US BE PROUD OF THESE MEN -- THE LIVING AND\nTHE DEAD -- AND OF WHAT THE AMERICAN SPIRIT HAS ACCOMPLISHED.\nVETERANS DAY/10\nAND LET US BE WORTHY OF THE GLORIES OF OUR\nHERITAGE -- AND THE PROMISE OF OUR FUTURE.\n###\nCARDS\nGRAND RAPIDS,\nNov. 11, 1969\nCongress of the United States\nOffice of the Minority Leader\nHerald R. Ford\nhouse of Representatives\nM.C.\nMashington, D.C. 20515\n-\nOFFICIAL BUSINESS\nTUESDAY\nVETERANS DAY CEREMONIES\nSPONSORED BY 40 E' 8.\nDistribution 15 copies Mr. Ford\nM Office Copy\nRemarks by Rep. Gerald R. Ford at Veterans Day ceremonies, Nov. 11, 1969, in\nGrand Rapids, Michigan, sponsored by the 40 & 8.\nLadies and gentlemen:\nWe are gathered here in observance of Veterans Day Armistice Day for\nmost of the 51 years since November 11, 1918.\nAlthough many Americans do not mark this day with any great fanfare,\nVeterans Day is one of our great national holidays. It is the day when we quietly\nand solemnly remember and salute this Nation's veterans and our war dead, whatever\nwar they may have fought in.\nVeterans Day is a great national holiday, too, because in saluting our\nveterans and our war dead we also take note of our great heritage ef freedom.\nIt is nearly 200 years since our country proclaimed itself a Free Nation.\nIn that time span Americans have fought many wars. And always we fought for what\nwe thought to be right. Always we have sought to end wars if fight them we\nmust because the United States has not been the aggressor. And so it is that\ntoday, in pursuing peace in the tragic land called Vietnam, we seek to end war on\nterms that are reasonable and just and will not desecrate the memories of those\nwho have died in that faraway country.\nThis is one of the thoughts I want to leave with you as we join in saluting\nthe Nation's veterans on this day set aside in their honor.\nWe are saluting today men who fought for freedom-and men who died in\nfreedom's cause.\nI dare to say this even though we now are living in a world when some\nAmericans sneer at patriotism and ridicule those who speak of defending freedom.\nI do not condemn those who consider themselves too enlightened to feel a deep\ndevotion to the principles of Americanism OF the righteousness of our cause. I\nfeel sorry for them.\nI feel sorry for them because to me America means the same things it meant\nto President Theodore Roosevelt - Courage, Honor, Justice, Truth, Sincerity and\nHardihood. These are the virtues that made America. And as Teddy Roosevelt\nsaid, among the things that will destroy America is peace at any price.\nCitizens of this country have every right to dissent from a course that\ntheir Government has taken. But I would hope they would be constructive in their\ndissent. It is not constructive to urge peace through capitulation.\n(more)\n-2-\nIs patriotism an unfashionable word today? I use it without apology. I\nam proud that I feel a stirring deep within me whenever I see my country's Flag.\nAnd I feel sure that the veterans we honor here today experience that same tug of\nemotion whenever they look at the Stars and Stripes.\nIf we truly love America, we must show that we care about freedom.\nWe who were born Americans sometimes forget the true meaning of freedom\nand what a great privilege it is to be an American.\nI recently talked with a man who emigrated to this country in 1947 with\njust $120 in his pocket. By dint of great personal ability and hard work, this\nman has made a fortune. Today he goes about our country selling America -- because\nhe knows what precious gifts freedom and opportunity are, the gifts that America\nbestows on each and every one of us. He knows that if we who were born in America\nhad ever experienced life in a land where totalitarianism had extinguished the\nlamp of freedom we would drop down on our knees and kiss the ground we now stand\nupon.\nAll of us, along with our veterans, should proudly announce our Americanism\nto all the world -- for when we do so we speak of the greatest system of government\never created, the freest, the ane most completely based on the sovereign will of\nthe people themselves.\nI believe in Americanism and I believe in patriotism.\nI believe in the kind of patriotism that sustains our fighting men in\nVietnam -- the kind of patriotism which recognizes both our strengths and our\nweaknesses, what we are as a Nation and a people, and what we are capable of\nbecoming.\nThis is the kind of patriotism we celebrate when we pay tribute to our\nveterans and our war dead on this solemn national holiday.\nLet us be proud of these men - the living and the dead -- and of what the\nAmerican spirit has accomplished.\nAnd let us be worthy of the glories of our heritage -- and the promise of\nour future.\n# # #"
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