    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 128, 113th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    PROCLAMATION 9133--MAY 23, 2014

    Proclamation 9133 of May 23, 2014

    Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 2014

    By the President of the United States of America

    A Proclamation

    Constant in the American narrative is the story of men and women who
    loved our country so deeply they were willing to give their all to keep
    it safe and free. When a revolution needed to be won and our Union
    needed to be preserved, brave patriots stepped forward. When our harbor
    was bombed and our country was attacked on a clear September morning,
    courageous warriors raised their hands and said, ``send me.'' On the
    last Monday of each May, our Nation comes together to honor the selfless
    heroes who have defended the land we love and in so doing gave their
    last full measure of devotion.
    Today, we pause to remember our fallen troops, to mourn their loss, and
    to pray for their loved ones. Though our hearts ache, we find a measure
    of solace in knowing their legacy lives on in the families our heroes
    left behind--the proud parents who instilled in their sons and daughters
    the values that led them to serve; the remarkable spouses who gave our
    Nation the person they cherished most in the world; and the beautiful
    children who will grow up with the knowledge that their mother or father
    embodied the true meaning of patriotism. To those we lost, we owe a
    profound debt that can never be fully repaid. But we can honor the
    fallen by caring for their loved ones and keeping faith with our
    veterans and their fellow brothers and sisters in arms.
    The security that lets us live in peace, the prosperity that allows us
    to pursue our dreams, the freedom that we cherish--these were earned by
    the blood and the sacrifices of patriots who went before. This Memorial
    Day, as we near the end of more than a decade of war, let us never
    forget their service and always be worthy of the sacrifices made in our
    name. And today and every day, let us pray for and hold close the
    families of the fallen.
    NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
    America, do hereby proclaim Memorial Day, May 26, 2014, as a day of
    prayer for permanent peace, and I designate the hour beginning in each
    locality at 11:00 a.m. of that day as a time to unite in prayer. I also
    ask all Americans to observe the National Moment of Remembrance
    beginning at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day.
    I request the Governors of the United States and the Commonwealth of
    Puerto Rico, officials of the other territories subject to the
    jurisdiction of the United States, and appropriate officials of all
    units of government, to direct that the flag be flown at half-staff
    until noon on this Memorial Day on all buildings, grounds, and naval
    vessels throughout the United States and in all areas under its
    jurisdiction and control. I also request the people of the United States
    to display the flag at half-staff from their homes for the customary
    forenoon period.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-third day of
    May, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the
    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
    eighth.
    BARACK OBAMA