[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 21 (Monday, May 27, 2002)]
[Pages 865-866]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7567--Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 2002

 May 21, 2002

 By the President of the United States

 of America

 A Proclamation

    Every Memorial Day, Americans remember the debt of gratitude we owe 
to our veterans who gave their lives for our country. On this important 
day, communities across our Nation stop to remember and to honor the 
great sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform.
    Since its beginnings, our country has faced many threats that have 
tested its courage. From war-torn battlefields and jungle skirmishes to 
conflicts at sea and air attacks, generations of brave men and women 
have fought and died to defeat tyranny and protect our democracy. Their 
sacrifices have made this Nation strong and our world a better place.
    Upwards of 48 million Americans have served the cause of freedom and 
more than a million have died to preserve our liberty. We also remember 
the more than 140,000 who were taken prisoner-of-war and the many others 
who were never accounted for. These memories remind us that the cost of 
war and the price of peace are great.
    The tradition of Memorial Day reinforces our Nation's resolve to 
never forget those who gave their last full measure for America. As we 
engage in the war against terrorism, we also pray for peace. When 
America emerged from the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln called on 
all Americans to ``cherish a just and lasting peace.'' In these 
extraordinary times, our Nation has once again been challenged, and 
Lincoln's words remain our guiding prayer.
    We continue to rely on our brave and steadfast men and women in 
uniform to defend our freedom. United as a people, we pray for peace 
throughout the world. We also pray for the safety of our troops. This 
new generation follows an unbroken line of good, courageous, and 
unfaltering heroes who have never let our country down.
    As we commemorate this noble American holiday, we honor those who 
fell in defense of freedom. We honor them in our memory through solemn 
observances, with the love of a grateful Nation.
    In respect for their devotion to America, the Congress, by a joint 
resolution approved on May 11, 1950 (64 Stat. 158), has requested the 
President to issue a proclamation calling on 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 people of the United 
States might unite in prayer. The Congress, by Public Law 106-579, has 
also designated the minute beginning at 3:00 p.m. local time on that day 
as a time for all Americans to observe the National Moment of 
Remembrance.

[[Page 866]]

     Now, Therefore, I, George W. Bush, President of the United States 
of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution 
and laws of the United States, do hereby designate Memorial Day, May 27, 
2002, as a day of prayer for permanent peace, and I designate the hour 
beginning in each locality at 11:00 a.m. of that day as a time to unite 
in prayer. I also ask all Americans to observe the National Moment of 
Remembrance beginning at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. I urge 
the press, radio, television, and all other media to participate in 
these observances.
    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. I also 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-first 
day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand two, and of the 
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
sixth.
                                                George W. Bush

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., May 23, 
2002]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on May 24.