Armed Forces Day, 1994

Proclamation 6693 of May 21, 1994

Armed Forces Day, 1994

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Forty-four years ago, President Harry Truman set aside
a special day to salute the men and women who dedicate
their lives to the ultimate act of public service:
protecting and defending our lives, our liberties, and
our right to the pursuit of happiness.

President Truman proclaimed the first Armed Forces Day
at a major turning point in America's history. With the
greatest sacrifice, we had just defeated the forces of
global domination and tyranny, but we also were faced
with the first chill of a Cold War that would last for
four decades.

Through it all, from the blood and fire of World War
II, to the nightmare fears of nuclear confrontation,
America never lost hope, never despaired. We faced each
threat with faith in God and in the skills, courage,
and dedication of our men and women in uniform. We
slept each night in the comforting knowledge that they
held constant vigil.

Today we are at another turning point. The Cold War is
over, but our Nation is faced with a host of new and
more complex challenges to peace and stability in the
world. Yet we face the future in a position of strength
and with a powerful and ready military force.

As President and Commander in Chief, I am pleased to
join with all Americans in saluting the men and women
of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and the
Coast Guard. We also thank their families and friends,
whose love and sacrifice make a special contribution to
America's security. The Nation's peace and stability
are in very capable hands; we are deeply grateful.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, and Commander in Chief of the
Armed Forces of the United States, continuing the
precedent of my nine immediate predecessors in office,
do hereby proclaim the third Saturday of each May as
Armed Forces Day.

I direct the Secretary of Defense on behalf of the
Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and the Secretary
of Transportation on behalf of the Coast Guard, to plan
for appropriate observances each year, with the
Secretary of Defense responsible for soliciting the
participation and cooperation of civil authorities and
private citizens.

I invite the Governors of the States, the Commonwealth
of Puerto Rico, and other areas subject to the
jurisdiction of the United States, to provide for the
observance of Armed Forces Day within their
jurisdiction each year in an appropriate manner
designed to increase public understanding and
appreciation of the Armed Forces of the United States.

I also invite national and local veterans, civic and
other organizations to join in the observance of Armed
Forces Day each year.

I call upon all Americans, not only to display the flag
of the United States at their homes on Armed Forces
Day, but also to learn about our system of defense and
about the men and women who sustain it, by attending
and participating in the local observances of the day.

Proclamation 5983 of May 17, 1989, is hereby
superseded.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord
nineteen hundred and ninety-four, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and eighteenth.

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