Presidential Document2024-16056
National Atomic Veterans Day, 2024
Primary source
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Published
July 19, 2024
Signed
July 15, 2024
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 139 (Friday, July 19, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 139 (Friday, July 19, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 58619-58620]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-16056]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 139 / Friday, July 19, 2024 /
Presidential Documents
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Title 3--
The President
[[Page 58619]]
Proclamation 10784 of July 15, 2024
National Atomic Veterans Day, 2024
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Our military service members and veterans live by a
code of duty, putting their lives on the line to keep
all of us safe. Few exemplify that creed better than
Atomic Veterans. These former members of our Armed
Forces not only courageously served our country but
also participated in the nuclear tests done between
1945 and 1962 or were exposed to radioactive materials.
Today, we honor their service, sacrifice, and
dedication to our Nation and recommit to fulfilling the
great debt of gratitude we owe them.
For five decades, the service members who suffered from
the impact of nuclear warfare here at home were forced
to remain silent. Many had been present for nuclear
testing, posted nearby as atomic bombs detonated. They
suffered the consequences for their entire lives,
including serious health problems and cancers. For
some, the mental scars of what they endured never fully
went away. Forbidden from telling anyone, they could
never fully disclose their past to their doctors, which
delayed diagnoses, while their families struggled to
get the benefits they were entitled to. Thousands of
Atomic Veterans died before telling their stories.
I have often said that our Nation has many obligations,
but only one is truly sacred: to prepare those we send
into harm's way and care for them and their families
when they return. For Atomic Veterans, that began with
finally being able to share their stories. The 1996
repeal of the Nuclear Radiation and Secrecy Agreements
Act allowed them to tell people what they had
experienced so they could receive the benefits they
deserved from the Department of Veterans Affairs. But
there is still so much more to do. That is why I signed
the PACT Act, one of the most significant laws ever to
help millions of veterans who were exposed to toxins
and other hazards, including radiation and burn pits
during their military service. Further, I have signed
laws that support individuals who developed cancer and
other medical conditions due to their work related to
the World War II nuclear program. And in 2022, the
Department of Defense began recognizing Atomic
Veterans' service and sacrifice through the Atomic
Veterans Commemorative Service Medal.
Today, on behalf of a grateful Nation, we honor the
service of our Atomic Veterans. May we not only tell
the truth of their history but also build a future
worthy of their highest hopes for our country--one that
is peaceful and stable and where all veterans are cared
for.
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 July 16, 2024,
as National Atomic Veterans Day. I call upon all
Americans to observe this day with appropriate
ceremonies and activities that honor our Nation's
Atomic Veterans, whose brave service and sacrifice
played an important role in the defense of our Nation.
[[Page 58620]]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
fifteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
ninth.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2024-16056
Filed 7-18-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on July 19, 2024.
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