Proclamation 2803—Coast Guard Day

Whereas, on August 4, 1790, the Revenue Cutter Service, which together with the Life Saving Service, the Bureau of Lighthouses, and the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation now forms the United States Coast Guard, was founded with the mission of enforcing the customs laws of the United States; and

Whereas the Coast Guard in time of peace is charged with the protection of life and property at sea, along our shores, and along the navigable waters of the United States, including the Great Lakes, and in its long history has performed this duty with great success and with exceptional devotion to duty; and

Whereas the United States Coast Guard, in addition, performs many duties of great importance to the Nation, including the operation of the International ice Patrol, the Weather Patrol, and the Bering Sea Patrol, as well as the maintenance of many thousands of aids to marine navigation, the inspection of our merchant vessels, the licensing and documentation of our merchant-marine personnel, and the enforcement of Federal laws upon the high seas and upon the navigable waters of the United states: and

Whereas in time of war the Coast Guard has fought as part of our naval forces, and its ships and its personnel have performed deeds of valor which are glorious chapters in our military history; and

Whereas the Coast Guard, in cooperation with the Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Coast Guard League, is conducting a program of safety education among the boat owners and boat operators of the United States to prevent accidents and reduce the hazards of boat operations; and

Whereas the services of the Coast Guard are invaluable to the people of this Nation, and the work of its personnel is a vital contribution to the strength and stability of our commerce and our military reserve power:

Now, Therefore, I, Harry S. Truman, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim August 4 as Coast Guard Day, in recognition of the work of this agency of the Government, to the end that its 158th and subsequent anniversaries may be observed with appropriate ceremonies. I request that the flag of the nation and other official flags be displayed on Coast Guard Day and that suitable celebrations be conducted to honor the Coast Guard and to assist its work by bringing public recognition to its program of safety at sea.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington this thirty-first day of July in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and forty-eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and seventy-third.

HARRY S. TRUMAN

By the President:

G. C. MARSHALL,

Secretary of State.