[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 31, Number 49 (Monday, December 11, 1995)]
[Pages 2142-2143]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6856--National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, 1995

December 6, 1995

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    America's involvement in World War II began 54 years ago as dawn was 
shattered by a surprise attack on our forces stationed at Pearl Harbor, 
Hawaii. In the words of

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President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, ``December 7, 1941--a date which 
will live in infamy'' began at 7:55 a.m. when Japan launched an 
offensive to destroy the United States Pacific Fleet. The losses 
suffered that day shocked our Nation with the realization that American 
soil was not immune to the ravages of war--at the end of the attack, 
more than 3,000 Americans were dead, missing, or wounded. We resolved to 
boldly defend our shores against further devastation. Just 4 years 
later, the same fleet that the Japanese had attempted to destroy at 
Pearl Harbor sailed triumphantly into Tokyo Bay.
    The attack of Pearl Harbor marked the beginning of America's total 
mobilization against a common enemy, and the United States soon became 
the world's ``Arsenal of Democracy.'' Citizens worked together toward a 
common goal as the ``We Can Do It'' attitude spread across the country. 
The landscape of American business was forever changed as over 19 
million women and many minority workers took high-skill jobs to 
contribute to the war effort.
    The courageous veterans who fought selflessly to bring an end to the 
war in the Pacific deserve our highest respect and our most profound 
gratitude. Today we honor the sacrifices that led to the ultimate 
victory--the triumph of freedom over tyranny. We also pay tribute to the 
families who contributed so much with their support, sacrifices, and 
prayers from the home front. A grateful Nation will long remember those 
who came home and those who did not.
    In the post-Cold War era, it is vital that we pass along the lessons 
learned from Pearl Harbor to a new generation of Americans. We must 
never allow our country to be unprepared, and we must never again 
isolate ourselves from the problems of the world. This is the legacy we 
leave to our young people, and it is our responsibility to continue to 
teach them those lessons. By doing so, we reaffirm the values of 
democracy, freedom, and leadership that have made America great.
    The Congress, by Public Law 103-308, has designated December 7, 
1995, as ``National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.''
    Now Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United States 
of America, do hereby proclaim December 7, 1995, as National Pearl 
Harbor Remembrance Day. I urge all Americans to observe this day with 
appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities in honor of the 
Americans who served at Pearl Harbor. I also ask all Federal departments 
and agencies, organizations, and individuals to fly the flag of the 
United States at half-staff on this day in honor of those Americans who 
died as a result of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of 
December, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-five, and 
of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
twentieth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:57 a.m., December 7, 
1995]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on 
December 8.