[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 21 (Monday, May 31, 1999)]
[Pages 991-992]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7201--Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 1999

May 26, 1999

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    The challenges to our Nation's peace and freedom are as old as 
American history and as new as today's headlines. They have taken many 
forms through the years, from the bitter discord of civil war at home to 
the aggression of tyrants abroad. But the price of peace and freedom has 
always remained the same: the service and sacrifice of our young men and 
women in uniform.
    Looking back across the decades, we marvel at the valor and 
determination of these gallant Americans who, in each generation, have 
stepped forward to preserve our freedom, defend our democracy, uphold 
our ideals, and protect our interests. The battles in which they fought 
and died--Brandywine, Gettysburg, San Juan Hill, Belleau Wood, Coral 
Sea, Inchon, Khe Sahn--are a testament to uncommon courage and 
indomitable spirit. Those who survived were forever changed. Those who 
died stay forever young in their loved ones' memories. Their final 
thought most likely were of home and family; their final actions 
purchased the freedom we enjoy today.
    Now, on Memorial Day, our thoughts turn to them. We remember with 
profound gratitude those who took to the seas and skies in moments of 
peril for our Nation. We remember those who marched through mud or rice 
paddies, snow or sand, because they knew, as President Eisenhower 
reminded us, that ``a soldier's pack is not so heavy a burden as a 
prisoner's chains'' and that true peace is won only by those willing to 
die for it. We remember those in the Normandy American Cemetery 
overlooking Omaha Beach who, 55 years ago, relit the torch of freedom in 
a war-weary Europe. We remember those whose final resting place is 
unknown, but whose sacrifice is known to us all. The passing of time and 
the blessings of peace and prosperity can never make us forget what 
these brave Americans endured and what they lost so that right would 
triumph, freedom would survive, and our Nation would prevail.
    In honor of all the courageous men and women who gave their lives in 
defense of our Nation and our fundamental ideals, I ask that every 
American say a prayer for lasting peace on this Memorial Day. I ask that 
every American remember our heroic war dead in some special way, whether 
by placing flowers on a veteran's grave, lighting a candle, observing a 
moment of silence, or saying a prayer of thanks. While we can never 
fully repay our debt to America's fallen warriors, we can remember their 
service and honor their sacrifice.
    In respect and recognition of the courageous men and women to whom 
we pay tribute, the Congress, by joint resolution approved on May 11, 
1950 (64 Stat. 158), has requested the President to issue a proclamation 
calling upon 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 American people might unite in prayer.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, do hereby proclaim Memorial Day, May 31, 1999, as a 
day of prayer for permanent peace, and I designate the hour beginning at 
3:00 p.m. EDT of that day as a time to join in prayer. I urge the press, 
radio, television, and all other information media to take part in this 
observance.
    I also request the Governors of the United States and the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 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, and I 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-sixth 
day of May, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, 
and of the Independence of the United States.
                                            William J. Clinton

[[Page 992]]

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., June 1, 1999]

Note: This proclamation will be published in the Federal Register on 
June 2. This proclamation was released by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on May 27.