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

 
Proclamation 9294 of June 12, 2015

Flag Day and National Flag Week, 2015

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

For more than 200 years, the American flag has been a proud symbol of
the people of our Nation and the values for which we stand. In hues of
red, white, and blue, it reflects centuries of struggle and sacrifice--a
constant reminder of our journey from 13 colonies to a Nation united in
freedom and liberty, and of the patriots and pioneers who fought for
these ideals at home and abroad. On Flag Day and during National Flag
Week, we pay tribute to this banner of hope and opportunity, and we
celebrate the story of progress it represents.
With broad stripes and bright stars, our flag has connected Americans
across our country, around the globe, and throughout the chapters of our
history. In a new world, it stood as a beacon of promise and
possibility; in the dawn's early light, it offered a glimmer of hope as
the fate of our young Nation was decided; and after a civil war that
divided our Union, the Star Spangled Banner once again united our
people. As courageous women and men marched and protested to broaden our
democracy's reach and secure their civil rights, they carried the
American flag, understanding the enormous potential it embodied--even as
the Nation it represented denied them their fundamental rights. Today,
it is because of an unbroken chain of heroes, who have served in our
Armed Forces and worn the flag they defend, that Old Glory still waves
over the land of the free and the home of the brave.
From storefronts and homes, atop monuments, and over the institutions
that sustain our Nation at home and abroad, the American flag stands
watch as we strive to perfect our Union. As we place our hand over our
heart or as we salute this symbol of the country we love, let us pause
to reflect on the legacy of our Nation and embrace the common threads
that bind us together as Americans.
To commemorate the adoption of our flag, the Congress, by joint
resolution approved August 3, 1949, as amended (63 Stat. 492),
designated June 14 of each year as ``Flag Day'' and requested that the
President issue an annual proclamation calling for its observance and
for the display of the flag of the United States on all Federal
Government buildings. The Congress also requested, by joint resolution
approved June 9, 1966, as amended (80 Stat. 194), that the President
annually issue a proclamation designating the week in which June 14
occurs as ``National Flag Week'' and call upon citizens of the United
States to display the flag during that week.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
America, do hereby proclaim June 14, 2015, as Flag Day and the week
beginning June 14, 2015, as National Flag Week. I direct the appropriate
officials to display the flag on all Federal Government buildings during
that week, and I urge all Americans to observe Flag Day and National
Flag Week by displaying the flag. I also call upon the people of the
United States to observe with pride and all due ceremony those days from
Flag Day through Independence Day, also set aside by the Congress (89
Stat. 211), as a time to honor America, to celebrate our heritage in
public gatherings and activities, and to pub

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licly recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States
of America.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twelfth day of
June, 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