[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 112 (Wednesday, June 11, 2003)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 34775-34776]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-14907]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 112 / Wednesday, June 11, 2003 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 34775]]

                Proclamation 7684 of June 6, 2003

                
Flag Day and National Flag Week, 2003

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Each year, we set aside June 14 to commemorate the day 
                in 1777 when the Continental Congress adopted the Stars 
                and Stripes as the official flag of our Republic. With 
                this act, the Congress declared that we were one 
                Nation, under one flag, united for the cause of liberty 
                and justice for all.

                As a symbol of our patriotism, the American flag 
                continues to invoke pride and resolve among our people, 
                especially when we see it next to a headstone, on the 
                masts of our military ships, worn by the generations of 
                Americans who have proudly served our country, or 
                emerging from the wreckage caused by a natural or 
                manmade disaster. Flying over public buildings, 
                monuments, schools, and homes, our flag is testament to 
                the ideals of American democracy.

                Through the years, millions of immigrants have come to 
                our shores seeking to share in the promise of freedom 
                represented by our flag. From war-torn Europe, to the 
                mountains of Afghanistan, to the deserts of Iraq, the 
                flag and those who carry it are universally recognized 
                as harbingers of liberation, justice, and peace. 
                Regardless of circumstance, our flag endures as a sign 
                of hope.

                On Flag Day, we look to the red, white, and blue as a 
                symbol of our commitment to advancing the universal 
                hope of liberty and justice for all. Old Glory abounds 
                in the landscape of our daily lives, reminding us of 
                the freedom we share. The 50 stars and 13 stripes are 
                not just a random pattern, they symbolize the blessings 
                of liberty we enjoy as Americans.

                To commemorate the adoption of our flag, the Congress, 
                by joint resolution approved August 3, 1949, as amended 
                (63 Stat. 492), designated June 14 of each year as 
                ``Flag Day'' and requested that the President issue an 
                annual proclamation calling for its observance and for 
                the display of the Flag of the United States on all 
                Federal Government buildings. The Congress also 
                requested, by joint resolution approved June 9, 1966, 
                as amended (80 Stat. 194), that the President issue 
                annually a proclamation designating the week in which 
                June 14 occurs as ``National Flag Week'' and calling 
                upon all citizens of the United States to display the 
                flag during that week.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the 
                United States of America, do hereby proclaim June 14, 
                2003, as Flag Day and the week beginning June 8, 2003, 
                as National Flag Week. I direct the appropriate 
                officials to display the flag on all Federal Government 
                buildings during that week, and I urge all Americans to 
                observe Flag Day and National Flag Week by flying the 
                Stars and Stripes from their homes and other suitable 
                places. I also call upon the people of the United 
                States to observe with pride and all due ceremony those 
                days from Flag Day through Independence Day, also set 
                aside by the Congress (89 Stat. 211), as a time to 
                honor America, to celebrate our heritage in public 
                gatherings and activities, and to publicly recite the 
                Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States 
                of America.

[[Page 34776]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                sixth day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand 
                three, and of the Independence of the United States of 
                America the two hundred and twenty-seventh.

                    (Presidential Sig.)B

[FR Doc. 03-14907
Filed 6-10-03; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P