[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 180 (Tuesday, September 21, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 52387-52388]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-20507]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 180 / Tuesday, September 21, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 52387]]


                Proclamation 10259 of September 16, 2021

                
National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 2021

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                When service members take an oath to defend the 
                Constitution of the United States, they do so knowing 
                that they may be called upon to make great sacrifices 
                to ensure and sustain our shared values. These patriots 
                accept those risks and rush to fulfill the mission, no 
                matter how harsh or dangerous the conditions. They 
                embody the best of the American spirit. For the 
                families and friends who wait at home, anxious for news 
                of their loved ones, these sacrifices can cause great 
                pain. For the families of the more than 81,600 service 
                members who remain missing in action--the pain and 
                grief is compounded by a lack of closure, and the hope 
                that their sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, 
                parents, and grandparents will one day return home.

                On National POW/MIA Recognition Day, we remember the 
                debt we owe to them and to their families. We pay 
                tribute to our former prisoners of war and recommit to 
                the difficult but essential task of seeking out answers 
                for the families of those still missing. We will always 
                remember and honor our Nation's prisoners of war and 
                those still missing in action, and keep faith with our 
                promise as a Nation to bring all of our heroes home.

                Every day, the iconic black and white flag--a powerful 
                symbol in recognition of the heroism and sacrifice of 
                American POWs and MIAs--is flown above the White House. 
                It is a mark of reverence and of solidarity with all 
                those who await answers. Each day, this flag flies over 
                memorials and cemeteries, on military installations, at 
                local post offices, and on the front lawns of homes 
                across the Nation. This flag remains a symbol of 
                America's commitment to honor the sacrifices of all 
                those who serve.

                My Administration is committed to recovering and 
                identifying Americans missing from prior conflicts. Our 
                efforts are global, and we are thankful for the 
                continued cooperation of all partner nations who 
                advance these humanitarian efforts on behalf of 
                American families. Loss and grief are hard enough 
                without the added and too often prolonged pain of 
                uncertainty. But this much is certain: the United 
                States will never abandon the search for our service 
                members missing and unaccounted for in overseas wars. 
                They will never be forgotten.

                During National POW/MIA Recognition Day, our Nation 
                conveys eternal gratitude to those who endured enemy 
                captivity and those who made the supreme sacrifice and 
                have yet to return home. We will stand with these 
                heroes, who gave their all to protect and preserve our 
                freedoms, and their families, who have kept the faith 
                and longingly pursued answers across these many 
                decades.

                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 September 17, 
                2021, as National POW/MIA Recognition Day. Along with 
                my fellow Americans, I salute our former POWs who 
                overcame unspeakable indignities to return home with 
                honor. For those who made the ultimate sacrifice and 
                never came home, America will work tirelessly to 
                provide their families and our Nation the fullest 
                possible measure of accounting. I urge all Americans

[[Page 52388]]

                to observe this day of honor and remembrance with 
                appropriate ceremonies and activities.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                sixteenth day of September, 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. 2021-20507
Filed 9-20-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P