[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 129, 114th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9287 of May 22, 2015

Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 2015

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

On Memorial Day, the United States pauses to honor the fallen heroes who
died in service to our Nation. With heavy hearts and a sense of profound
gratitude, we mourn these women and men--parents, children, loved ones,
comrades-in-arms, friends, and all those known and unknown--who believed
so deeply in what our country could be they were willing to give their
lives to protect its promise. Our hearts ache in their absence, but
their spirit gives us strength to continue their work of securing and
renewing the liberties that all Americans cherish and for which these
heroes gave their last full measure of devotion.
In solemn reflection, we gather--in small towns and big cities, on
battlefields, in cemeteries, and at sacred places where blood has been
shed for freedom's cause--throughout our country and around the world to
remember the unbroken chain of patriots who won independence, saved our
Union, defeated fascism, and protected the Nation we love from emerging
threats in a changing world. Today, their legacy is carried forward by a
new generation of servicemen and women and all who strive to shape a
more perfect America; and their enormous sacrifices continue to make our
opportunity possible.
We owe all those who sacrifice in our name a tremendous debt, including
our Nation's mothers and fathers who have given their daughters and sons
to America, spouses and partners who shoulder the weight of unthinkable
loss, and courageous children in whom the legacies of their parents live
on. As a Nation, we must uphold our obligations to these Gold Star
families. We have pledged to them that they will never walk alone--that
their country will be there for them always--and we must work every day
to make good on this promise.
Our Nation will never forget the valor and distinction of the women and
men who defend freedom, justice, and peace. Today, we rededicate
ourselves to commitments equal to the caliber of those who have rendered
the highest service: to support our troops with the resources they need
to do their jobs; to never stop searching for those who have gone
missing or are prisoners of war; to ensure all our veterans have access
to the care and benefits they have earned and deserve; and to continue
our constant work of building a Nation worthy of the heroes we honor
today.
In honor of all of our fallen service members, the Congress, by a joint
resolution approved May 11, 1950, as amended (36 U.S.C. 116), has
requested the President issue a proclamation calling on the people of
the United States to observe each Memorial Day as a day of prayer for
permanent peace and designating a period on that day when the people of
the United States might unite in prayer. The Congress, by Public

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Law 106-579, has also designated 3:00 p.m. local time on that day as a
time for all Americans to observe, in their own way, the National Moment
of Remembrance.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
America, do hereby proclaim Memorial Day, May 25, 2015, 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 during which people may
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 its Territories, and
the 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-second day
of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand fifteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
ninth.
BARACK OBAMA