[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 130, 114th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9442 of May 5, 2016

Military Spouse Appreciation Day, 2016

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Serving alongside our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast
Guardsmen, our Nation's military families give of themselves and give up
their time with their loved ones so we may live safely and freely. Few
Americans fully understand the sacrifices made by those who serve in
uniform, but for spouses of service members across our country, the
costs of the freedom we too often take for granted are known intimately.
On Military Spouse Appreciation Day, we honor the

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spouses of those who have left behind everything they know and love to
join our Nation's unbroken chain of patriots, and we recommit to giving
military spouses the respect, dignity, and support they deserve.
Enduring separation and relocation, heartache and anticipation, military
spouses demonstrate a strength reflective of the spirit of our Nation.
The spouses of our men and women in uniform bear the burden of
sustaining their families, caring for children and offering comfort and
support while their loved ones are away. As a country, we must keep
faith with military spouses and uphold our commitment to the members of
our Armed Forces to look after their families.
Five years ago, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden launched
the Joining Forces initiative. Through Joining Forces, my Administration
is working to ensure the spouses of our men and women in uniform have
good, secure jobs so they can better provide for their families. We
launched the Military Spouse Employment Partnership--uniting hundreds of
businesses across America in a collaborative effort to employ more
military spouses. Additionally, I proposed an increase in funding to
help address the barriers that too often hold back transitioning service
members and their spouses from greater eco-
nomic possibility. And I have taken action to improve access to mental
health care for our veterans and their families, and to ensure they are
able to find adequate housing--because anyone who defended America
should have a home in America. I encourage all people to visit
www.JoiningForces.gov to learn how to get involved or for more
information.
Military spouses exhibit tremendous courage and unyielding faith, and in
their spirit of resolve, we see the best of America. Let us celebrate
these selfless individuals by supporting them and upholding our
everlasting commitment to stand beside them and their families.
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 May 6, 2016, as
Military Spouse Appreciation Day. I call upon the people of the United
States to honor military spouses with appropriate ceremonies and
activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day of May,
in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of
the United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.
BARACK OBAMA