Presidential Document2021-20507
National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 2021
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 21, 2021
Signed
September 16, 2021
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 180 (Tuesday, September 21, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 180 (Tuesday, September 21, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 52387-52388]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-20507]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 180 / Tuesday, September 21, 2021 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 52387]]
Proclamation 10259 of September 16, 2021
National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 2021
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
When service members take an oath to defend the
Constitution of the United States, they do so knowing
that they may be called upon to make great sacrifices
to ensure and sustain our shared values. These patriots
accept those risks and rush to fulfill the mission, no
matter how harsh or dangerous the conditions. They
embody the best of the American spirit. For the
families and friends who wait at home, anxious for news
of their loved ones, these sacrifices can cause great
pain. For the families of the more than 81,600 service
members who remain missing in action--the pain and
grief is compounded by a lack of closure, and the hope
that their sons and daughters, sisters and brothers,
parents, and grandparents will one day return home.
On National POW/MIA Recognition Day, we remember the
debt we owe to them and to their families. We pay
tribute to our former prisoners of war and recommit to
the difficult but essential task of seeking out answers
for the families of those still missing. We will always
remember and honor our Nation's prisoners of war and
those still missing in action, and keep faith with our
promise as a Nation to bring all of our heroes home.
Every day, the iconic black and white flag--a powerful
symbol in recognition of the heroism and sacrifice of
American POWs and MIAs--is flown above the White House.
It is a mark of reverence and of solidarity with all
those who await answers. Each day, this flag flies over
memorials and cemeteries, on military installations, at
local post offices, and on the front lawns of homes
across the Nation. This flag remains a symbol of
America's commitment to honor the sacrifices of all
those who serve.
My Administration is committed to recovering and
identifying Americans missing from prior conflicts. Our
efforts are global, and we are thankful for the
continued cooperation of all partner nations who
advance these humanitarian efforts on behalf of
American families. Loss and grief are hard enough
without the added and too often prolonged pain of
uncertainty. But this much is certain: the United
States will never abandon the search for our service
members missing and unaccounted for in overseas wars.
They will never be forgotten.
During National POW/MIA Recognition Day, our Nation
conveys eternal gratitude to those who endured enemy
captivity and those who made the supreme sacrifice and
have yet to return home. We will stand with these
heroes, who gave their all to protect and preserve our
freedoms, and their families, who have kept the faith
and longingly pursued answers across these many
decades.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 17,
2021, as National POW/MIA Recognition Day. Along with
my fellow Americans, I salute our former POWs who
overcame unspeakable indignities to return home with
honor. For those who made the ultimate sacrifice and
never came home, America will work tirelessly to
provide their families and our Nation the fullest
possible measure of accounting. I urge all Americans
[[Page 52388]]
to observe this day of honor and remembrance with
appropriate ceremonies and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
sixteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
sixth.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2021-20507
Filed 9-20-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on September 21, 2021.
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