In this story:

• African-American Civil War troops honored
• Flag flying tribute to POWs, MIAs
• Boost in veterans' benefits
• Related stories and sites

ARLINGTON, Virginia (CNN) -- President Bill Clinton and others across the United States paused Wednesday to pay tribute to the men and women who have served and in many cases died for their country in the armed forces.

"We cannot expect future generations to understand fully what those who came before saw, experienced and felt in battle," Clinton said in a ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. "But we can make sure that our children know enough to say, 'Thank you.'"

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Clinton pays tribute to veterans
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Clinton called on the nation to honor its servicemen and women by preserving their stories, documents and letters home.

The president helped place a flower wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns, where Manuel Tanguma Jr., the national commander of the Catholic War Veterans of America, paid tribute to veterans "who put their lives at risk, so that their children and grandchildren would never experience the horrors of war."

Clinton places a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns

"This ceremony calls upon us to commemorate the many who offered the ultimate sacrifice for our country," he said.

Wednesday marks the 80th anniversary of Armistice Day, the official end of World War I. In 1954, the United States changed the name of its observance to Veterans Day to honor all of the men and women who have served the United States in combat.

African-American Civil War troops honored

Washington, D.C., residents also turned out to honor the unique contribution of African-Americans in the Civil War with a memorial called "Spirit of Freedom."

The ceremony took place in the District of Columbia's Shaw neighborhood, future site of the African-American Civil War Memorial. When completed, the $3 million monument will include the 209,148 names of black troops, along with 7,000 white officers.

In the final months of the war, the number of black troops fighting for the Union was larger than the entire Confederate army.

Frank Smith Jr., chairman of the Civil War Memorial Freedom Foundation, said, "We are here today to pay tribute to all the soldiers who risked their lives to defend freedom, even though they did not enjoy those freedoms back home."

On the National Mall, hundreds of Vietnam veterans gathered at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall for reunions and remembrances. One vet said he came "for the healing," and to remember his seven friends who lost their lives in the war.

Singer Graham Nash serenaded the veterans and their families with a song called "Live On."

Women who served in Vietnam marked a milestone of their own a few yards away. It's the fifth anniversary of the Vietnam Women's Memorial, a bronze statue of war nurses treating the wounded.

Flag flying tribute to POWs, MIAs

In a remembrance of Americans taken prisoners of war, or still listed as missing in action, the stark black and white POW/MIA flag officially flew over some federal buildings for the first time on a Veterans Day.

For the first time on a Veterans Day, there was an official display of the POW/MIA flag

The flag features a prominent foreground silhouette of a captive being watched from a guard tower. Beneath the image are the words, "You will not be forgotten."

Under a federal law enacted last year, the POW/MIA flag can be flown on the patriotic holidays of Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day and National POW/MIA Recognition Day, which is the third Friday in September.

Boost in veterans' benefits

Earlier in the day, Clinton signed an order increasing veterans' disability payments, extending priority health care to Gulf War veterans and creating a system for averting future combat-related health catastrophes.

The president also released $1.1 billion appropriated by Congress to improve military readiness. The funds will be used to beef up recruitment, cut the backlog of equipment awaiting maintenance and purchase spare parts for Air Force and Navy aircraft.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.