National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, 2001

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Part VI

The President

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Proclamation 7511--National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, 2001

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 7511 of December 5, 2001

National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, 2001

By The President Of The United States of America

A Proclamation

On the morning of December 7, 1941, America was
attacked without warning at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, by
the air and naval forces of Imperial Japan. More than
2,400 people perished and another 1,100 were wounded,
triggering our entry into World War II.

Today, we honor those killed 60 years ago and those who
survived to fight on other fronts in the four
succeeding years of world war. We also remember the
millions of brave Americans who answered our country's
call to the battlefield, to the factory, and to the
farm, remembering Pearl Harbor by their deeds, their
devotion to duty, and their willingness to fight for
freedom. The attack at Pearl Harbor fired the American
spirit with a determination that freedom would not fall
to tyranny; and the United States and its allies fought
to victory, preserving a world in which democracy could
grow. The tragedy of December 7, 1941, remains seared
upon our collective national memory, a recollection
that serves not just as a symbol of American military
valor and American resolve, but also as a reminder of
the presence of evil in the world and the need to
remain ever vigilant against it.

Now, another date will forever stand alongside December
7--September 11, 2001. On that day, our people and our
way of life again were brutally and suddenly attacked,
though not by a complex military maneuver, but by the
surreptitious wiles of evil terrorists who took cruel
and heartless advantage of the freedoms guaranteed by
our Nation. Their target was not chiefly our military,
but innocent civilians. We fight now to defend freedom,
secure civilization, and ensure the survival of our
American way of life.

As we fight to defend what we believe is right, we
remember the sacrifice of those who have gone before
us--not only the heroes of Pearl Harbor but all the men
and women of the greatest of generations who defeated
tyranny. We are grateful for their service, and honor
it by pledging to do our best to secure for our
children, our grandchildren, and all of posterity the
continuing blessings of liberty.

The Congress, by Public Law 103-308, as amended, has
designated December 7, 2001, as ``National Pearl Harbor
Remembrance Day.''

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, 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 December 7, 2001, as
National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. I call upon the
people of the United States to observe this solemn
occasion with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I
urge all Federal agencies, interested organizations,
groups, and individuals to fly the flag of the United
States at half-staff this and every December 7 in honor
of those who died as a result of their service at Pearl
Harbor.

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

(Presidential Sig.)B