Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 2010

Proclamation 8532 of May 28, 2010

Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 2010

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Since our Nation's founding, America's sons and
daughters have given their lives in service to our
country. From Concord and Gettysburg to Marne and
Normandy, from Inchon and Khe Sanh to Baghdad and
Kandahar, they departed our world as heroes and gave
their lives for a cause greater than themselves.

On Memorial Day, we pay tribute to those who have paid
the ultimate price to defend the United States and the
principles upon which America was founded. In honor of
our country's fallen, I encourage all Americans to
unite at 3:00 p.m. local time to observe a National
Moment of Remembrance.

Today, Americans from all backgrounds and corners of
our country serve with valor, courage, and distinction
in the United States Armed Forces. They stand shoulder
to shoulder with the giants of our Nation's history,
writing their own chapter in the American story. Many
of today's warriors know what it means to lose a friend
too soon, and all our service members and their
families understand the true meaning of sacrifice.

This Memorial Day, we express our deepest appreciation
to the men and women in uniform who gave their last
full measure of devotion so we might live in freedom.
We cherish their memory and pray for the peace for
which they laid down their lives. We mourn with the
families and friends of those we have lost, and hope
they find comfort in knowing their loved ones died with
honor. We ask for God's grace to protect those fighting
in distant lands, and we renew our promise to support
our troops, their families, and our veterans. Their
unwavering devotion inspires us all--they are the best
of America.

It is our sacred duty to preserve the legacy of these
brave Americans, and it remains our charge to work for
peace, freedom, and security. Let us always strive to
uphold the founding principles they died defending; let
their legacy continue to inspire our Nation; and let
this solemn lesson of service and sacrifice be taught
to future generations of Americans.

In honor of their dedication and service to America,
the Congress, by a Joint Resolution, approved May 11,
1950, as amended (36 U.S.C. 116), has requested the
President to issue a proclamation calling on the people
of the United States to observe each Memorial Day as a
day of prayer for permanent peace and designating a
period on that day when the people of the United States
might unite in prayer. The Congress, by Public Law 106-
579, has also designated 3:00 p.m. local time on that
day as a time for all Americans to observe, in their
own way, the National Moment of Remembrance.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim Memorial
Day, May 31, 2010, as a day of prayer for permanent
peace, and I designate the hour beginning in each
locality at 11:00 a.m. of that day as a time to unite
in prayer. I also ask all Americans to observe the
National Moment of Remembrance beginning at 3:00 p.m.
local time on Memorial Day.

I request the Governors of the United States and the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the appropriate
officials of all units of government, to direct that
the flag be flown at half-staff until noon on this
Memorial Day on all buildings, grounds, and naval
vessels throughout the United States and in all areas
under its jurisdiction and control. I also request the
people of the United States to display the flag at
half-staff from their homes for the customary forenoon
period.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord two
thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.