[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 123, 111th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 8391--JUNE 11, 2009

Proclamation 8391 of June 11, 2009
Flag Day and National Flag Week, 2009
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

In the midst of a war for our Nation's independence, on June 14, 1777,
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 equality and justice 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. During the
Civil Rights Movement, determined protesters on the streets of Selma,
Alabama, proudly displayed its colors. Following the attacks of
September 11, 2001, Old Glory flew over the southwestern wall of the
Pentagon 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 toward
a brighter tomorrow.
To commemorate the adoption of our flag, the Congress, by joint
resolution approved August 3, 1949, as amended (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, as amended (80 Stat. 194), the Congress requested the President
to issue

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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, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
America, do hereby proclaim June 14, 2009, as Flag Day and the week
beginning June 14, 2009, 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, and I urge all Americans to
observe Flag Day and National Flag Week by flying the Stars and Stripes
at their homes and other suitable places. 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, set aside by the Congress (89
Stat. 211) as a time to honor America, celebrate our heritage in public
gatherings and activities, and 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 eleventh day of
June, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence
of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
BARACK OBAMA