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

 
Proclamation 8713 of September 15, 2011

National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 2011
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
In every conflict in which our Nation has been involved, selfless
American service members have sacrificed their lives for the sake of our
country and its principles. Too many have never come home, or have
endured unthinkable hardship as prisoners of war. On this day, we echo
the creed inscribed on the black and white banners that fly in honor of
America's Prisoners of War and Missing in Action, and we renew our
promise to our heroes, that ``You Are Not Forgotten.''
We will never give up the search for those who are held as prisoners of
war or have gone missing under our country's flag. We honor their
sacrifice, and we must care for their families and pursue the fullest
possible accounting for all missing members of our Armed Forces.
Together, we must serve our Nation's patriots as well as they have
served us--by supporting them when they come home, and by carrying on
the legacy of those who do not. This is a promise we keep for our
fallen, for our veterans past and present, and for all those whose loved
ones have not returned from the battlefield.
On September 16, 2011, the stark black and white banner symbolizing
America's Missing in Action and Prisoners of War will be flown over the
White House, the United States Capitol, the Departments of State,
Defense, and Veterans Affairs, the Selective Service System
Headquarters, the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Veterans
Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, United States post offices,
national cemeteries, and other locations across our country. We raise
this flag as a solemn reminder of our obligation to always remember the
sacrifices made to defend our Nation.
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 Sep

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tember 16, 2011, as National POW/MIA Recognition Day, and I urge all
Americans to observe this day of honor and remembrance with appropriate
ceremonies and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of
September, 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