For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
December 7, 2001
National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Proclamation
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
On the morning of December 7, 1941, America was attacked without
warning at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, by the air and naval forces of
Imperial Japan. More than 2,400 people perished and another
1,100 were wounded, triggering our entry into World War II.
Today, we honor those killed 60 years ago and those who survived to
fight on other fronts in the four succeeding years of world
war. We also remember the millions of brave Americans who
answered our country's call to the battlefield, to the factory, and to
the farm, remembering Pearl Harbor by their deeds, their devotion to
duty, and their willingness to fight for freedom. The attack
at Pearl Harbor fired the American spirit with a determination that
freedom would not fall to tyranny; and the United States and its allies
fought to victory, preserving a world in which democracy could
grow. The tragedy of December 7, 1941, remains seared upon
our collective national memory, a recollection that serves not just as
a symbol of American military valor and American resolve, but also as a
reminder of the presence of evil in the world and the need to remain
ever vigilant against it.
Now, another date will forever stand alongside December 7 --
September 11, 2001. On that day, our people and our way of
life again were brutally and suddenly attacked, though not by a complex
military maneuver, but by the surreptitious wiles of evil terrorists
who took cruel and heartless advantage of the freedoms guaranteed by
our Nation. Their target was not chiefly our military, but
innocent civilians. We fight now to defend freedom, secure
civilization, and ensure the survival of our American way of life.
As we fight to defend what we believe is right, we remember the
sacrifice of those who have gone before us -- not only the heroes of
Pearl Harbor but all the men and women of the greatest of generations
who defeated tyranny. We are grateful for their service, and
honor it by pledging to do our best to secure for our children, our
grandchildren, and all of posterity the continuing blessings of
liberty.
The Congress, by Public Law 103-308, as amended, has designated
December 7, 2001, as "National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day."
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 proclaim December 7, 2001, as
National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. I call upon the
people of the United States to observe this solemn occasion with
appropriate ceremonies and activities. I urge all Federal agencies,
interested organizations, groups, and individuals to fly the flag of
the United States at half-staff this and every December 7 in honor of
those who died as a result of their service at Pearl Harbor.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day of
December, in the year of our Lord two thousand one, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-sixth.
GEORGE W. BUSH
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