[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 210 (Wednesday, November 3, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 60547-60548]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-24122]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 210 / Wednesday, November 3, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 60547]]


                Proclamation 10303 of October 29, 2021

                
National Veterans and Military Families Month, 
                2021

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                America has the greatest Armed Forces in the history of 
                the world. To those who serve and those that serve 
                alongside them--their families and caregivers--we owe a 
                debt we can never fully repay. During National Veterans 
                and Military Families Month, we recognize and thank 
                them for their indispensable contributions and 
                immeasurable sacrifices in support of our national 
                security. As we approach this season of thanksgiving, 
                we send our gratitude to millions of service members, 
                veterans, military families, caregivers, and survivors 
                who have served and continue to serve our Nation. I 
                have said many times, and it comes from my heart--we as 
                a Nation have a sacred obligation to properly equip and 
                prepare our troops when we send them in to harm's way 
                and to support them and their families, both while they 
                are deployed and when they return home.

                The First Lady and I know that it is not only the 
                person who wears the uniform serving our country but 
                also their families who make enormous sacrifices for 
                our Nation. As the poet John Milton wrote, ``They also 
                serve who only stand and wait.'' We understand the 
                feelings of pride, uncertainty, and fear when a loved 
                one is deployed. Every morning, you wake up and say 
                that extra prayer for them.

                Our veteran and military families do so much and ask 
                for little. They are strong and adaptable, changing 
                course to accommodate the needs of our country, often 
                foregoing personal wishes. They are capable and proud, 
                holding down the home front during their loved one's 
                deployments, coping through their absence and the risk 
                of danger, and helping them readjust when they come 
                home.

                These families and their Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, 
                Marines, Guardians, and Coast Guardsmen, are simply the 
                best America has to offer. When they do not have what 
                they need to thrive, it is not only individuals who 
                suffer. If service members are worried that their 
                spouse is struggling to keep food on the table or that 
                their child is having a hard time at school, it is 
                harder to focus on their mission. That is why 
                supporting military families is a national security 
                imperative.

                Since the earliest days of my Administration, we have 
                been committed to a whole-of-government approach to 
                responding to the real-time needs of our military and 
                veteran families. Through Joining Forces, the White 
                House initiative to support veteran and military 
                families, caregivers, and survivors, my Administration 
                is addressing military spouse employment and 
                entrepreneurship, military child education, and family 
                health and well-being. The First Lady has met with our 
                Nation's military and veteran families, caregivers, 
                survivors, and advocates to learn how we can better 
                support and prioritize their needs. Those discussions 
                help inform the efforts across the Government to share 
                data, create innovative solutions, and implement 
                evidence-based programs and policies. In September, 
                Joining Forces and the National Security Council 
                released a report outlining the first round of 
                Administration-wide commitments and proposals for 
                supporting military

[[Page 60548]]

                and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors. We are 
                committed to continuing these efforts because we must, 
                and we will, honor our sacred obligation to support our 
                military and veteran families and ensure they receive 
                the resources they need to thrive.

                Throughout November, we show our appreciation to the 
                spouses, partners, children, caregivers, and survivors 
                of our service members and veterans for their selfless 
                sacrifice on behalf of the Nation. We honor them and 
                their invaluable contributions; we share their pride in 
                our Armed Forces; and we will never forget what they 
                and their loved ones do for us.

                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 November 2021 
                as National Veterans and Military Families Month. I 
                call upon the people of the United States to honor 
                veterans and military families with appropriate 
                ceremonies and activities.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-ninth day of October, 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. 2021-24122
Filed 11-2-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F2-P