A Veterans Day message and video from the Secretary

Ever since the first Veterans Day in 1954, Americans have come together to commemorate and salute the service and remember the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform of every generation.

The legacy of their service and the freedoms they have guaranteed are all around us—in our public meeting places where we gather and speak openly on any subject; in the reverence of the places we gather to worship as we see fit; in the variety of the media we choose to read or watch, written and broadcast by those free to express their opinions absent the fear of reprisal; in the places we go to cast our votes for those we feel are most worthy of governing this great Nation.

We are able to do all of these things because of those who wore our Nation’s uniforms. The men and women of our military have always answered the high call to service. Through the ebb and flow of conflict and change, their courage never wavered. In times of total war and periods of restless peace, they delivered on the promises of our Constitution.

As we honor our 22 million living Veterans and remember their great achievements, I also want to thank VA employees for their unparalleled measures of commitment and compassion in bringing to life the noble mission and mandate of our department.

By your exemplary work at VA facilities large and small across our country, you transform each and every day into Veterans Day, and work hard so that all Veterans using the care and services we provide begin to see our department as MyVA.

I am proud to extend to America’s Veterans the gratitude of the Department of Veterans Affairs for ensuring our Nation’s Freedom.

And I am privileged to serve with my VA colleagues as we move forward to strengthen and renew the sacred covenant between America and her Veterans.