[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 236 (Friday, December 8, 1995)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 63389-63390]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-30177]




[[Page 63387]]

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Part VI





The President





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 Proclamation 6856--National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, 1995



 Memorandum of December 6, 1995
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  Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 236 / Friday, December 8, 1995 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 63389]]

                Proclamation 6856 of December 6, 1995

                
National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, 1995

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                America's involvement in World War II began 54 years 
                ago as dawn was shattered by a surprise attack on our 
                forces stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In the words 
                of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, ``December 7, 
                1941--a date which will live in infamy'' began at 7:55 
                a.m. when Japan launched an offensive to destroy the 
                United States Pacific Fleet. The losses suffered that 
                day shocked our Nation with the realization that 
                American soil was not immune to the ravages of war--at 
                the end of the attack, more than 3,000 Americans were 
                dead, missing, or wounded. We resolved to boldly defend 
                our shores against further devastation. Just 4 years 
                later, the same fleet that the Japanese had attempted 
                to destroy at Pearl Harbor sailed triumphantly into 
                Tokyo Bay.

                The attack of Pearl Harbor marked the beginning of 
                America's total mobilization against a common enemy, 
                and the United States soon became the world's ``Arsenal 
                of Democracy.'' Citizens worked together toward a 
                common goal as the ``We Can Do It'' attitude spread 
                across the country. The landscape of American business 
                was forever changed as over 19 million women and many 
                minority workers took high-skill jobs to contribute to 
                the war effort.

                The courageous veterans who fought selflessly to bring 
                an end to the war in the Pacific deserve our highest 
                respect and our most profound gratitude. Today we honor 
                the sacrifices that led to the ultimate victory--the 
                triumph of freedom over tyranny. We also pay tribute to 
                the families who contributed so much with their 
                support, sacrifices, and prayers from the home front. A 
                grateful Nation will long remember those who came home 
                and those who did not.

                In the post-Cold War era, it is vital that we pass 
                along the lessons learned from Pearl Harbor to a new 
                generation of Americans. We must never allow our 
                country to be unprepared, and we must never again 
                isolate ourselves from the problems of the world. This 
                is the legacy we leave to our young people, and it is 
                our responsibility to continue to teach them those 
                lessons. By doing so, we reaffirm the values of 
                democracy, freedom, and leadership that have made 
                America great.

                The Congress, by Public Law 103-308, has designated 
                December 7, 1995, as ``National Pearl Harbor 
                Remembrance Day.''

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, do hereby proclaim December 
                7, 1995, as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. I 
                urge all Americans to observe this day with appropriate 
                programs, ceremonies, and activities in honor of the 
                Americans who served at Pearl Harbor. I also ask all 
                Federal departments and agencies, organizations, and 
                individuals to fly the flag of the United States at 
                half-staff on this day in honor of those Americans who 
                died as a result of the attack on Pearl Harbor. 
                
[[Page 63390]]


                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                sixth day of December, in the year of our Lord nineteen 
                hundred and ninety-five, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and twentieth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 95-30177
Filed 12-7-95; 10:57 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P