[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 125, 112th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 8695 of July 26, 2011

National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, 2011
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
On June 25, 1950, the Korean peninsula erupted in conflict, becoming the
front line of an intensifying Cold War. For 3 years, our Armed Forces
fought to help keep Korea free, suffering bitter reversals and winning
stunning victories before the Military Armistice Agreement at Panmunjom
secured the border near the 38th parallel. Together, American service
members and allied forces were part of a generation that, in the words
inscribed at their memorial in Washington, defended ``a country they
never knew and a people they never met.'' Today, we express our unending
gratitude to all who fought and died in pursuit of freedom and democracy
for the Korean peninsula.
Our veterans' courage and sacrifice have enabled the Republic of Korea
to flourish as a strong and prosperous nation for over half a century.
In the decades following the Armistice, the American and South Korean
people have maintained a warm friendship, and our alliance is stronger
than ever. We remember our common values and shared suffering during the
Korean War, and we continue to work together towards advancing the cause
of freedom and stability in East Asia and around the world.

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Today, we honor the tens of thousands of service members who gave their
last full measure of devotion to protect the people of the Republic of
Korea. We also pay tribute to the generations of Americans who have
guarded the border since hostilities concluded. It is our sacred duty as
a grateful Nation to care for all those who have served, and to provide
for our veterans and their families.
We will never forget that America owes its liberty, security, and
prosperity to the heroic acts of our service members. We must also
remember that their selfless sacrifices have had a profound impact on
the promotion of freedom across the globe. On National Korean War
Veterans Armistice Day, we recommit to supporting our venerable warriors
and their families, and we pay our deepest respects to those who laid
down their lives.
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 July 27, 2011, as
National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day. I call upon all Americans to
observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities that honor
our distinguished Korean War Veterans.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth day of
July, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
sixth.
BARACK OBAMA