National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 2012

Proclamation 8867 of September 20, 2012

National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 2012

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

For more than two centuries, Americans have bravely
served our Nation as members of our Armed Forces. Many
have made profound sacrifices to uphold the ideals we
cherish, carrying wounds that may never fully heal and
dark memories that will never fade. Today, we pay
solemn tribute to service members who bore war's tragic
costs as prisoners of war and those missing in action.
We stand with the families who have known the lingering
ache of a loved one's uncertain fate. And as a Nation,
we reaffirm a most sacred obligation: that we must
never forget the men and women who did not come home,
and that we must never stop trying to return them to
their families and the country they fought to protect.

As long as members of our Armed Forces remain
unaccounted for, America will bring our fullest
resources to bear in finding them and bringing them
home. It is a promise we make not only to the families
of our captured and our missing, but to all who have
worn the uniform. Our Nation continues to recover the
remains of fallen heroes we lost in the Vietnam War,
the Korean War, World War II, and other conflicts. And
as these patriots are finally laid to rest, we pray
their return brings closure and a measure of peace to
those who knew and loved them. During this day of
recognition, let us honor their sacrifice once more by
expressing our deepest gratitude to our service
members, our veterans, our military families, and all
those who have given so much to keep our country safe.

On September 21, 2012, 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 21, 2012,
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
twentieth day of September, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.