National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 2014

Vol. 79

Tuesday,

No. 184

September 23, 2014

Part IV

The President

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Proclamation 9169--National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 2014

Executive Order 13676--Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 9169 of September 18, 2014

National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 2014

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

America's history shines with patriots who have
answered the call to serve. From Minutemen who gathered
on a green in Lexington to a great generation that
faced down Communism and all those in our military
today, their sacrifices have strengthened our Nation
and helped secure more than two centuries of freedom.
As our Armed Forces defend our homeland from new
threats in a changing world, we remain committed to a
profound obligation that dates back to the earliest
days of our founding--the United States does not ever
leave our men and women in uniform behind. On National
POW/MIA Recognition Day, we express the solemn promise
of a country and its people to our service members who
have not returned home and their families: you are not
forgotten.

My Administration remains dedicated to accounting as
fully as possible for our Nation's missing heroes, lost
on battlefields where the sounds of war ceased decades
ago and in countries where our troops are deployed
today. Whether they are gone for a day or for decades,
their absence is felt. They are missed during holidays
and around dinner tables, and their loved ones bear
this burden without closure. Americans who gave their
last full measure of devotion deserve to be buried with
honor and dignity, and those who are still unaccounted
for must be returned to their families. We will never
give up our search for them, and we will continue our
work to secure the release of our citizens who are
unjustly detained abroad. Today, we acknowledge that we
owe a profound debt of gratitude to all those who have
given of themselves to protect our Union and our way of
life, and we honor them by working to uphold this
sacred trust.

On September 19, 2014, the stark black and white banner
symbolizing America's Missing in Action and Prisoners
of War will be flown over the White House; the United
States Capitol; the Departments of State, Defense, and
Veterans Affairs; the Selective Service System
Headquarters; the World War II Memorial; the Korean War
Veterans Memorial; the Vietnam Veterans Memorial;
United States post offices; national cemeteries; and
other locations across our country. We raise this flag
as a solemn reminder of our obligation to always
remember the sacrifices made to defend our Nation.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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 19, 2014,
as National POW/MIA Recognition Day. 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
eighteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
ninth.