Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 111 Part 3.djvu/705

 PROCLAMATION 6944—OCT. 21, 1996 111 STAT. 2793 Valiant Filipino soldiers fought, died, and suffered in some of the bloodiest battles of World War II, defending beleaguered Bataan and Corregidor, and thousands of Filipino prisoners of war endured the infamous Bataan Death March and years of captivity. Their many guerrilla actions slowed the Japanese takeover of the Western Pacific region and allowed U.S. forces the time to build and prepare for the allied counterattack on Japan. Filipino troops fought side-by-side with U.S. forces to secure their island nation as the strategic base from which the final effort to defeat Japan was launched. This month, as we mark the anniversary of General MacArthur's return to the Philippines, we acknowledge the important role Filipino soldiers played in turning back aggression, defending liberty, and preserving democracy, and we extend to them our abiding thanks. 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 October 20, 1996, as a day Honoring the Filipino Veterans of World War II. I urge all Americans to recall the courage, sacrifice, and loyalty of Filipino veterans of World War II and honor them for their contributions to our freedom. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety- six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-first. WILLIAM J. CLINTON Proclamation 6944 of October 21, 1996 National Forest Products Week, 1996 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation For much of our Nation's history, forests, like other natural resources, were considered inexhaustible. In this century, we began to recognize that forests are a precious birthright for all Americans—not only for us and for our children, but also for future generations. As part of this recognition, we observe National Forest Products Week. Forests are an important source of fuel and building materials, and they provide many valuable jobs. They also offer us unmatched recreational environments, as well as a spiritual refuge ft-om city life. They provide essential habitat for myriad species of plants and animals, including hundreds that are endangered or threatened. Increasingly, their trees, shrubs, herbs, fungi, and microorganisms are yielding new and wondrous medicinal products and foods. And thanks to better planning and resource management that replace harvested lands with new forests, thousands of Americans will continue to earn their livelihood from our Nation's forests, even as we protect them. Today, the same citizens who are reaping the forests' bounty are personally and professionally involved in efforts to preserve it for future generations. 39-194O-97 -23:QL3Part3

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