National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, 2014

Proclamation 9150 of July 25, 2014

National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, 2014

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

More than six decades ago, courageous Americans joined
Korean patriots as they defended their right to decide
their own fate. They fought through mud, snow, and
heavy fire. As they stood firm against the tide of
Communism, nearly 37,000 Americans gave their last full
measure of devotion. Thanks to all who served and all
who died, allied forces pushed invading armies back
across the 38th parallel, and on July 27, 1953, they
secured a hard-earned victory. On National Korean War
Veterans Armistice Day, we honor the men and women who
sacrificed so a people they had never met would know
the blessings of liberty and security.

Yet our gratitude is not enough. As a Nation, we must
do more to keep faith with our veterans and the
families that stand with them always. Just as they have
done their duty, we must do ours. We will never waver
in our commitment to fully account for the captured and
the missing, nor will we ever stop striving to give our
veterans the care and opportunities they have earned.

As we salute the men and women who made this victory
possible, we reflect on the open and prosperous society
that is their enduring legacy. The Republic of Korea
has risen from occupation and ruin to become one of the
world's most vibrant democracies. While carefully
defending the peace won 61 years ago, the South Korean
people have built an advanced, dynamic economy. Today,
the alliance between the United States and the Republic
of Korea--forged in war and fortified by common
ideals--remains as strong as ever.

This progress was not an accident. It reminds us that
liberty and democracy do not come easily; we must win
them, tend to them constantly, and defend them without
fail. As we mark this anniversary, let us show the full
care and support of a grateful Nation to every service
member who fought on freedom's frontier.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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 27, 2014, as
National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day. I call upon
all Americans to observe this day with appropriate
ceremonies and activities that honor our distinguished
Korean War veterans.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord two
thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
ninth.