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

 
Proclamation 9529 of October 27, 2016

Military Family Month, 2016

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

For generations, brave Americans have stepped forward and answered our
country's call to serve in our Armed Forces. With honor and distinction,
our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen fight to
defend the principles upon which our Republic was founded so that we
might live in a freer and more prosperous world. Behind these courageous
Americans stand spouses, children, and parents who give up precious time
with their loved ones, bearing the burden of long deployments and
difficult moves, and oftentimes putting their careers on hold. During
Military Family Month, we salute the families of those who proudly are a
part of our Nation's unbroken chain of patriots for their unwavering
devotion, and we renew our sacred vow to uphold our promise to our
troops, our veterans, and their families.
Our military would not be the greatest in the world without the strength
and support of the loved ones who stand alongside our men and women in
uniform. While our service members are fighting to secure the values we
cherish and defend our homeland, their spouses keep their households
running, sometimes through multiple deployments. Spouses of those in the
military are often forced to relocate across our country or around the
globe, leaving behind jobs they love and sometimes struggling to find
new employment. They are our fellow citizens and neighbors; in their
service to their families and their country, they represent the true
strength of America.
Our Nation has a solemn obligation to support and care for the members
of our military and their families--from their first day of training
until they conclude their service--and my Administration has worked to
ensure we uphold this promise. Through First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr.
Jill Biden's Joining Forces initiative, we have worked with both the
public and private sectors to ensure service members, veterans, and
their families have the tools they need to succeed throughout their
lives. Over the past 5 years, we have rallied businesses to hire more
than 1.2 million veterans and military spouses. Today, every single
State has taken action to streamline professional licensing and

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credentialing processes so that military spouses can continue their work
when they move across State lines without having to re-certify for a job
they are already qualified for. We are also working to provide the
resources military families need to start businesses and pursue an
education, and we are helping teachers and schools support military
children from kindergarten through college. By partnering with the
private sector, we have also helped expand access to essential science,
technology, engineering, and math courses so that 60,000 more military
children can be college-ready and prepared for 21st-century careers.
We must always be there for our service members and their families--just
as they are there for us. Through the thickest of fights and the darkest
of nights, our extraordinary military families--our heroes on the home
front--stand alongside our patriots in uniform, and in their example we
see the very best of our country's spirit. This month, let us thank them
for their tremendous devotion to duty and for their unyielding
sacrifice. Let us honor their resolve and patriotism and uphold our
solemn responsibility to ensure the priorities of our Nation reflect the
priorities of our military 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 November 2016 as
Military Family Month. I encourage all Americans to honor military
families through private actions and public service for the tremendous
contributions they make in support of our service members and our
Nation.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-seventh day
of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
first.
BARACK OBAMA