[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 124, 111th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 8590--OCT. 29, 2010

Proclamation 8590 of October 29, 2010
Military Family Month, 2010
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

We owe each day of security and freedom that we enjoy to the members of
our Armed Forces and their families. Behind our brave service men and
women, there are family members and loved ones who share

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in their sacrifice and provide unending support. During Military Family
Month, we celebrate the exceptional contributions of our military
families, and we reaffirm our commitments to these selfless individuals
who exemplify the highest principles of our Nation.
Across America, military families inspire us all with their courage,
strength, and deep devotion to our country. They endure the challenges
of multiple deployments and moves; spend holidays and life milestones
apart; juggle everyday tasks while a spouse, parent, son, or daughter is
in harm's way; and honor the service of their loved ones and the memory
of those lost.
Just as we hold a sacred trust to the extraordinary Americans willing to
lay down their lives to protect us all, we also have a national
commitment to support and engage our military families. They are proud
to serve our country; yet, they face unique challenges because of that
service. My Administration has taken important steps to help them
shoulder their sacrifice, and we are working to ensure they have the
resources to care for themselves and the tools to reach their dreams. We
are working to improve family resilience, enhance the educational
experience of military children, and ensure military spouses have
employment and advancement opportunities, despite the relocations and
deployment cycles of military life. Our historic investment to build a
21st-century Department of Veterans Affairs is helping to provide our
veterans with the benefits and care they have earned. We are also
standing with our service members and their families as they transition
back into civilian life, providing counseling as well as job training
and placement. And, through the Post-9/11 GI Bill, our veterans and
their families can pursue the dream of higher education.
However, Government can only do so much. While only a fraction of
Americans are in military families, all of us share in the
responsibility of caring for our military families and veterans, and all
sectors of our society are better off when we reach out and work
together to support these patriots. By offering job opportunities and
workplace flexibility, businesses and companies can benefit from the
unparalleled dedication and skills of a service member or military
spouse. Through coordination with local community groups, individuals
and organizations can ensure our military families have the help they
need and deserve when a loved one is deployed. Even the smallest actions
by neighbors and friends send a large message of profound gratitude to
the families who risk everything to see us safe and free.
As America asks ever more of military families, they have a right to
expect more of us--it is our national challenge and moral obligation to
uphold that promise. If we hold ourselves to the same high standard of
excellence our military families live by every day, we will realize the
vision of an America that supports and engages these heroes now and for
decades to come.
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 November 2010 as
Military Family Month. I call on all Americans to honor military
families through private actions and public service for the tremendous
contributions they make in support of our service members and our
Nation.

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of
October, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
fifth.
BARACK OBAMA