National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 1997

Proclamation 7023 of September 16, 1997

National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 1997

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Throughout our Nation's history, the men and women of
America's Armed Forces have preserved our freedom,
protected our security, and upheld our democratic
values. From the battles of the American Revolution
through the crucible of two world wars to the
challenging peacekeeping and humanitarian missions of
today's post-Cold War era, our men and women in uniform
have stood proudly in defense of the United States and
in the cause of liberty. In the two centuries since our
Nation's birth, more than a million have paid the price
of that liberty with their lives.

Joining the ranks of these heroes are the thousands who
have been held as prisoners of war or whose fate has
never been resolved. Many have been lost in the chaos
of battle, the grief of their loss made more acute for
their families and their fellow Americans because of
the inability to determine whether they perished or
survived. Captive Americans, cruelly stripped of their
freedom, treated with contempt and brutality, or used
as pawns by their captors in a larger political
struggle, have fought long, lonely battles against
despair, physical and psychological torture, and the
ultimate fear of being forgotten.

But Americans will never forget those who have borne
the indignities and sufferings of captivity in service
to our country, those missing in action, or those who
died as prisoners of war, far from home and family. On
National POW/MIA Recognition Day, we reaffirm our
commitment to those still missing and renew our pledge
to make every effort to obtain the answers to their
fate. We can do no less for these American heroes and
for their families, who have endured such profound loss
and whose suffering continues as long as their loved
ones' fate remains unknown.

On September 19, 1997, the flag of the National League
of Families of American Prisoners of War and Missing in
Southeast Asia will be flown over the White House, the
U.S. Capitol, the Departments of State, Defense, and
Veterans Affairs, the Selective Service System
Headquarters, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean
War Veterans Memorial, and national cemeteries across
our country. This black and white banner, symbolizing
America's missing, is a stark and powerful reminder to
people around the world that our Nation will keep faith
with those who have served and sacrificed; that we will
not rest until we receive the fullest possible
accounting of every American missing in service to our
country.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of
the United States, do hereby proclaim September 19,
1997, as National POW/MIA Recognition Day. I ask all
Americans to join me in honoring former American
prisoners of war and those whose fate is still
undetermined. I also encourage the American people to
remember with special sympathy and concern the
courageous families who maintain their steadfast vigil
and who persevere in their search for answers and for
the peace that comes only with certainty. Finally, I
call upon State and local officials and private
organizations to observe this day with appropriate
ceremonies and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
sixteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-second.