Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 115 Part 3.djvu/756

 115 STAT. 2830 PROCLAMATION 7474—SEPT. 28, 2001 weather-related damage. This year, more than 60,000 volunteers are expected to work at approximately 335 sites in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. In cooperation with their community partners, these individuals will contribute nearly $9 million of needed improvements to America's public lands. National Public Lands Day also serves as a special time for our country to recognize the accomplishments of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the hard-working men who built more than 800 of America's national and State parks during the 1930s and 1940s. Ceremonies honoring the Corps will be held at Virginia's Shenandoah National Park, as well as at 30 other locations throughout the country. I encourage Americans to follow the worthy example set by those CCC members and pitch in by volunteering to improve our parks. Through these efforts, we can all do our part to ensure that the Nation's parks, forests, lakes, fields, and rivers remain vibrant and enduring legacies of America's natural beauty for ages to come. 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 September 29, 2001, as National Public Lands Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate programs and activities to improve the public lands they use for recreation, education, and enjoyment. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty- eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-sixth. GEORGE W. BUSH Proclamation 7474 of September 28, 2001 Gold Star Mother's Day, 2001 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Since its inception, this Nation has relied upon courageous young men and women to fight willingly for our country's ideals. Time and again, these men and women have secured America's liberty and prosperity. In defense of freedom and the values Americans hold sacred, many have paid the ultimate sacrifice. Over the course of the last 226 years, more than 1 million American mothers have endured the loss of a son or daughter in service to our Nation. In the aftermath of World War I, President Woodrow Wilson first used the term "Gold Star Mother." It signified not only the remembrance of a young life sacrificed in service to America, but the pride, dignity, and devotion of one who had first given life to that heroic young American. Since 1928, Gold Star Mothers have sustained themselves through their profound sorrow by lovingly serving others. From civic education and community service, to the care of veterans and those in need, the Gold Star Mothers promote patriotism, serve their country.

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