President Bush, marking Veterans Day at a Manhattan pier that's home to the World War II aircraft carrier Intrepid, praised veterans past and present who have defended U.S. liberty.
In a speech Tuesday at a rededication ceremony of the Intrepid Air, Sea and Space Museum, Bush noted that he is the son of a veteran and has always been inspired by the commitment veterans have made to the country.
The USS Intrepid has one of the most distinguished records of any World War II ship, seeing active duty in the Pacific Theater. The ship was decommissioned in 1974.
Bush mingled with some 2,500 war veterans aboard the legendary carrier. The ship was recently returned to its Hudson River site after a 19-month overhaul that added more planes to its aircraft collection and updated its museum displays.
Veterans Day is celebrated on Nov. 11 in honor of the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I -- at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918.
