Whereas, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11, 1919, as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the words "To us in America…filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of nations…."; and,

Whereas, November 11 was officially designated as Armistice Day in 1926 and became a national holiday in 1938, set aside to honor veterans; and,

Whereas, After the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen in the nation's history to fight WWII, and after U.S. forces fought Communist aggression in Korea, November 11 was renamed Veterans Day in 1954; and,

Whereas, Almost 24 million veterans live in our nation, and over 723,000 veterans live in the state of Michigan; and,

Whereas, We are now freshly reminded of the danger and threat to our peace, liberty and prosperity and recognize our friends, our family members, our fellow citizens here and abroad who now stand watch as they execute the difficult military and humanitarian missions required to preserve, restore and build freedom throughout the world; and,

Whereas, In observing Veterans Day, we honor the proud legacy of our men and women in uniform who sacrificed comfort and wealth and left family members, friends and safety in order to defend the values we hold dear;

Now, Therefore, be it Resolved, That I, Jennifer M. Granholm, governor of the state of Michigan, do hereby proclaim November 11, 2009, Veterans Day in Michigan.  I applaud the patriotic spirit and sacrifices of the distinguished Michigan citizens who have so proudly served our country, and I urge the residents of this state to recognize America's veterans and military personnel with public ceremonies and private reflection.