Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 182 / Friday, September 19, 1997 / Presidential Documents 49123

Proclamation 7023 of September 16, 1997

National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 1997

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Throughout our Nation’s history, the men and women of America’s Armed

Forces have preserved our freedom, protected our security, and upheld

our democratic values. From the battles of the American Revolution through

the crucible of two world wars to the challenging peacekeeping and humanitarian missions of today’s post-Cold War era, our men and women in uniform

have stood proudly in defense of the United States and in the cause of

liberty. In the two centuries since our Nation’s birth, more than a million

have paid the price of that liberty with their lives.

Joining the ranks of these heroes are the thousands who have been held

as prisoners of war or whose fate has never been resolved. Many have

been lost in the chaos of battle, the grief of their loss made more acute

for their families and their fellow Americans because of the inability to

determine whether they perished or survived. Captive Americans, cruelly

stripped of their freedom, treated with contempt and brutality, or used

as pawns by their captors in a larger political struggle, have fought long,

lonely battles against despair, physical and psychological torture, and the

ultimate fear of being forgotten.

But Americans will never forget those who have borne the indignities and

sufferings of captivity in service to our country, those missing in action,

or those who died as prisoners of war, far from home and family. On

National POW/MIA Recognition Day, we reaffirm our commitment to those

still missing and renew our pledge to make every effort to obtain the answers

to their fate. We can do no less for these American heroes and for their

families, who have endured such profound loss and whose suffering continues as long as their loved ones’ fate remains unknown.

On September 19, 1997, the flag of the National League of Families of

American Prisoners of War and Missing in Southeast Asia will be flown

over the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Departments of State, Defense,

and Veterans Affairs, the Selective Service System Headquarters, the Vietnam

Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and national cemeteries across our country. This black and white banner, symbolizing America’s

missing, is a stark and powerful reminder to people around the world

that our Nation will keep faith with those who have served and sacrificed;

that we will not rest until we receive the fullest possible accounting of

every American missing in service to our country.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, by virtue of the authority

vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby

proclaim September 19, 1997, as National POW/MIA Recognition Day. I

ask all Americans to join me in honoring former American prisoners of

war and those whose fate is still undetermined. I also encourage the American

people to remember with special sympathy and concern the courageous

families who maintain their steadfast vigil and who persevere in their search

for answers and for the peace that comes only with certainty. Finally,

I call upon State and local officials and private organizations to observe

this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
49124 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 182 / Friday, September 19, 1997 / Presidential Documents

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixteenth day

of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-seven,

and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred

[FR Doc. 97–25117

Filed 9–18–97; 8:45 am]

Billing code 3195–01–P

and twenty-second.

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