Presidential Document2023-07890
National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day, 2023
Primary source
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Published
April 12, 2023
Signed
April 7, 2023
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 70 (Wednesday, April 12, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 12, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 22349-22350]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-07890]
[[Page 22347]]
Vol. 88
Wednesday,
No. 70
April 12, 2023
Part III
The President
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Proclamation 10550--National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day,
2023
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 88 , No. 70 / Wednesday, April 12, 2023 /
Presidential Documents
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Title 3--
The President
[[Page 22349]]
Proclamation 10550 of April 7, 2023
National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day,
2023
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
On National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day, we
honor the more than half a million service members who
sacrificed their freedom as prisoners of war in order
to defend freedom for their fellow Americans. These
brave patriots remind us of the grave costs of war and
the sacrifice we ask of those who fight for us. We owe
them and their families, caregivers, and survivors a
debt of gratitude we can never fully repay.
This year, we mark the 50th anniversary of Operation
Homecoming, the repatriation of nearly 600 Americans
held captive during the Vietnam War, as well as the
70th anniversary of Operations Big Switch and Little
Switch, which brought home more than 3,700 American
prisoners of the Korean War. These heroes--and other
prisoners of war from every conflict throughout our
history--stand among the bravest of our Nation, serving
honorably under intolerable circumstances. Their
unwavering courage helped defend an idea unlike any
other in human history: the idea of the United States
of America.
Our Nation has many obligations, but our one truly
sacred obligation is to equip those we send into harm's
way and to care for them and their families when they
return home. To every prisoner of war now safely
reunited with their loved ones: We will never fail to
honor your sacrifice. To every family still awaiting
answers about a hero who went missing in action: We
will never stop working to bring them home. And to
every service member defending our Nation and our
values around the world today: We will never forget
what you give to this country each day.
May God bless our former prisoners of war and their
families, caregivers, and survivors, and may God
protect our troops.
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 April 9, 2023,
as National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day. I
call upon Americans to observe this day by honoring the
service and sacrifice of all former prisoners of war as
our Nation expresses its eternal gratitude for their
sacrifice. I also call upon Federal, State, and local
government officials and organizations to observe this
day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
[[Page 22350]]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
seventh.
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(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2023-07890
Filed 4-11-23; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on April 12, 2023.
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