For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 21, 2002
Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 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.
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
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