[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 101 (Friday, May 24, 2002)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 36499-36500]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-13269]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 67, No. 101 / Friday, May 24, 2002 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 36499]]


                Proclamation 7567 of May 21, 2002

                
Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 2002

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Every Memorial Day, Americans remember the debt of 
                gratitude we owe to our veterans who gave their lives 
                for our country. On this important day, communities 
                across our Nation stop to remember and to honor the 
                great sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform.

                Since its beginnings, our country has faced many 
                threats that have tested its courage. From war-torn 
                battlefields and jungle skirmishes to conflicts at sea 
                and air attacks, generations of brave men and women 
                have fought and died to defeat tyranny and protect our 
                democracy. Their sacrifices have made this Nation 
                strong and our world a better place.

                Upwards of 48 million Americans have served the cause 
                of freedom and more than a million have died to 
                preserve our liberty. We also remember the more than 
                140,000 who were taken prisoner-of-war and the many 
                others who were never accounted for. These memories 
                remind us that the cost of war and the price of peace 
                are great.

                The tradition of Memorial Day reinforces our Nation's 
                resolve to never forget those who gave their last full 
                measure for America. As we engage in the war against 
                terrorism, we also pray for peace. When America emerged 
                from the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln called on 
                all Americans to ``cherish a just and lasting peace.'' 
                In these extraordinary times, our Nation has once again 
                been challenged, and Lincoln's words remain our guiding 
                prayer.

                We continue to rely on our brave and steadfast men and 
                women in uniform to defend our freedom. United as a 
                people, we pray for peace throughout the world. We also 
                pray for the safety of our troops. This new generation 
                follows an unbroken line of good, courageous, and 
                unfaltering heroes who have never let our country down.

                As we commemorate this noble American holiday, we honor 
                those who fell in defense of freedom. We honor them in 
                our memory through solemn observances, with the love of 
                a grateful Nation.

                In respect for their devotion to America, the Congress, 
                by a joint resolution approved on May 11, 1950 (64 
                Stat. 158), has requested the President to issue a 
                proclamation calling on 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 people of the United States might unite in 
                prayer. The Congress, by Public Law 106-579, has also 
                designated the minute beginning at 3:00 p.m. local time 
                on that day as a time for all Americans to observe the 
                National Moment of Remembrance.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby designate Memorial Day, May 27, 2002, 
                as a day of prayer for permanent peace, and I designate 
                the hour beginning in each locality at 11:00 a.m. of 
                that day as a time to unite in prayer. I also ask all 
                Americans to observe the National Moment of Remembrance 
                beginning at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. I

[[Page 36500]]

                urge the press, radio, television, and all other media 
                to participate in these observances.

                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. I also 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-first day of May, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand two, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and twenty-sixth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)B

[FR Doc. 02-13269
Filed 5-23-02; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P