[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 121, 110th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 8093--DEC. 27, 2006

Proclamation 8093 of December 27, 2006
Announcing the Death of Gerald R. Ford
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES:
It is my sad duty to announce officially the death of Gerald R. Ford,
the thirty-eighth President of the United States, on December 26, 2006.
President Ford was a great man who devoted the best years of his life to
serving the United States of America. He was also a true gentleman who
reflected the best in America's character. Before the world knew his
name, he served with distinction in the United States Navy and the
United States House of Representatives. As a congressman from Michigan,
and then as Vice President, he commanded the respect and earned the
goodwill of all who had the privilege of knowing him. On August 9, 1974,
he stepped into the presidency without having ever sought the office.
During his time in office, the American people came to know President
Ford as a man of complete integrity, who led our country with common
sense and kind instincts. Americans will always admire Gerald Ford's
unflinching performance of duty, the honorable conduct of his
Administration, and the great rectitude of the man himself. We mourn the
loss of such a leader, and our thirty-eighth President will always have
a special place in our Nation's memory.
President Ford lived 93 years, and his life was a blessing to America.
Now this fine man will be taken to his rest by a family that will love
him always and by a Nation that will be grateful to him forever.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of
America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of
the United States, in honor and tribute to the memory of Gerald R. Ford,
and as an expression of public sorrow, do hereby direct that the flag of
the United States be displayed at half-staff at the White House and on
all buildings, grounds, and Naval vessels of the United States for a
period of 30 days from the day of his death. I also direct that for the
same length of time, the representatives of the United States in foreign
countries shall make similar arrangements for the display of the flag at
half-staff over their Embassies, Legations, and other facilities abroad,
including all military facilities and stations.
I hereby order that suitable honors be rendered by units of the Armed
Forces under orders of the Secretary of Defense.
In a further expression of our national grief, I will appoint in a
subsequent proclamation a National Day of Mourning throughout the United

[[Page 2654]]
121 STAT. 2654

States when the American people may assemble in their respective places
of worship, there to pay homage to the memory of President Ford.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-seventh day
of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand six, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
first.
GEORGE W. BUSH