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

    PROCLAMATION 9221--DEC. 15, 2014

    Proclamation 9221 of December 15, 2014

    70th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge

    By the President of the United States of America

    A Proclamation

    By the winter of 1944, the United States and Allied forces had stormed
    the beaches of Normandy, thundered into Europe, and liberated Paris,
    turning the tide in the struggle against the forces of oppression. With
    the fate of freedom in peril, millions of Americans went to fight for
    people they had never met to defend ideals they could not live without.
    But as Americans and our allies advanced through the Ardennes Forest
    region of Belgium and Luxembourg, German forces launched a desperate and
    massive assault, attacking the poorly-supplied and heavily-outnumbered
    Allied front during the early hours of December 16, 1944. Against
    improbable odds, patriots of exceptional valor and remarkable courage
    beat back Hitler's armies and achieved a crucial victory at the Battle
    of the Bulge, marking the beginning of the end of a world war.
    The Battle of the Bulge was one of the United States largest and
    bloodiest encounters of the Second World War. Over the course of more
    than a month, some 500,000 American service members fought through snow
    and bitter winter conditions. In extraordinarily difficult
    circumstances, our Armed Forces faced down bullets and German tanks.
    From the grip of hatred and tyranny, they won a victory for liberty and
    freedom. But our triumph came at a tremendous cost; over 76,000
    Americans were killed, wounded, or missing in action.
    On the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, we are called to do
    more than commemorate a victory. We must honor the sacrifice of a
    generation who defied every danger to free a continent from fascism. As
    we salute the unfailing dedication of a free people, we tell their

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    story so as to commit it to the memory of our Nation. The world will
    never forget the heroes who stepped forward to secure peace and
    prosperity far from home, and we will always remember those who gave
    their last full measure of devotion.
    The warriors who defended the promise of liberty during the Battle of
    the Bulge are an inspiring and heroic link in an unbroken chain that has
    made America the greatest force for freedom the world has ever known.
    Today, we lift up their memories and carry forward the proud legacy of
    the veterans who gave their all and in doing so, changed the course of
    human history.
    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 Tuesday, December 16,
    2014, as the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. I encourage
    all Americans to observe this solemn day of remembrance with appropriate
    ceremonies and activities.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of
    December, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the
    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
    ninth.
    BARACK OBAMA