[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 236 (Friday, December 8, 1995)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 63389-63390]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-30177]
[[Page 63387]]
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Part VI
The President
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Proclamation 6856--National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, 1995
Memorandum of December 6, 1995
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 236 / Friday, December 8, 1995 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 63389]]
Proclamation 6856 of December 6, 1995
National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, 1995
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
America's involvement in World War II began 54 years
ago as dawn was shattered by a surprise attack on our
forces stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In the words
of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, ``December 7,
1941--a date which will live in infamy'' began at 7:55
a.m. when Japan launched an offensive to destroy the
United States Pacific Fleet. The losses suffered that
day shocked our Nation with the realization that
American soil was not immune to the ravages of war--at
the end of the attack, more than 3,000 Americans were
dead, missing, or wounded. We resolved to boldly defend
our shores against further devastation. Just 4 years
later, the same fleet that the Japanese had attempted
to destroy at Pearl Harbor sailed triumphantly into
Tokyo Bay.
The attack of Pearl Harbor marked the beginning of
America's total mobilization against a common enemy,
and the United States soon became the world's ``Arsenal
of Democracy.'' Citizens worked together toward a
common goal as the ``We Can Do It'' attitude spread
across the country. The landscape of American business
was forever changed as over 19 million women and many
minority workers took high-skill jobs to contribute to
the war effort.
The courageous veterans who fought selflessly to bring
an end to the war in the Pacific deserve our highest
respect and our most profound gratitude. Today we honor
the sacrifices that led to the ultimate victory--the
triumph of freedom over tyranny. We also pay tribute to
the families who contributed so much with their
support, sacrifices, and prayers from the home front. A
grateful Nation will long remember those who came home
and those who did not.
In the post-Cold War era, it is vital that we pass
along the lessons learned from Pearl Harbor to a new
generation of Americans. We must never allow our
country to be unprepared, and we must never again
isolate ourselves from the problems of the world. This
is the legacy we leave to our young people, and it is
our responsibility to continue to teach them those
lessons. By doing so, we reaffirm the values of
democracy, freedom, and leadership that have made
America great.
The Congress, by Public Law 103-308, has designated
December 7, 1995, as ``National Pearl Harbor
Remembrance Day.''
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim December
7, 1995, as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. I
urge all Americans to observe this day with appropriate
programs, ceremonies, and activities in honor of the
Americans who served at Pearl Harbor. I also ask all
Federal departments and agencies, organizations, and
individuals to fly the flag of the United States at
half-staff on this day in honor of those Americans who
died as a result of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
[[Page 63390]]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
sixth day of December, 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 twentieth.
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 95-30177
Filed 12-7-95; 10:57 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P
