The Bluffton High School student body held its annual thank-you breakfast for the Wells County emergency first responders and Patriot Day convocation Sept. 11, 2014. (Video by Jessica Williams)
Presidential Proclamation --- Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance, 2014
PATRIOT DAY AND NATIONAL DAY OF SERVICE AND REMEMBRANCE, 2014
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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
America will never forget the September tragedy that shook our
Nation's core 13 years ago. On a day that began like so many others, a
clear blue sky was pierced by billowing black smoke as a wave of grief
crashed over us. But in one of our darkest moments, we summoned
strength and courage, and out of horrible devastation emerged the best
of our humanity. On this solemn anniversary, we pause in remembrance,
in reflection, and once again in unity.
On September 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 men, women, and children -- friends
and neighbors, sisters and brothers, mothers and fathers, sons and
daughters -- were taken from us with a heartbreaking swiftness and
cruelty. As we come together once more to mourn their loss, we also
recall how the worst terrorist attack in our history brought out the
true character of the American people. Courageous firefighters rushed
into an inferno, brave rescue workers charged up stairs, and coworkers
carried others to safety. Americans in distant cities and local towns
united in common purpose, demonstrating the spirit of our Nation; people
drove across the country to volunteer, donors lined up to give blood,
and organizations collected food and clothing. And in our Nation's hour
of need, millions of young Americans raised in a time of peace
volunteered to don the uniforms of our country's military and defend our
values around the world.
As we remember all those we lost on that day and the Americans who made
the ultimate sacrifice in the wars that followed, we must strive to
carry forward their legacy. On this National Day of Service and
Remembrance, we take up their unfinished work and pay tribute to their
lives with service and charity. Through these acts and quiet gestures,
we can honor their memory and reclaim our sense of togetherness. I
encourage all Americans to visit
www.Serve.gov or
www.Servir.gov to learn more about service opportunities across our country.
In the face of great terror, some turned to God and many found comfort
in family and friends -- but all Americans came together as one people
united not only in our grief, but also in our determination to stand
with one another and support the country we love. Today and all days,
we remember the patriots who endure in the hearts of our Nation and
their families who have known the awful depths of loss. In their
spirit, let us resolve to move forward together and rededicate ourselves
to the ideals that define our Union as we work to strengthen our
communities and better our world.
By a joint resolution approved December 18, 2001 (Public Law 107-89),
the Congress has designated September 11 of each year as "Patriot Day,"
and by Public Law 111-13, approved April 21, 2009, the Congress has
requested the observance of September 11 as an annually recognized
"National Day of Service and Remembrance."
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 11, 2014, as
Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance. I call upon
all departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States to
display the flag of the United States at half-staff on Patriot Day and
National Day of Service and Remembrance in honor of the individuals who
lost their lives on September 11, 2001. I invite the Governors of the
United States and its Territories and interested organizations and
individuals to join in this observance. I call upon the people of the
United States to participate in community service in honor of those our
Nation lost, to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and
activities, including remembrance services, and to observe a moment of
silence beginning at 8:46 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time to honor the
innocent victims who perished as a result of the terrorist attacks of
September 11, 2001.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of
September, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
thirty-ninth.
BARACK OBAMA
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