National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 2022

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 10447 of September 15, 2022

National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 2022

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

From Belleau Wood to the Battle of the Bulge, Korea to
Vietnam, Afghanistan to Iraq, and around the world,
American patriots have dared all, risked all, and given
all to defend our Nation and protect our liberties. Now
and always, we honor their service, valor, and
sacrifice. We also continue the righteous work of
bringing home our heroes who remain unaccounted for.

On National POW/MIA Recognition Day, we pledge to seek
out answers for the families of service members still
missing in action. We commit to doing all in our power
to identify and recover America's missing sons and
daughters. And we pay tribute to former prisoners of
war--individuals who exhibited remarkable courage, love
of country, and devotion to duty to protect our
Nation's safety and freedoms.

Today and every day, we fly the iconic black and white
flag symbolizing America's Prisoners of War and Missing
in Action above the White House, at the United States
Capitol, on military bases, at memorials and
cemeteries, and at homes across America. It is a
reminder that we have not forgotten the heroism of our
POWs and MIAs and that we still hope for their return.
There is no undertaking more fundamental than the rite
of remembrance, and there is no act more sacred or more
American than keeping the faith with those who have
sacrificed so much for our Nation.

On this day of heartache and of resolve, let us offer
strength to the families still waiting for the return
of their loved ones. Let us extend our gratitude to
Americans and international partners working tirelessly
to bring home our missing service members from prior
conflicts. And let us remember that freedom is never
free, that democracy always requires champions, and
that we owe an eternal debt to the heroes of our Armed
Forces.

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 the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 16,
2022, as National POW/MIA Recognition Day. Along with
my fellow Americans, I salute our former POWs who
overcame unspeakable indignities to return home with
honor. We will work tirelessly to provide the families
of those who have not yet come home the fullest
possible measure of accounting. 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
fifteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
seventh.