National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 2023

Proclamation 10624 of September 14, 2023

National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 2023

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Unbreaking and unbending in their devotion to duty, our
service members have sacrificed everything to keep our
people and our democracy safe. While more than 81,000
of these brave service members still remain missing and
unaccounted for, they are not--and will never be--
forgotten. On National POW/MIA Recognition Day, we
honor the devotion and courage of all those missing and
unaccounted for, renew our commitments to their
families, and promise to never cease in our efforts to
bring them home.

Above the White House and the United States Capitol--
and at military bases, memorials, cemeteries, and homes
across America--we fly the POW/MIA flag, and we
remember what it represents: the thousands of spouses,
parents, sons, daughters, and loved ones who served and
sacrificed for our freedom and future; loved ones who
mourn with unanswered questions still in their hearts;
and the debt of gratitude we owe them that we can never
fully repay. We cannot and must not forget our
obligation to our unreturned heroes--no matter how long
it takes.

Earlier this year, I had the honor of announcing that
after over seven decades of being unaccounted for,
United States Army Corporal Luther H. Story--a Medal of
Honor recipient who gave his life fighting in the
Korean War--was no longer missing. His remains were
identified, returned to his family, and laid to rest
near his Georgia hometown with the highest honor he
deserves. His story is just one powerful reminder that,
just as our service members have kept ultimate faith to
our country, we must do everything we can to keep faith
for them.

On this day, may we recommit to our search efforts for
all those missing and unaccounted for, as well as our
support for their families. May we honor the remarkable
bravery, sacrifice, and commitment to service of former
prisoners of war. And may we continue to keep the flame
of liberty burning bright and continue working toward a
more perfect Union for which our service members
sacrifice so much.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of
the United States, do hereby proclaim September 15,
2023, as National POW/MIA Recognition Day. Let all who
read this know that America remains grateful to our
heroes held in the worst imaginable conditions as
prisoners of war. Additionally, I encourage my fellow
citizens across the Nation to reflect on today and let
us not forget those heroes who never returned home from
the battlefields around the world or their families who
are still waiting for answers. I call upon Federal,
State, and local government officials and private
organizations to observe this day with appropriate
ceremonies and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
fourteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
two thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of
the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
eighth.