[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 143 (Thursday, July 29, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 40759-40760]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-16302]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 143 / Thursday, July 29, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 40759]]


                Proclamation 10235 of July 26, 2021

                
National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, 2021

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                The United States and the Republic of Korea are allies 
                with a long history of shared sacrifice. In a call to 
                defend freedom and democracy abroad, 1.8 million 
                Americans joined the fight to protect our Korean 
                Peninsula allies from the communist regimes in North 
                Korea and The People's Republic of China. In 1953, 
                after 3 years of violent combat and millions of 
                casualties, an armistice was signed by representatives 
                of the United States, The People's Republic of China, 
                and North Korea. The armistice made possible the 
                exchange of prisoners of war as well as an opportunity 
                to negotiate a peaceful settlement. Almost 70 years 
                later, that settlement still has not been reached, and 
                the Korean Peninsula remains divided along the 38th 
                parallel. Yet, the Republic of Korea has grown into a 
                thriving, vibrant country, and the enduring 
                relationship between our two nations has flourished 
                through decades of peace. Today, we take this 
                opportunity to honor, remember, and pay tribute to the 
                Korean War veterans who fought to defend those 
                universal values and freedoms that the people of South 
                Korea enjoy today.

                American service members, along with our United Nations 
                counterparts, fought through some of the most 
                unforgiving terrain and weather conditions on the 
                Korean Peninsula. Through searing summer heat, bitter 
                winter cold, and torrential rains, our forces fought 
                with relentless courage, resilience, and perseverance. 
                In the mountains, valleys, and rice paddies, the 
                battles fought and lives lost in Inchon, the Chosin 
                Reservoir, Heartbreak Ridge, and the Pusan Perimeter, 
                we remember their valor. Earlier this year, I had the 
                great privilege of awarding the Medal of Honor to 
                Colonel Ralph Puckett, Jr., USA (Ret.), a legend in the 
                Army Ranger community, for his extraordinary 
                selflessness and heroism during the Korean War in the 
                Battle of Hill 205. His story, and those of all our 
                veterans of the Korean War, remind every American the 
                high price of freedom.

                We shall never forget the service members who made the 
                ultimate sacrifice. On the National Mall at the Korean 
                War Memorial, a Wall of Remembrance will be established 
                to further honor and venerate the more than 36,000 
                American lives lost during the war, along with more 
                than 7,000 Korean Augmentation to the United States 
                Army soldiers who were killed in action. As a grateful 
                Nation, we owe it to the families of the fallen to 
                memorialize, commemorate, and pay tribute to the heroes 
                who have given their lives for our Nation--and to 
                uphold and honor the democratic values for which they 
                fought. We must also always recognize the patriotism 
                and service of our veterans and their families and 
                caregivers, and uphold our sacred obligation to provide 
                the support they need when they come home.

                Our commitment to protecting peace on the Korean 
                Peninsula has endured and grown in the ensuing decades. 
                We are immensely proud of our historic friendship and 
                the trust we share with the Republic of Korea. The 
                service and sacrifices of both our nations have left an 
                indelible determination to sustain peace and promote 
                regional stability. Training side-by-side with the 
                Korean military, our Armed Forces abroad help keep the 
                watch while proudly upholding the legacy of those 
                serving before them. Our partnership

[[Page 40760]]

                remains crucial to maintaining peace and stability 
                today, and to expanding economic growth in a critical 
                region of the world.

                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 July 27, 2021, 
                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 twenty-one, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                sixth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2021-16302
Filed 7-28-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P