Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 109 Part 2.djvu/798

 109 STAT. 1770 PROCLAMATION 6782—APR. 6, 1995 all Americans during this month and throughout the year to help keep our children safe from harm. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hmidred and ninety-iive, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and nineteenth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON Proclamation 6782 of April 6, 1995 National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day, 1995 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation In the centuries since our Nation was founded, our citizens have been called on time and again to defend the blessiiigs of American democracy. Although the enemies of freedom have often risen from distant shores, the valiant men and women who wear our Nation's imiform have made freedom's fight their own. From Europe to the Pacific, Korea to the Persian Gulf, these Americans and their families have suf- fered through the darkest hours of humanity so that the cause of human dignity might endure. It is in gratitude that we pause each year to recall the courage and to honor the service of the sons and daughters of America who have been held as prisoners of war. Few words can express the depth of their sacrifice or the worthiness of their mission. Often subjected to extreme brutality in violation of international codes and customs governing their treatment, many of our people have come home with disabling wounds and injuries. Too many of our people have not come home at all Today, the lives of these extraordinary Americans and the stories of their indomitable spirits are at the core of our national character. The citizens of the United States will always remember the proud individuals who traded their liberty to preserve our own. We will build on the triumphs of democracy that they have helped to ensure. And in speaking of their bravery, we will tell our children and grandchildren that though bodies may be imprisoned, hearts can remain ever free. NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, 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 April 9, 1995, as "National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day." I urge State and local officials, private organizations, and U.S. citizens every- where to join in honoring the members of the United States Armed Forces who have been held as prisoners of war. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and nineteenth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON

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