National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 2015

Proclamation 9324 of September 17, 2015

National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 2015

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

America has long stood tall as a beacon of freedom
thanks to the women and men of our Armed Forces who
safeguard our country and our ideals with courage,
honor, and selflessness. While our heroes and their
families continue to give of themselves for us all, we
must recognize the unthinkable pain that remains with
the loved ones of those who have not returned home.
Today, we honor them, as a Nation forever indebted. We
rededicate ourselves to our ironclad commitment to
never leaving one of our own behind, and we pay tribute
to those patriots known to God and never forgotten.

To further uphold our eternal promise, we established
the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. This Agency will
help recover and account for prisoners of war and those
missing in action, work to better anticipate family
needs, and ensure that timely, accurate information is
communicated to loved ones. Bringing home Americans who
have been taken prisoner or who have gone missing is a
sacred mission, and my Administration is increasing our
efforts to ensure every service member knows with
absolute certainty that--should they ever find
themselves in that position--ours is a country that
will never give up on retrieving them.

As a grateful Nation, we owe it to all who put on the
uniform of the United States to remain unwavering in
our promise to them. With hearts full of love, families
carry on with an unfillable void, and we stand beside
them--one and all--acutely aware of the cost at which
our liberty comes. Today and every day, let us renew
our pledge to never stop working to bring home the ones
they love to the land they risked everything to
protect.

On September 18, 2015, the stark black and white banner
symbolizing America's Missing in Action and Prisoners
of War will be flown over the White House; the United
States Capitol; the Departments of State, Defense, and
Veterans Affairs; the Selective Service System
Headquarters; the World War II Memorial; the Korean War
Veterans Memorial; the Vietnam Veterans Memorial;
United States post offices; national cemeteries; and
other locations across our country. We raise this flag
as a solemn reminder of our obligation to always
remember the sacrifices made to defend our Nation.

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 September 18, 2015,
as National POW/MIA Recognition Day. I urge all
Americans to observe this day of honor and remembrance
with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
two thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.