National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, 1996

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Part III

The President

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Proclamation 6963--National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, 1996

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 6963 of December 5, 1996

National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, 1996

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Fifty-five years ago, on a calm Hawaiian morning,
Imperial Japan launched a surprise attack against the
U.S. Armed Forces stationed at Pearl Harbor, shattering
the peace of our land and drawing America into World
War II. The assault of December 7, 1941, lasted only
two hours, but it killed or injured almost 3,600
Americans, destroyed a major portion of our Nation's
Pacific Fleet, and damaged more than 325 aircraft,
severely weakening our air power.

The attack jolted our Nation and forced us into a war
unlike any previous conflict, waged across the globe in
places most Americans had never heard of, in dense
jungles and on an ocean we once thought too large for
an enemy to cross. It was a war that would require
unparalleled courage and determination from soldier and
civilian alike, and all Americans rose to the
monumental challenge.

During this time, our Nation stood united in purpose
and in spirit as never before. Millions of brave and
patriotic men and women served the Armed Forces in the
struggle for freedom; millions of others sacrificed on
the home front. On farms and in factories, mines, and
shipyards, Americans labored around the clock to supply
the food, weapons, and equipment needed to win the war.
In our homes, schools, and places of worship, Americans
from every walk of life prayed and worked together for
victory. And--as a powerful testament to America's
resilience--battleships damaged at Pearl Harbor
returned to service and helped break the back of the
Japanese fleet.

The generation that fought World War II came home to
build new careers and communities and made America the
richest, freest nation in history. Some men and women
remained in uniform, safeguarding our liberties and
2ensuring that tyranny would never again threaten our
shores. In peace, this generation vowed never again to
be unprepared and gave our Nation the security and
progress that we have known and cherished for over 50
years.

This is the precious legacy bestowed on us by the men
and women of the World War II generation. We can best
honor their deeds of courage and determination by
maintaining their vigil in defense of freedom and
striving, as they did, to make the world a better place
for all its peoples.

As we mark the 55th anniversary of the attack on Pearl
Harbor, let us remember in prayer all those who died on
that day and throughout World War II. Let us also honor
all World War II veterans and their families, those who
lost loved ones, and those who worked on the home
front. Finally, let us give thanks once again for the
peace and freedom secured by their service and their
sacrifice.

The Congress, by Public Law 103-308, has designated
December 7, 1996, as ``National Pearl Harbor
Remembrance Day.''

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim December
7, 1996, as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. I
urge all Americans to observe this day with appropriate
programs, ceremonies, and activities in honor of the
Americans who served at Pearl Harbor. I also ask all
Federal departments and agencies, organizations, and
individuals to fly the flag of the United States at
halfstaff on this day in honor of those Americans who
died as a result of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
fifth day of December, in the year of our Lord nineteen
hundred and ninety-six, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
first.