THE WHITE HOUSE
  
                    Office of the Press Secretary
  
  _______________________________________________________________
  
  For Immediate Release                              June 7, 1996
  
  
                FLAG DAY AND NATIONAL FLAG WEEK, 1996
  
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           BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
  
                            A PROCLAMATION
  
  
       There is no better symbol of our country's values and 
  traditions than the Flag of the United States of America.  
  Chosen by the Continental Congress in 1777, it continues to 
  exemplify the profound commitment to freedom, equality, and 
  opportunity made by our founders more than two centuries ago.  
  Our flag's proud stars and stripes have long inspired our 
  people, and its beautiful red, white, and blue design is 
  known around the world as a beacon of liberty and justice.
  
       Today, America's flag graces classrooms, statehouses, 
  courtrooms, and churches, serving as a daily reminder of 
  this Nation's past accomplishments and ongoing dedication to 
  safeguarding individual rights.  The brave members of our Armed 
  Forces carry "Old Glory" with them as they fulfill their mission 
  to defend the blessings of democracy and peace across the globe; 
  our banner flies from public buildings as a sign of our national 
  community; and its folds drape the tombs of our distinguished 
  dead.  The flag is a badge of honor to all -- a sign of our 
  citizens' common purpose. 
  
       This week and throughout the year let us do all we can 
  to teach younger generations the significance of our flag.  
  Its 13 red and white stripes represent not only the original 
  colonies, but also the courage and purity of our Nation, while 
  its 50 stars stand for the separate but united States of our 
  Union.  Let us pledge allegiance to this flag to declare our 
  patriotism and raise its colors high to express our pride and 
  respect for the American way of life.
  
       To commemorate the adoption of our flag, the Congress, 
  by joint resolution approved August 3, 1949 (63 Stat. 492), 
  designated June 14 of each year as "Flag Day" and requested 
  the President to issue an annual proclamation calling for its 
  observance and for the display of the Flag of the United States 
  on all Federal Government buildings.  The Congress also 
  requested the President, by joint resolution approved June 9, 
  1966 (80 Stat. 194), to issue annually a proclamation 
  designating the week in which June 14 falls as "National 
  Flag Week" and calling upon all citizens of the United States 
  to display the flag during that week.    
  
       NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
  United States of America, do hereby proclaim June 14, 1996, as 
  Flag Day and the week beginning June 9, 1996, as National Flag 
  Week.  I direct the appropriate officials to display the flag 
  on all Federal Government buildings during that week, and I urge 
  all Americans to observe Flag Day and National Flag Week by 
  flying the Stars and Stripes from 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, also set aside by Congress (89 Stat. 211), 
  as a time to honor our Nation, to celebrate our heritage in 
  public gatherings and activities, and to publicly recite the 
  Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of 
  America.
  
       IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
  seventh day of June, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred 
  and ninety-six, and of the Independence of the United States 
  of America the two hundred and twentieth.
  
  
  
  
       	    	      	   	     WILLIAM J. CLINTON
  
  
  
  
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