[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 5, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 20361-20362]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-07309]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 88 , No. 65 / Wednesday, April 5, 2023 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 20361]]


                Proclamation 10541 of March 31, 2023

                
Month of the Military Child, 2023

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                This month, we honor the over 2 million children of our 
                service members and veterans, whose support and 
                sacrifice help keep our military strong and our Nation 
                secure. These young Americans already understand what 
                it means to serve, shouldering the unique demands of 
                military life with courage and tenacity.

                Whenever the First Lady and I meet with military 
                children, we are amazed by their strength and 
                selflessness. Most of these young patriots uproot their 
                lives every few years--starting at new schools, making 
                new friends, and learning new cultures and customs in 
                different corners of the country and around the globe. 
                They often celebrate birthdays and holidays with an 
                empty seat at the dinner table. Many have marked 
                graduations without one of their biggest fans in the 
                crowd. So often, these children serve as Hidden 
                Helpers, becoming caregivers for their wounded, ill, or 
                injured loved ones--and far too many have grown up with 
                the enduring grief of having lost a parent.

                As a Nation, we have many obligations, but we have only 
                one truly sacred obligation: to prepare our troops we 
                send into harm's way and to care for them and their 
                families while they are deployed and when they return 
                home. Our military-connected children are at the heart 
                of this sacred obligation. My Administration is 
                stepping up to meet this obligation. We have expanded 
                the Military Parental Leave Program, which enables 
                service members to spend needed time with their 
                families following a child's birth, adoption, or 
                placement for long-term foster care. Through the 
                Joining Forces initiative, the First Lady is leading 
                our efforts to support military-connected children in 
                their classrooms and help ease the burdens created by 
                the highly mobile military lifestyle. We are also 
                investing to provide their parents with access to 
                affordable, quality child care.

                The English poet John Milton once wrote, ``They also 
                serve who only stand and wait.'' Every day, military-
                connected children stand tall with pride for their 
                parents and our Nation. They make sacrifices--big and 
                small--so their parents can continue to serve and 
                protect this country. These young people represent the 
                very best of America, and we will always be grateful 
                for their service to our Nation. May God bless our 
                troops and their families, caregivers, and survivors.

                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 laws of 
                the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2023 as the 
                Month of the Military Child. I call upon the people of 
                the United States to honor the children of our service 
                members and veterans with appropriate ceremonies and 
                activities. I also encourage Americans everywhere to 
                find ways to support military-connected children, 
                including by wearing purple during the month of April 
                in honor of their service.

[[Page 20362]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                seventh.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2023-07309
Filed 4-4-23; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P