Military Spouse Appreciation Day, 2016

Proclamation 9442 of May 5, 2016

Military Spouse Appreciation Day, 2016

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Serving alongside our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen,
Marines, and Coast Guardsmen, our Nation's military
families give of themselves and give up their time with
their loved ones so we may live safely and freely. Few
Americans fully understand the sacrifices made by those
who serve in uniform, but for spouses of service
members across our country, the costs of the freedom we
too often take for granted are known intimately. On
Military Spouse Appreciation Day, we honor the spouses
of those who have left behind everything they know and
love to join our Nation's unbroken chain of patriots,
and we recommit to giving military spouses the respect,
dignity, and support they deserve.

Enduring separation and relocation, heartache and
anticipation, military spouses demonstrate a strength
reflective of the spirit of our Nation. The spouses of
our men and women in uniform bear the burden of
sustaining their families, caring for children and
offering comfort and support while their loved ones are
away. As a country, we must keep faith with military
spouses and uphold our commitment to the members of our
Armed Forces to look after their families.

Five years ago, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill
Biden launched the Joining Forces initiative. Through
Joining Forces, my Administration is working to ensure
the spouses of our men and women in uniform have good,
secure jobs so they can better provide for their
families. We launched the Military Spouse Employment
Partnership--uniting hundreds of businesses across
America in a collaborative effort to employ more
military spouses. Additionally, I proposed an increase
in funding to help address the barriers that too often
hold back transitioning service members and their
spouses from greater economic possibility. And I have
taken action to improve access to mental health care
for our veterans and their families, and to ensure they
are able to find adequate housing--because anyone who
defended America should have a home in America. I
encourage all people to visit www.JoiningForces.gov to
learn how to get involved or for more information.

Military spouses exhibit tremendous courage and
unyielding faith, and in their spirit of resolve, we
see the best of America. Let us celebrate these
selfless individuals by supporting them and upholding
our everlasting commitment to stand beside them and
their families.

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 May 6, 2016, as
Military Spouse Appreciation Day. I call upon the
people of the United States to honor military spouses
with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

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