THE FOLLOWING IS A JOINT MESSAGE FROM THE HONORABLE LOUIS CALDERA, SECRETARY OF THE ARMY, AND GENERAL DENNIS J. REIMER, ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF:
ON VETERANS DAY, WE HONOR ALL AMERICAN MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVED IN THE ARMED FORCES THROUGHOUT OUR NATION'S HISTORY. AS A FULL SPECTRUM FORCE, YOU IN TODAY'S ARMY ARE THE BEST FIGHTING FORCE IN THE WORLD. YOU ARE TRAINED AND READY TO DEPLOY, FIGHT, AND WIN WHEREVER AND WHENEVER THE NEED ARISES.
AS THE SMOKE CLEARED ON THE COLD WAR'S SHADOWY BATTLEFIELDS, AMERICA'S ARMY GLIMPSED THE NEW CENTURY OVER THE HORIZON. FOR YOU WHO SERVE TODAY, THE 21ST CENTURY IS ALREADY HERE. IT IS A PUZZLING AND VASTLY DIFFERENT WORLD THAN WHAT WE'VE KNOWN BEFORE. TODAY, WHEN THE BATTLEFIELD CAN BE ANYWHERE AND SHIFTS CONSTANTLY, 54 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL ARMY IS IN THE U.S. ARMY RESERVE AND THE ARMY NATIONAL GUARD.
OVER THE PAST YEAR, OUR TOTAL ARMY TEAM OF ACTIVE, ARMY RESERVE, ARMY NATIONAL GUARD, AND CIVILIANS HAS SERVED DUTIFULLY AND COURAGEOUSLY IN MORE THAN 100 COUNTRIES. WE CANNOT CONDUCT ANY LARGE-SCALE MISSION WITHOUT A TOTAL ARMY EFFORT. WE NEED ALL OF YOU.
DURING PEACEKEEPING AND HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS, YOU ARE THE SOURCE OF SAFETY AND SECURITY FOR MANY FREEDOM-SEEKING PEOPLE AROUND THE GLOBE. BUT FOR YOU THEY WOULD HAVE NO HOPE. WHEN DISASTER STRIKES AT HOME, YOU FIGHT IN THE FIERY FURNACES OF BURNING FORESTS AND IN THE FLOODED STREETS OF HURRICANE-BATTERED CITIES.
AS A VALUES-BASED FORCE, YOUR CREDENTIALS ARE THE ARMY CORE VALUES: LOYALTY, DUTY, RESPECT, SELFLESS-SERVICE, HONOR, INTEGRITY, AND PERSONAL COURAGE. THROUGH YOUR CONTINUOUS, COURAGEOUS AND SELFLESS SERVICE TO THE NATION, YOU PRESERVE LIBERTY'S BURNING TORCH.
YOU ARE THE NATION'S PROTECTORS AT HOME, AND YOU ARE THE STANDARD-BEARERS AND BEACONS OF FREEDOM ABROAD. AS THE PAST YEAR'S EVENTS SHOW, FREEDOM'S ENEMIES TODAY RESPECT NO BORDERS AND OBSERVE NO RULES OF ENGAGEMENT. THE WORLD IS STILL A VERY DANGEROUS PLACE.
AS WE CONFRONT THE NEW CHALLENGES BEFORE US, WE WHO FOLLOW IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ARMY VETERANS OF PAST BATTLES OWE THOSE BRAVE SOLDIERS AN ENORMOUS DEBT. WE CAN REPAY IT ONLY BY OUR WILLINGNESS TO CARRY FREEDOM'S TORCH INTO THE NEW MILLENNIUM AND BY CONTINUING TO PRACTICE THE CORE VALUES OUR PREDECESSORS UPHELD.
NOW, AS IN THE PAST, OUR SOLDIERS TRULY ARE OUR NATION'S CREDENTIALS.
(END OF MESSAGE)