Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 2011 - Historical Half-Staff Archive

Historical notice: this observance has ended. This independent FORTISVEX resource preserves a past presidential proclamation; it is not a government notice.

Remembering sacrifice, seeking lasting peace

Memorial Day centers on Americans who died in military service. President Obama's 2011 proclamation linked their sacrifice to the freedoms held by later generations, tracing service from Lexington and Concord through Normandy and from Gettysburg to Kandahar.

The text also turned attention toward families left behind. Quoting President Lincoln's second inaugural address, it connected remembrance with care for those who bore the burden of war and with the pursuit of a just and lasting peace. This was a call to remember lives lost, support surviving families, and consider the responsibilities that accompany the freedoms others defended.

Three separate times in the observance

The half-staff request ended at noon on May 30, 2011. It addressed governors and other government officials for buildings, grounds, and naval vessels throughout the United States and areas under its jurisdiction and control. The proclamation also requested the customary forenoon half-staff display at homes.

The prayer hour began at 11:00 a.m. in each locality, while the National Moment of Remembrance began at 3:00 p.m. local time. These were distinct observances: the afternoon moment did not extend the morning half-staff period. The document specified no numerical starting time for half-staff display.

May 27 is the formal proclamation date used for this archive entry. May 30 was the observance itself; June 3 was the later Federal Register publication. Keeping those dates separate preserves the historical meaning of the notice.

Full official proclamation text

Proclamation 8683 of May 27, 2011 — Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 2011
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

For over two centuries, brave men and women have laid down their lives in defense of our great Nation. These heroes have made the ultimate sacrifice so we may uphold the ideals we all cherish. On this Memorial Day, we honor the generations of Americans who have fought and died to defend our freedom.

Today, all who wear the uniform of the United States carry with them the proud legacies of those who have made our Nation great, from the patriots who fought at Lexington and Concord to the troops who stormed the beaches at Normandy. Ordinary men and women of extraordinary courage have, since our earliest days, answered the call of duty with valor and unwavering devotion. From Gettysburg to Kandahar, America’s sons and daughters have served with honor and distinction, securing our liberties and laying a foundation for lasting peace.

On this solemn day in which Americans unite in remembrance of our country’s fallen, we also pray for our military personnel and their families, our veterans, and all who have lost loved ones. As a grateful Nation, we forever carry the selfless sacrifice of our fallen heroes in our hearts, and we share the task of caring for those they left behind.

In his second Inaugural Address, in the midst of the Civil War, President Lincoln called on our embattled Nation ‘‘to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations. ’’ On this Memorial Day, and every day, we bear a heavy burden of responsibility to uphold the founding principles so many died defending. I call on all Americans to come together to honor the men and women who gave their lives so that we may live free, and to strive for a just and lasting peace in our world.

In honor of our fallen service members, the Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 11, 1950, as amended (36 U.S.C. 116), has requested the President issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe each Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace and designating a period on that day when the people of the United States might unite in prayer. The Congress, by Public Law 106–579, has also designated 3:00 p.m. local time on that day as a time for all Americans to observe, in their own way, the National Moment of Remembrance.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Memorial Day, May 30, 2011, as a day of prayer for permanent peace, and I designate the hour beginning in each locality at 11:00 a.m. of that day as a time to unite in prayer. I also ask all Americans to observe the National Moment of Remembrance beginning at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day.

I request the Governors of the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the appropriate officials of all units of government, to direct that the flag be flown at half-staff until noon on this Memorial Day on all buildings, grounds, and naval vessels throughout the United States and in all areas under its jurisdiction and control. I also request the people of the United States to display the flag at half-staff from their homes for the customary forenoon period.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.

BARACK OBAMA

Official federal proclamation text from Federal Register pages 32065–32066. Page headings and line wrapping are omitted for readability; the signature is represented by the name above.

Verify the official documents

Read or download the official proclamation PDF from GovInfo · Read the Federal Register record

Find related historical directives in the Presidential Half-Staff Archive.

Signature page from the official published proclamation

Select the published page to open the official PDF.

Preparing a remembrance display

Explore U.S. flags at FORTISVEX when choosing a flag for your location. Review the specific product's material, size, and attachment details for a suitable display.