[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 127, 113th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 9067--DEC. 5, 2013

Proclamation 9067 of December 5, 2013

Death of Nelson Mandela
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Today, the United States has lost a close friend, South Africa has lost
an incomparable liberator, and the world has lost an inspiration for
freedom, justice, and human dignity--Nelson Mandela is no longer with
us, he belongs to the ages.
Nelson Mandela achieved more than could be expected of any man. His own
struggle inspired others to believe in the promise of a better world,
and the rightness of reconciliation. Through his fierce dignity and
unbending will to sacrifice his own freedom for the freedom of others,
he transformed South Africa--and moved the entire world. His journey
from a prisoner to a President embodied the promise that human beings--
and countries--can change for the better. His commitment to transfer
power and reconcile with those who jailed him set an example that all
humanity should aspire to, whether in the life of nations or our own
personal lives.



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While we mourn his loss, we will forever honor Nelson Mandela's memory.
He left behind a South Africa that is free and at peace with itself--a
close friend and partner of the United States. And his memory will be
kept in the hearts of billions who have been lifted up by the power of
his example.
We will not see the likes of Nelson Mandela again. It falls to us to
carry forward the example that he set--to make decisions guided not by
hate, but by love; to never discount the difference that one person can
make; and to strive for a future that is worthy of his sacrifice. For
now, let us pause and give thanks for the fact that Nelson Mandela
lived--a man who took history in his hands, and bent the arc of the
moral universe toward justice.
As a mark of respect for the memory of Nelson Mandela, by the authority
vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and
laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of
the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and
upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval
stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the
District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its
Territories and possessions until sunset, December 9, 2013. I also
direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of
time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and
other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval
vessels and stations.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day of
December, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
eighth.
BARACK OBAMA