[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 102 (Thursday, May 28, 2015)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 30329-30330]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-13053]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 102 / Thursday, May 28, 2015 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 30329]]


                Proclamation 9287 of May 22, 2015

                
Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 2015

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                On Memorial Day, the United States pauses to honor the 
                fallen heroes who died in service to our Nation. With 
                heavy hearts and a sense of profound gratitude, we 
                mourn these women and men--parents, children, loved 
                ones, comrades-in-arms, friends, and all those known 
                and unknown--who believed so deeply in what our country 
                could be they were willing to give their lives to 
                protect its promise. Our hearts ache in their absence, 
                but their spirit gives us strength to continue their 
                work of securing and renewing the liberties that all 
                Americans cherish and for which these heroes gave their 
                last full measure of devotion.

                In solemn reflection, we gather--in small towns and big 
                cities, on battlefields, in cemeteries, and at sacred 
                places where blood has been shed for freedom's cause--
                throughout our country and around the world to remember 
                the unbroken chain of patriots who won independence, 
                saved our Union, defeated fascism, and protected the 
                Nation we love from emerging threats in a changing 
                world. Today, their legacy is carried forward by a new 
                generation of servicemen and women and all who strive 
                to shape a more perfect America; and their enormous 
                sacrifices continue to make our opportunity possible.

                We owe all those who sacrifice in our name a tremendous 
                debt, including our Nation's mothers and fathers who 
                have given their daughters and sons to America, spouses 
                and partners who shoulder the weight of unthinkable 
                loss, and courageous children in whom the legacies of 
                their parents live on. As a Nation, we must uphold our 
                obligations to these Gold Star families. We have 
                pledged to them that they will never walk alone--that 
                their country will be there for them always--and we 
                must work every day to make good on this promise.

                Our Nation will never forget the valor and distinction 
                of the women and men who defend freedom, justice, and 
                peace. Today, we rededicate ourselves to commitments 
                equal to the caliber of those who have rendered the 
                highest service: to support our troops with the 
                resources they need to do their jobs; to never stop 
                searching for those who have gone missing or are 
                prisoners of war; to ensure all our veterans have 
                access to the care and benefits they have earned and 
                deserve; and to continue our constant work of building 
                a Nation worthy of the heroes we honor today.

                In honor of all of our fallen service members, the 
                Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 11, 1950, 
                as amended (36 U.S.C. 116), has requested the President 
                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 3:00 p.m. local time on that day as 
                a time for all Americans to observe, in their own way, 
                the National Moment of Remembrance.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, do hereby proclaim Memorial 
                Day, May 25, 2015, 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 during 
                which people may

[[Page 30330]]

                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 request the Governors of the United States and its 
                Territories, 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-second day of May, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and thirty-ninth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2015-13053
Filed 5-27-15; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F5