Veterans' Day Speech and Prayer

On the 40th anniversary of D-Day, in 1984, President Ronald Regan gave a speech at the U.S. Ranger Monument at Pointe du Hoc. In it, he reminded us of one of the many ways that prayer and faith in God have played a part in our history and tradition.

Here are some of the President's words:

Something else helped the men of D-day: their rockhard belief that Providence would have a great hand in the events that would unfold here; that God was an ally in this great cause. And so, the night before the invasion, when Colonel Wolverton asked his parachute troops to kneel with him in prayer he told them: Do not bow your heads, but look up so you can see God and ask His blessing in what we're about to do. Also that night, General Matthew Ridgway on his cot, listening in the darkness for the promise God made to Joshua: `"I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.''

Read the entire speech below:

The History Place