[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 22 (Monday, June 9, 2008)]
[Pages 794-795]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 8269--Flag Day and National Flag Week, 2008

 June 6, 2008

 By the President of the United States

 of America

 A Proclamation

    The American flag has been our national symbol for 231 years, and it 
remains a beacon of freedom wherever it is flown. Since the Second 
Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as our flag in 1777, 
it has stood for freedom, justice, and the resolve of our Nation.
    When Francis Scott Key saw the American flag flying over Fort 
McHenry in 1814, he believed that liberty would triumph. The flag that 
inspired Key to write our National Anthem still energizes and emboldens 
the American spirit today. As our Nation faces the challenges of a new 
era, Old Glory reminds us that liberty can prevail over oppression.
    Since the first days of our Republic, Americans have flown the flag 
to show their pride and appreciation for the freedoms they enjoy in this 
great Nation. Every day, Americans pledge their allegiance to the flag 
of the United States, and our troops carry it before them as they defend 
the liberties for which it stands.
    On Flag Day and during National Flag Week, we remember those in 
uniform whose courage and sacrifice inspire us here at home. We also 
remember the rich history of one of our oldest national symbols and 
reflect on our duty to carry our heritage of freedom into the future.
    To commemorate the adoption of our flag, the Congress, by joint 
resolution approved
August 3, 1949, as amended (63 Stat. 492), designated June 14 of each 
year as ``Flag Day'' and requested that the President issue an annual 
proclamation calling for its observance and for the display of the flag 
of the United States on all Federal Government buildings. The Congress 
also requested, by joint resolution approved June 9, 1966, as amended 
(80 Stat. 194), that the President issue annually a proclamation 
designating the week in which June 14 occurs as ``National Flag Week'' 
and calling upon all citizens of the United States to display the flag 
during that week.

    Now, Therefore, I, George W. Bush, President of the United States of 
America, do hereby proclaim June 14, 2008, as Flag Day and the week 
beginning June 8, 2008, as National Flag Week. I direct the appropriate 
officials to display the flag on all Federal Government buildings during 
that week, and I urge all Americans to observe Flag Day and National 
Flag Week by flying the Stars and Stripes from their homes and other 
appropriate places. I also call upon the people of the United States to 
observe with pride and all due ceremony those days from Flag Day through 
Independence Day, also set aside by the Congress (89 Stat. 211), as a 
time to honor America, to celebrate our heritage in public gatherings 
and activities, and to publicly recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the 
Flag of the United States of America.

    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of 
June, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the 
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
second.

                                                George W. Bush

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., June 10, 
2008]

Note: This proclamation will be published in the Federal Register on 
June 11.

[[Page 795]]