[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 90 (Tuesday, May 10, 2016)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 28687-28688]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-11077]


 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 90 / Tuesday, May 10, 2016 / 
Presidential Documents  

 ___________________________________________________________________

 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 28687]]

                Proclamation 9442 of May 5, 2016

                
Military Spouse Appreciation Day, 2016

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Serving alongside our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, 
                Marines, and Coast Guardsmen, our Nation's military 
                families give of themselves and give up their time with 
                their loved ones so we may live safely and freely. Few 
                Americans fully understand the sacrifices made by those 
                who serve in uniform, but for spouses of service 
                members across our country, the costs of the freedom we 
                too often take for granted are known intimately. On 
                Military Spouse Appreciation Day, we honor the spouses 
                of those who have left behind everything they know and 
                love to join our Nation's unbroken chain of patriots, 
                and we recommit to giving military spouses the respect, 
                dignity, and support they deserve.

                Enduring separation and relocation, heartache and 
                anticipation, military spouses demonstrate a strength 
                reflective of the spirit of our Nation. The spouses of 
                our men and women in uniform bear the burden of 
                sustaining their families, caring for children and 
                offering comfort and support while their loved ones are 
                away. As a country, we must keep faith with military 
                spouses and uphold our commitment to the members of our 
                Armed Forces to look after their families.

                Five years ago, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill 
                Biden launched the Joining Forces initiative. Through 
                Joining Forces, my Administration is working to ensure 
                the spouses of our men and women in uniform have good, 
                secure jobs so they can better provide for their 
                families. We launched the Military Spouse Employment 
                Partnership--uniting hundreds of businesses across 
                America in a collaborative effort to employ more 
                military spouses. Additionally, I proposed an increase 
                in funding to help address the barriers that too often 
                hold back transitioning service members and their 
                spouses from greater economic possibility. And I have 
                taken action to improve access to mental health care 
                for our veterans and their families, and to ensure they 
                are able to find adequate housing--because anyone who 
                defended America should have a home in America. I 
                encourage all people to visit www.JoiningForces.gov to 
                learn how to get involved or for more information.

                Military spouses exhibit tremendous courage and 
                unyielding faith, and in their spirit of resolve, we 
                see the best of America. Let us celebrate these 
                selfless individuals by supporting them and upholding 
                our everlasting commitment to stand beside them and 
                their families.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim May 6, 2016, as 
                Military Spouse Appreciation Day. I call upon the 
                people of the United States to honor military spouses 
                with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

[[Page 28688]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand 
                sixteen, and of the Independence of the United States 
                of America the two hundred and fortieth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2016-11077
Filed 5-9-16; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F6-P