[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 182 (Friday, September 19, 1997)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 49123-49124]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-25117]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 182 / Friday, September 19, 1997 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 49123]]


                Proclamation 7023 of September 16, 1997

                
 National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 1997

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Throughout our Nation's history, the men and women of 
                America's Armed Forces have preserved our freedom, 
                protected our security, and upheld our democratic 
                values. From the battles of the American Revolution 
                through the crucible of two world wars to the 
                challenging peacekeeping and humanitarian missions of 
                today's post-Cold War era, our men and women in uniform 
                have stood proudly in defense of the United States and 
                in the cause of liberty. In the two centuries since our 
                Nation's birth, more than a million have paid the price 
                of that liberty with their lives.

                Joining the ranks of these heroes are the thousands who 
                have been held as prisoners of war or whose fate has 
                never been resolved. Many have been lost in the chaos 
                of battle, the grief of their loss made more acute for 
                their families and their fellow Americans because of 
                the inability to determine whether they perished or 
                survived. Captive Americans, cruelly stripped of their 
                freedom, treated with contempt and brutality, or used 
                as pawns by their captors in a larger political 
                struggle, have fought long, lonely battles against 
                despair, physical and psychological torture, and the 
                ultimate fear of being forgotten.

                But Americans will never forget those who have borne 
                the indignities and sufferings of captivity in service 
                to our country, those missing in action, or those who 
                died as prisoners of war, far from home and family. On 
                National POW/MIA Recognition Day, we reaffirm our 
                commitment to those still missing and renew our pledge 
                to make every effort to obtain the answers to their 
                fate. We can do no less for these American heroes and 
                for their families, who have endured such profound loss 
                and whose suffering continues as long as their loved 
                ones' fate remains unknown.

                On September 19, 1997, the flag of the National League 
                of Families of American Prisoners of War and Missing in 
                Southeast Asia will be flown over the White House, the 
                U.S. Capitol, the Departments of State, Defense, and 
                Veterans Affairs, the Selective Service System 
                Headquarters, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean 
                War Veterans Memorial, and national cemeteries across 
                our country. This black and white banner, symbolizing 
                America's missing, is a stark and powerful reminder to 
                people around the world that our Nation will keep faith 
                with those who have served and sacrificed; that we will 
                not rest until we receive the fullest possible 
                accounting of every American missing in service to our 
                country.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of 
                the United States, do hereby proclaim September 19, 
                1997, as National POW/MIA Recognition Day. I ask all 
                Americans to join me in honoring former American 
                prisoners of war and those whose fate is still 
                undetermined. I also encourage the American people to 
                remember with special sympathy and concern the 
                courageous families who maintain their steadfast vigil 
                and who persevere in their search for answers and for 
                the peace that comes only with certainty. Finally, I 
                call upon State and local officials and private 
                organizations to observe this day with appropriate 
                ceremonies and activities.

[[Page 49124]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                sixteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord 
                nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, and of the 
                Independence of the United States of America the two 
                hundred and twenty-second.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 97-25117
Filed 9-18-97; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P