[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