[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 89 (Tuesday, May 11, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 25799-25800]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-10038]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 89 / Tuesday, May 11, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 25799]]

                Proclamation 10204 of May 6, 2021

                
Military Spouse Appreciation Day, 2021

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                As the members of our Armed Forces safeguard our Nation 
                at home and around the world, they depend on the people 
                they love for strength, comfort, joy, and stability. 
                Military spouses may not always wear a uniform, but 
                they serve and sacrifice alongside their service 
                members and keep our military strong. On Military 
                Spouse Appreciation Day, we recognize and thank the 
                military spouses who serve our Nation and are critical 
                to our national security.

                Military families are proud of the lives they build. 
                Spouses understand that loving a service member means 
                facing the challenges that can accompany their service: 
                from leaving friends behind to changing jobs again; 
                making parenting decisions alone to losing sleep at 
                night; deployments to homecomings to more deployments. 
                Those challenges have been magnified by the COVID-19 
                pandemic, which has led to lost income, fewer childcare 
                options, and extended deployments. Still, military 
                spouses have done what they do best: adapt, persevere, 
                and keep going.

                When someone you love is hurting, you hurt with them. 
                When your spouse is at home, trying to make ends meet, 
                or is torn between taking care of your children and 
                keeping a job, your heart breaks too. Service members 
                cannot focus on their mission if their families do not 
                have what they need to thrive at home, and we cannot 
                expect to retain even the most dedicated service 
                members if they are forced to choose between their love 
                of country and the hopes and dreams they have for their 
                families. That is why supporting military spouses is 
                critical to keeping our Nation safe.

                On Military Spouse Appreciation Day, we recognize the 
                importance of empowering spouses and ensuring they have 
                the necessary tools and resources to thrive in all 
                facets of their lives, including in the community, in 
                the workforce, and at home.

                My Administration is dedicated to supporting our 
                Nation's military spouses. Through the First Lady's 
                work with Joining Forces, the White House has committed 
                to supporting military and veteran families, 
                caregivers, and survivors through economic and 
                entrepreneurship opportunities, support for military 
                child education, and health and wellbeing resources. 
                Launched in 2011 as part of Joining Forces, the 
                Department of Defense's Military Spouse Employment 
                Partnership now includes more than 500 companies, 
                nonprofit organizations, and Federal agencies that are 
                committed to recruiting, hiring, promoting, and 
                retaining military spouses. Since its inception, the 
                Partnership has supported more than 180,000 military 
                spouses. Joining Forces will continue to convene and 
                collaborate with Federal agency partners, nonprofit 
                organizations, corporate stakeholders, and service 
                providers to develop comprehensive, meaningful, and 
                long-term solutions to address the holistic well-being 
                of military and veteran families, caregivers, and 
                survivors. And, Joining Forces calls upon on all 
                Americans to support and harness the special skills, 
                strengths, and experiences of military spouses.

                Today, we pause to salute the women and men who do so 
                much to support our troops, invest in our communities, 
                and sacrifice for our country. Their

[[Page 25800]]

                strength and resilience are essential to the 
                recruitment, retention, and readiness of our fighting 
                forces and, indeed, to the strength of our Nation.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., 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 7, 2021, 
                as Military Spouse Appreciation Day. I call upon the 
                people of the United States to honor military spouses 
                with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

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

[FR Doc. 2021-10038
Filed 5-10-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P