[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 105 (Wednesday, June 2, 1999)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 29769-29770]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-14125]
[[Page 29767]]
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Part IV
The President
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Proclamation 7201--Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 1999
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 105 / Wednesday, June 2, 1999 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 29769]]
Proclamation 7201 of May 26, 1999
Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 1999
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
The challenges to our Nation's peace and freedom are as
old as American history and as new as today's
headlines. They have taken many forms through the
years, from the bitter discord of civil war at home to
the aggression of tyrants abroad. But the price of
peace and freedom has always remained the same: the
service and sacrifice of our young men and women in
uniform.
Looking back across the decades, we marvel at the valor
and determination of these gallant Americans who, in
each generation, have stepped forward to preserve our
freedom, defend our democracy, uphold our ideals, and
protect our interests. The battles in which they fought
and died--Brandywine, Gettysburg, San Juan Hill,
Belleau Wood, Coral Sea, Inchon, Khe Sahn--are a
testament to uncommon courage and indomitable spirit.
Those who survived were forever changed. Those who died
stay forever young in their loved ones' memories. Their
final thoughts most likely were of home and family;
their final actions purchased the freedom we enjoy
today.
Now, on Memorial Day, our thoughts turn to them. We
remember with profound gratitude those who took to the
seas and skies in moments of peril for our Nation. We
remember those who marched through mud or rice paddies,
snow or sand, because they knew, as President
Eisenhower reminded us, that ``a soldier's pack is not
so heavy a burden as a prisoner's chains'' and that
true peace is won only by those willing to die for it.
We remember those in the Normandy American Cemetery
overlooking Omaha Beach who, 55 years ago, relit the
torch of freedom in a war-weary Europe. We remember
those whose final resting place is unknown, but whose
sacrifice is known to us all. The passing of time and
the blessings of peace and prosperity can never make us
forget what these brave Americans endured and what they
lost so that right would triumph, freedom would
survive, and our Nation would prevail.
In honor of all the courageous men and women who gave
their lives in defense of our Nation and our
fundamental ideals, I ask that every American say a
prayer for lasting peace on this Memorial Day. I ask
that every American remember our heroic war dead in
some special way, whether by placing flowers on a
veteran's grave, lighting a candle, observing a moment
of silence, or saying a prayer of thanks. While we can
never fully repay our debt to America's fallen
warriors, we can remember their service and honor their
sacrifice.
In respect and recognition of the courageous men and
women to whom we pay tribute, the Congress, by joint
resolution approved on May 11, 1950 (64 Stat. 158), has
requested the President to issue a proclamation calling
upon the people of the United States to observe each
Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace and
designating a period on that day when the American
people might unite in prayer.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim Memorial
Day, May 31, 1999, as a day of prayer for permanent
peace, and I designate the hour beginning at 3:00 p.m.
EDT of that day as a time to join in prayer. I urge the
press,
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radio, television, and all other information media to
take part in this observance.
I also request the Governors of the United States and
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the appropriate
officials of all units of government, to direct that
the flag be flown at half-staff until noon on this
Memorial Day on all buildings, grounds, and naval
vessels throughout the United States and in all areas
under its jurisdiction and control, and I request the
people of the United States to display the flag at
half-staff from their homes for the customary forenoon
period.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord
nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-third.
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 99-14125
Filed 6-1-99; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P