Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 97.djvu/1591

This page needs to be proofread.

PROCLAMATION 5032—MAR. 15, 1983 97 STAT. 1559 By Joint Resolution, the Congress has designated April 9, 1983, as National P.O.W. -M.I.A. Recognition Day. On this day, I firmly believe that we should recognize the special debt all Americans owe to our fellow citizens who gave up their freedom in the service of our country and to the families who have undergone a great travail. We shall continue to remember our missing servicemen. Our Nation must never forget them. Resolution of their fate is, and will remain, a matter of the highest national priority. On April 9, 1983, a P.O.W. - M.I.A. Flag will fly over the White House, the Departments of State and Defense, and the Vet- erans Administration as a symbol of our unswerving commitment to resolv- ing the fate of all servicemen still missing. NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby designate Saturday, April 9, 1983, as National P.O.W. - M.I.A. Recognition Day, a day dedicated to all former American prisoners of war, to those still missing, and to their families. I call on all Americans to join in honoring those who have been held captive in war and their loved ones. I call upon State and local officials and private organizations to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 14th day of March, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and seventh. RONALD REAGAN Proclamation 5032 of March 15, 1983 Loyalty Day, 1983 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation It was once written that America is great because it is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great. So long as Ameri- cans remain faithful—in deeds as well as thought—to the ideals embodied in our Constitution and furthered in our free institutions, our Nation's great- ness will flourish. Americahs have fought, and many have died, to preserve the blessings of liberty in this fair land. Each of us has the opportunity to honor these sacri- fices and to renew our commitment to American ideals as we go about our daily lives. When we participate in a free election, extend a helping hand to a neighbor, live responsible and productive lives, or teach a child through our own actions that all people are equal under the law, we mani- fest our allegiance to this great country. We must never take our precious freedoms for granted. Rather, from time to time we must rededicate ourselves to the magnificent ideals of our great de- mocracy—liberty, justice, and dignity for all mankind. For this purpose, the Congress, by joint resolution approved July 18, 1958 (72 Stat. 369; 36 U.S.C. 162], has designated May 1 of each year as Loyalty Day, a day for reflection upon our national institutions, our heritage of free- dom, and what it means to be an American.