[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 148 (Thursday, August 1, 2019)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 37563-37564]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-16558]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 84 , No. 148 / Thursday, August 1, 2019 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 37563]]

                Proclamation 9913 of July 26, 2019

                
National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, 2019

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                In 1953, the Korean Armistice Agreement ended more than 
                3 years of brutal fighting against communist 
                expansionism and tyranny on the Korean Peninsula. On 
                National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, we honor 
                the brave patriots who secured freedom and democracy in 
                the Republic of Korea, and we pay tribute to the more 
                than 23,600 Americans who were killed in action and the 
                more than 103,000 who were wounded in that conflict.

                The dedication stone at the Korean War Veterans 
                Memorial in Washington, DC, bears the inscription: 
                ``Our Nation honors her sons and daughters who answered 
                the call to defend a country they never knew and a 
                people they never met.'' The memorial includes an honor 
                roll of Americans killed in action and those missing in 
                action, and its unique design features statues of a 
                patrol crossing a Korean rice paddy. These figures 
                represent the heroes of our Armed Forces who valiantly 
                served in the Land of the Morning Calm and fought on 
                battlefields such as Inchon, the Pusan Perimeter, and 
                the Chosin Reservoir. Today, this hauntingly beautiful 
                memorial stands as an enduring reminder of what it 
                costs to defend and preserve the democratic principles 
                we hold dear.

                Our ironclad alliance with the Republic of Korea was 
                cemented when the first American troops arrived on its 
                soil to fight for liberty and human dignity. More than 
                six decades after the ceasefire on the Korean 
                Peninsula, the Republic of Korea is flourishing as a 
                prosperous and peace-loving democracy. Since the 
                signing of the armistice at Panmunjom, the United 
                States has worked with the Republic of Korea to 
                preserve peace through strength. Our military, together 
                with our allies, stands vigilant, strong, and ``ready 
                to fight tonight'' on the ground, in the air, and at 
                sea. The phrase ``katchi kapshida''--``we go 
                together''--is on the lips of every service member in 
                Korea, representing generations of Koreans and 
                Americans united by shared sacrifice and a willingness 
                to uphold the cause of freedom no matter the cost.

                Last month, when I walked across the military 
                demarcation line that runs through the Demilitarized 
                Zone, it was the first time a sitting United States 
                President has ever entered into the territory of the 
                Democratic People's Republic of Korea. I hope these 
                steps will spur progress in the ongoing effort to 
                achieve the complete and verifiable denuclearization of 
                North Korea, establish a permanent peace on the Korean 
                Peninsula, and continue the recovery and repatriation 
                of remains of fallen American soldiers.

                Today, we honor our Korean War veterans for service 
                rendered to both the United States and the Republic of 
                Korea, and we remember their families who supported 
                them throughout. Sometimes called ``The Forgotten 
                War,'' we will always remember the immeasurable cost 
                incurred by those who fought on the Korean Peninsula. 
                The bravery, tenacity, and selflessness of our veterans 
                liberated the oppressed, brought peace and prosperity 
                to a freedom-loving people, and helped forge our 
                unshakable bonds with the Republic of Korea.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution

[[Page 37564]]

                and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim 
                July 27, 2019, 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.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand nineteen, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                fourth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2019-16558
Filed 7-31-19; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F9-P