Proclamation 6444—Flag Day and National Flag Week, 1992

"I have seen the glories of art and architecture," said Senator George Frisbie Hoar over a century ago, "* * * and the full moon rise over Mont Blanc; but the fairest vision on which these eyes ever looked was the flag of my country in a foreign land." As the great emblem of the United States, the Stars and Stripes has symbolized freedom and security to millions of people around the world. To the U.S. citizen abroad, Old Glory has offered comfort and reassurance, calling to mind the love of liberty that unites all Americans, wherever we may be. To the service member standing watch at some distant, lonely post, the flag has recalled the pride and support of our Nation -- as well as the example of earlier patriots who likewise labored and sacrificed in the defense of liberty. While the flag has inspired deeper feelings of patriotism and duty among generations of Americans, it has also moved the hearts of countless other peoples, who have seen in its bright hues and gentle folds the shining promise of freedom -- and the character of a Nation whose might and strength have been devoted to the service of justice and humanity.

Generations of American children have learned to show respect for the flag by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, which is 100 years old this year. As we celebrate the centennial of this simple yet stirring promise, we know that it is much, much more than a mnemonic verse for school boys and girls. rather, it is -- as its author, Francis Bellamy, had hoped it would be -- an ageless creed that embodies "the fundamental idea of patriotic citizenship, comprehending in broadest lines the spirit of our history and the deepest aim of our National life." When we recite the Pledge and promise our allegiance to this "one Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all," we reaffirm both the unity of our people and what President Eisenhower aptly described as "the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future." As the Pledge of Allegiance states so eloquently, we Americans believe in Almighty God, the Source of all life and liberty; we believe in the inherent and unalienable rights and dignity of each human being; and we believe in equal opportunity, as well as equal protection of the law, for every citizen. Those are the convictions embodied by our flag, and those are the convictions that must ever be our guide, our hope, and our example to the world.

To commemorate the adoption of our flag, the Congress, by a joint resolution approved August 3, 1949 (63 Stat. 492), designated June 14 of each year as Flag Day. 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 occurs as National Flag Week.

Now, Therefore, I, George Bush, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim June 14, 1992, as Flag Day and the week beginning June 14, 1992, as National Flag Week. I direct the appropriate officials of the government to display the flag of the United States on all government buildings during that week. I urge all Americans to observe Flag Day, June 14, and Flag Week, by flying the Stars and Stripes from their homes and other suitable places.

I also urge the American people to celebrate those days from Flag Day through Independence Day, also set aside by the Congress (89 Stat. 211) as a time to honor America, by having public gatherings and activities at which they can honor our country in an appropriate manner, including publicly reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. On June 14, communities across the United States will join in a special "Pause for the Pledge of Allegiance" program in honor of the 100th anniversary of this tribute to our flag.

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

GEORGE BUSH