Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 115 Part 3.djvu/574

 115 STAT. 2648 PROCLAMATION 7448—JUNE 7, 2001 To commemorate the adoption of our flag, the Congress, by joint resolution approved August 3, 1949 (63 Stat. 492), designated June 14 of each year as "Flag Day" and requested the President to issue an annual proclamation calling for a national observance and for the display of the flag of the United States on all Federal Government buildings. In a second joint resolution approved June 9, 1966 (80 Stat. 194), the Congress requested the President to also issue annually a proclamation designating the week during which June 14 falls as "National Flag Week" and called upon all citizens of the United States to display the flag during that week. 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 June 14, 2001, as Flag Day and the week beginning June 10, 2001, as National Flag Week. I direct the appropriate officials to display the flag of the United States on all Federal Government buildings during the week. I also call upon the people of the United States to observe with pride and all due ceremony those days from Flag Day through Independence Day, also set aside by the Congress (89 Stat. 211), as a time to honor America, to celebrate our heritage in public gatherings and activities, and to recite publicly the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth. GEORGE W. BUSH Proclamation 7448 of June 7, 2U01 Asiatic Fleet Memorial Day By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation All of America's service personnel and veterans deserve our gratitude, and it is fitting to pay tribute to the United States Asiatic Fleet. The United States Navy's presence in the Far East dates to 1822. The Asiatic Fleet was formed in 1902, reestablished in 1910, and continued to serve into 1942. Through years of unrest and disturbance, the Fleet protected American lives and interests along the China coast and the Yangtze River, bearing responsibilities that were as much diplomatic as Naval. The Fleet also assisted civilian areas devastated by the forces of nature and by internal warfare. When the attack on Pearl Harbor thrust the United States into World War II, the Asiatic Fleet played a key role in the defense of the Philippines. Outnumbered and outgunned at sea and in the air, the Fleet was joined by ships of the British, Dutch, and Australian navies to oppose the Japanese advance through what is now Indonesia. The Fleet's destroyers hit the Japanese at Balikpapan and Badung Strait, and the cruiser Marblehead fought her way through massive air attacks off Bali

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