ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE (recorded Nov. 11, 1988). Video: Reagan Library (Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, National Archives), “President Reagan’s Remarks at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on November 11, 1988,” embedded with the official YouTube player. Recorded Friday, Nov. 11, 1988, at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., by the White House Television Office. Uploaded by the Reagan Library on June 8, 2016. Running time 12:41. National Archives Identifier 38995307.
On Veterans Day 1988, in the last months of his presidency, Ronald Reagan stood at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington and told the men and women who served in Vietnam that the country had finally come to terms with their service. He closed his message to them with two words: “Welcome home.” The archival recording above comes from the Reagan Library, part of the National Archives, and is shown here as historical footage for Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2026.
Key Points
- President Reagan spoke at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at 11:45 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1988, according to the official Public Papers note on the Reagan Library transcript.
- He was introduced by John Wheeler, chairman of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, who gave him a bronze replica of the memorial’s “Three Fighting Men” statue.
- Reagan said that “it appears to me that we have healed” and closed his message to Vietnam veterans with “Welcome home.”
- He and Nancy Reagan read aloud a note they then left at the wall, as many visitors do.
- The footage was recorded by the White House Television Office and is listed by the National Archives with unrestricted access and use.
What Happened?
Reagan spoke at a Veterans Day ceremony at the memorial on the National Mall, beside the wall that bears the names of Americans who died or remain missing from the Vietnam War. After thanking John Wheeler for the statue replica, he congratulated the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and thanked the Vietnam veterans who had served in his administration.
He described the gathering as a day “to remember those who served, those who fought, those still missing, and those who gave their last full measure of devotion for our country,” according to the official transcript. He borrowed the phrase “gentle heroes” from words written by a soldier who later died in the war, and returned to it throughout the speech.
Reagan acknowledged that, unlike other wars of the century, there had been “deep divisions about the wisdom and rightness of the Vietnam war.” He then argued that later events in Southeast Asia, including the boat people and the killing fields of Cambodia, showed the cause had been just, and said Americans could agree on one lesson: “that young Americans must never again be sent to fight and die unless we are prepared to let them win.”
He listed steps his government was taking for veterans and for the missing, including flying the POW/MIA flag at the memorial on Memorial Day, Veterans Day and POW/MIA Recognition Day, joint search teams in Vietnam and new crash site surveys in Laos. He ended by reading the note he and Nancy Reagan were leaving at the wall, which told the fallen, “you fought for your country and for its safety and for the freedom of others with strength and courage.”
Background and Context
Veterans Day began as Armistice Day, marking the armistice that stopped the fighting of World War I on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, an act approved May 13, 1938, made Nov. 11 a legal holiday known as Armistice Day, and a law approved June 1, 1954, renamed it Veterans Day to honor American veterans of all wars. After a period of Monday observances under the 1968 Uniform Holiday Bill, the holiday returned to Nov. 11 beginning in 1978.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was designed by Maya Lin, then a 21-year-old Yale architecture student whose entry won a national design competition, according to the National Park Service. The wall was dedicated in November 1982 with 57,939 names, and the Park Service says 379 names have since been added, for a total of 58,318 as of Memorial Day 2017. The names are arranged by date of casualty.
Reagan had spoken at the memorial before. On Nov. 11, 1984, he dedicated the “Three Fighting Men” statue by sculptor Frederick Hart and signed documents transferring the memorial to the federal government. In that speech he said, “I believe that in the decade since Vietnam the healing has begun, and I hope that before my days as Commander in Chief are over the process will be completed,” according to the Reagan Library transcript.
Detailed Explanation and Analysis
The 1988 speech reads as a direct answer to the promise Reagan made four years earlier. He referred back to it himself, saying that “as I approach the end of my service and I see Vietnam veterans take their rightful place among America’s heroes, it appears to me that we have healed.” Delivering that verdict on Veterans Day, at the wall itself and weeks before leaving office, turned a ceremonial appearance into a closing statement on one of the most divisive chapters of his era.
The speech also shows how Reagan framed the war politically. He did not avoid the controversy, saying both sides “spoke with honesty and fervor.” But he defended the cause as “the cause of freedom” and paired that defense with a lesson about committing troops only when the country is prepared to let them win.
Much of the speech is about how Americans treated returning Vietnam veterans. Reagan said, “For too long a time, they stood in a chill wind, as if on a winter night’s watch,” and described the country finally recognizing them. He tied that recognition to concrete policy, citing “a new Department of Veterans Affairs and extended veterans benefits.” The VA says Reagan signed the bill in 1988 turning the Veterans Administration into a Cabinet-level department, a change that took effect in 1989 under President George Bush.
The note Reagan read aloud joined the practice of visitors leaving messages and mementos at the wall. Among the items left there, he listed “A childhood teddy bear, a photograph of the son or daughter born too late to know his or her father, a battle ribbon, a note.”
Data Table: The Speech and the Memorial at a Glance
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Date and time of remarks | Nov. 11, 1988, 11:45 a.m. | Reagan Library transcript (Public Papers note) |
| Introduced by | John Wheeler, chairman, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund | Reagan Library transcript |
| Recording | White House Television Office; access and use unrestricted | National Archives, NAID 38995307 |
| Earlier Reagan visit | Nov. 11, 1984: “Three Fighting Men” statue dedicated, memorial transferred to the federal government | Reagan Library transcript, 1984 |
| Names at dedication (1982) | 57,939 | National Park Service |
| Names on the wall (as of Memorial Day 2017) | 58,318 (379 added since 1982) | National Park Service |
| Veterans Day name | Armistice Day renamed Veterans Day by law approved June 1, 1954 | Department of Veterans Affairs |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | Bill signed by Reagan in 1988; Cabinet-level department from 1989 | Department of Veterans Affairs |
Data checked Nov. 11, 2026, against the Reagan Library transcripts, the National Archives catalog record, the National Park Service and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
What Happens Next?
This is a historical recording, so there are no new developments in the event itself. What followed is part of the record: the Department of Veterans Affairs became a Cabinet-level department in 1989, after Reagan left office, and the memorial grounds now also include the Vietnam Women’s Memorial and the In Memory plaque, which the National Park Service says was dedicated in 2004 to honor those who died as a result of their service in Vietnam.
The wall remains open to visitors on the National Mall, and the POW/MIA flag Reagan mentioned still flies there alongside the U.S. flag, the Park Service says. For current coverage of the White House and today’s commemorations, follow the U.S. Politics Live center or the Watch Live hub.
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Original Sources and References
- Reagan Library on YouTube: President Reagan’s Remarks at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on November 11, 1988 (original video, uploaded June 8, 2016)
- National Archives Catalog: NAID 38995307, White House Television Office recording, Nov. 11, 1988
- Ronald Reagan Presidential Library: Remarks at the Veterans Day Ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (official transcript)
- The American Presidency Project, UC Santa Barbara: Transcript of the Nov. 11, 1988, remarks
- Ronald Reagan Presidential Library: Remarks at Dedication Ceremonies for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Statue (Nov. 11, 1984)
- National Park Service: Vietnam Veterans Memorial overview and frequently asked questions
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: History of Veterans Day and VA History overview
Video rights: recorded by the White House Television Office and held by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, National Archives, which lists access and use as unrestricted. Works of the U.S. government are not protected by copyright (17 U.S.C. 105). This page embeds the video through YouTube’s official player and does not host or alter it.
