[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 123, 111th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 8465--DEC. 15, 2009

Proclamation 8465 of December 15, 2009
65th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, 2009
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

In December 1944, a brave band of American soldiers, stationed in the
Ardennes Forest region on the Western Front of Europe, who were
surrounded, poorly supplied and surviving in brutally cold conditions,
took the brunt of a furious German assault. Their valor defined not just
the beginning of the end of a World War, but also one of the greatest
generations of Americans. Like patriots before them, they stood
resolute, confident in their training, and determined to preserve those
enduring American ideals of freedom and justice. On the 65th Anniversary
of the Battle of the Bulge, a grateful Nation remembers the fallen who
gave their lives in that critical battle, and we pay tribute to the
heroes whose indomitable strength led to victory in World War II.
When asked about the Battle of the Bulge, British Prime Minister Sir
Winston Churchill remarked, ``This is undoubtedly the greatest American
battle of the war and will, I believe, be regarded as an ever-famous
American victory.'' Confronting not just the advancing German Army, but
the elements, American service members withstood the assault and
eventually repelled the Nazi forces, but at tremendous cost in lives and
wounded soldiers.
On this anniversary, we reflect on the enduring commitment of our Armed
Forces in defending our liberty, as inspiring today as it was in 1944.
The discipline and courage displayed in the Battle of the Bulge
continues in Iraq, Afghanistan, and wherever our men and women in
uniform are serving. They represent the best of our Nation and we are
eternally grateful for their service and sacrifice.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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 Wednesday, December
16, 2009, as the 65th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. I
encourage all Americans to observe this solemn day of remembrance with
appropriate ceremonies and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of
December, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
fourth.
BARACK OBAMA