Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 123.djvu/3680

 123STA T . 3 6 6 0PROCL A M AT I O N8 3 9 1 —JU N E 11, 2009 sti t u ti ona n d t hel a w so f the U nited S tates , do he r e byp ro c lai mJ une 20 0 9 as N ational C aribbean -A merican H erita g e M onth .I urge all Amer- icans to commemorate this month by learning more about the history and culture of Caribbean Americans. IN W I T N E SS WHE R E OF , Iha v e hereunto set my hand this second day of June, in the year of our L ord two thousand nine, and of the Inde- pendence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty- third. B ARAC K OBAMA Proclam a ti o n8391 o fJu n e 11 ,20 09 FlagD a y a ndN a tio nal Flag We e k,20 0 9BythePr e sid e n t of the U nited S t a tes of Am eri c a A Proc l amation In the midst of a war for our Nation ’ s independence, on June 14 ,1 7 77, the Second Continental Congress adopted a flag as a symbol of our fledgling Union. The Congress resolved that the flag be ‘ ‘thirteen stripes, alternate red and white that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.’’ For generations to come, this pattern would serve as a compass bearing toward e q uality and j ustice for all. Our flag’s journey has been long. It has seen our Nation through war and peace, triumph and tragedy. It flew above the walls of Fort Sumter, South Carolina, at the outset of the Civil War. It stood on Mount Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima during World War II. D uring the Civil Rights Movement, determined protesters on the streets of Selma, Alabama, proudly displayed its colors. Following the attac k s of Sep- tember 11, 2001, Old G lory flew over the southwestern wall of the P en- tagon and the rubble of the World Trade Center. Today, the men and women of the United States Armed Forces bear our flag as they serve bravely around the world. The flag is still more than a historical symbol it is part of our culture. In our schools children pledge allegiance to our flag and recite the ideals upon which our Nation was founded. Families sit on their front porches under a billowing Stars and Stripes. And each day as the flag is raised above military installations and government buildings, we are reminded of the great sacrifices that have been made in defense of our Nation. The Stars and Stripes tells our Nation’s story and embodies its highest ideals. Its display reminds us of America’s promise and guides us to- ward a brighter tomorrow. To commemorate the adoption of our flag, the Congress, by joint reso- lution approved August 3, 1949, as amended (6 3 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, as amended ( 8 0 Stat. 194), the Congress requested the President to issue