Proclamation 6187—Gold Star Mother's Day, 1990

Few Americans could have a more profound understanding of the price of freedom than our Nation's Gold Star Mothers. These proud and courageous women are the mothers of U.S. military personnel who have perished in the line of duty.

Anyone who has been blessed with children knows that there is no greater heartache than losing a son or daughter. The mothers of those brave and selfless Americans who have died to defend the lives and liberty of others have suffered greatly, yet they have also inspired us with their unfailing faith and patriotism. These women, known as Gold Star Mothers, merit our lasting respect and gratitude.

In his now-famous letter to Mrs. Lydia Bixby, a Boston widow who was reported to have lost several sons during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln wrote: I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming, but I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic that they died to save. I pray that the Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

The American Gold Star Mothers have likewise made an enormous sacrifice for our country, and, on this occasion, we echo President Lincoln's timeless appeal.

Whether they made their final stand for liberty and justice on the beaches of Normandy during World War II, on the harsh terrain of Korea and Vietnam, or, more recently, in places such as Grenada, Lebanon, Panama, and the Persian Gulf region, those heroic Americans who have died while defending the cause of peace and freedom will never be forgotten. To the women who nurtured in them a love of God and country, as well as a sense of duty and concern for others, we offer a heartfelt salute.

The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 115 (June 23, 1936), designated the last Sunday in September as "Gold Star Mother's Day" and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this occasion.

Now, Therefore, I, George Bush, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 30, 1990, as Gold Star Mother's Day. I call upon all government officials to display the United States flag on government buildings on this day. I also urge the people of the United States to display the flag and to hold appropriate meetings in their homes, churches, synagogues, or other suitable places, as a public expression of the love, sorrow, and reverence that our Nation holds for American Gold Star Mothers.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth day of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fifteenth.

GEORGE BUSH