[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 144 (Monday, July 28, 2003)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 44449-44450]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-19318]



[[Page 44447]]

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Part VI





The President





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Proclamation 7692--National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, 2003
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  Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 144 / Monday, July 28, 2003 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 44449]]

                Proclamation 7692 of July 24, 2003

                
National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, 2003

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                When North Korean troops invaded South Korea on June 
                25, 1950, the United States took immediate action to 
                defend the freedom of a people unjustly attacked. 
                Leading a coalition of 20 other countries, American and 
                South Korean troops fought to advance liberty and 
                opportunity and to overcome cruelty and repression. 
                More than 1.7 million Americans faced forbidding 
                terrain and harsh combat in battles such as Pork Chop 
                Hill, Heartbreak Ridge, the Pusan Perimeter, and the 
                Chosin Reservoir. Throughout the conflict, the members 
                of our Armed Forces demonstrated extraordinary honor, 
                skill, and courage.

                The Military Armistice Agreement of July 27, 1953, 
                ended 3 years of bitter warfare on the Korean Peninsula 
                and stopped the spread of Communism in Korea, signaling 
                to the world America's resolve to stand against tyranny 
                and totalitarian regimes. Fifty years later, our Nation 
                remains grateful for the bravery and sacrifice of our 
                Korean War veterans. They defended human freedom, 
                liberated the oppressed, and selflessly protected the 
                democratic ideals that made our Nation strong. Their 
                efforts reflect the honorable and decent spirit of 
                America. More than 34,000 of America's service men and 
                women gave their lives in battle in the Korean War. As 
                we continue our fight to extend freedom today, we 
                remember and honor their sacrifices and those of their 
                families.

                Thanks in large measure to the veterans of the Korean 
                War, South Korea today stands as a shining example of 
                the economic and social benefits of democracy. As we 
                observe the 50th anniversary of the Armistice, America 
                looks forward to the day when the stability of the 
                Korean Peninsula is built on peaceful reconciliation of 
                North and South. We pledge to work with the Republic of 
                Korea to further our shared values of democracy, human 
                rights, and free enterprise. And we will continue to 
                build upon the comprehensive and dynamic relationship 
                between our two nations to promote peace and prosperity 
                on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.

                The Congress, by Public Law 104-19 as amended (36 
                U.S.C. 127), has designated July 27, 2003, as 
                ``National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day'' and has 
                authorized and requested the President to issue a 
                proclamation in observance of this day.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the 
                United States of America, do hereby proclaim July 27, 
                2003, as National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day. I 
                call upon all Americans to observe this day with 
                appropriate ceremonies and activities that honor and 
                give thanks to our distinguished Korean War veterans. I 
                also ask Federal departments and agencies and 
                interested groups, organizations, and individuals to 
                fly the flag of the United States at half-staff on July 
                27, 2003, in memory of the Americans who died as a 
                result of their service in the Korean War.

[[Page 44450]]

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

                    (Presidential Sig.)B

[FR Doc. 03-19318
Filed 7-25-03; 10:38 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P