Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance, 2015 - Historical Half-Staff Archive

Historical archive - 2015. This records a past observance and is not a current half-staff notice.

Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance, 2015

President Barack Obama issued Proclamation 9319 of September 10, 2015. The Federal Register published it on 2015-09-15. These historical dates are separate from this article’s website publication date.

Half-staff period and scope

September 11, 2015.

Annual statutory observance. The proclamation calls on United States departments, agencies and instrumentalities to display flags at half-staff, and invites governors, organizations and individuals to join.

Official proclamation

Open or download the official proclamation PDF from GovInfo

Read the Federal Register source

For the wider chronology, explore the presidential half-staff archive. For practical display steps, see our half-staff flag guide. Historical documents do not determine whether a flag should be lowered today.

Full proclamation text

Transcribed from the official Federal Register PDF. Layout-only line breaks and split words are joined for readability; the complete published pages preserve the source layout and reproduced signature.

Proclamation 9319 of September 10, 2015 Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance, 2015 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation On September 11, 2001, America experienced the worst terrorist attack in her history when nearly 3,000 men, women, and children were taken from us, leaving their families and our Nation with a void that can never be filled. But those who brought hate to our shores and smoke to our skies did not expect our country to emerge stronger, and our beacons of hope and freedom to shine brighter as a result. In the years since, we have stood strong as one people—determined to further embolden our country’s character with acts of endurance and strength; rebuilding and resilience; renewal and progress. In remembrance of the innocent victims who lost their lives and in honor of the families they left behind, let us continue to answer these heinous acts by serving our communities, lifting the lives of our fellow citizens, and spreading the hope that others tried to dim that day.

The compassion that rose in the hearts and minds of the American people on September 11 still serves as the ultimate rebuke to the evil of those who attacked us. First responders who risked and gave their lives to rescue others demonstrated the unwavering heroism that defines our great Nation.

Volunteers donated time, money, and blood to ensure wounds gave way to healing and recovery. Young people, raised until then in a time of peace, stepped forward to serve and defend us, and meet the threats of our time.

And people from across our country and the world joined together in the days that followed to stand up and turn toward one another with open arms, making of a tragedy something the terrorists could never abide— a tribute of hope over fear, and love over hate.

As we reflect on the lives we lost and pay tribute to the families who still live with extraordinary pain, let us resolve to continue embodying the American spirit that no act of terror can ever extinguish. I call on all Americans to observe this National Day of Service and Remembrance with acts of selflessness and charity. In doing so, we prove once again that the power of those who seek to harm and to destroy is never greater than our power to persevere and to build. I encourage everyone to visit www.Serve.gov to learn of the many opportunities available to give back to others and to reaffirm the fundamental truth that we are our brothers’ and our sisters’ keepers, and that we can forge a brighter future together.

Today, we continue our unfaltering march forward, enduring in the perennial optimism that drives us and brightening the light that the darkness of evil can never overcome. We remember and yearn for the presence of the beautiful lives lost, and we recommit to honoring their memories by shaping the days to come—in as stark a contrast as possible to those who took them from us—with courage, liberty, and love.

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, 2015, 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 fifteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.

Read every page of the official document

The complete published pages appear below. These are faithful reproductions of the official Federal Register publication, not original wet-signed documents. Use the official PDF link above for a downloadable source copy.

Enlarge this complete document page

Scroll within this enlarged page or open the full-size image above. The official PDF remains available as an alternative.

Enlarge this complete document page

Scroll within this enlarged page or open the full-size image above. The official PDF remains available as an alternative.

Find a flag for your display

When preparing a respectful display, browse American flags and check the specific size, material and mounting details for your setting.