National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, 2009 — Historical Half-Staff Archive

Historical notice: this observance has ended. This is an independent FORTISVEX historical resource, not a government notice.

Remembering service in Korea

Proclamation 8399 marked the fifty-sixth anniversary of the military armistice signed at Panmunjom on July 27, 1953. President Obama honored Korean War veterans and their families, connecting their service to the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington and the partnership between the United States and the Republic of Korea.

The memorial imagery gives this proclamation a particular focus. Rather than treating service as an abstract idea, the text asks readers to consider the faces represented in the memorial and the challenges veterans endured. It remembers people killed, wounded, captured, or missing, and calls for ceremonies that give thanks to those who served.

What the half-staff request said

The proclamation asked federal departments and agencies, along with interested groups, organizations, and individuals, to fly the United States flag at half-staff on July 27, 2009. The stated purpose was to remember Americans who died as a result of their service in Korea. It does not specify clock times within that day.

This article records the 2009 proclamation. Its dated request should not be read as a new notice for the present year. The formal document was signed July 24; the observance was July 27; the Federal Register publication followed on July 29. Keeping those dates separate makes the historical record easier to use.

Full official proclamation text

Proclamation 8399 of July 24, 2009 — National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, 2009
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

Fifty-six years after the signing of the Military Armistice Agreement at Panmunjom, Americans remain grateful for the courage and sacrifice of our Korean War veterans. More than 600,000 United States and allied combatants lost their lives in Korea during the 3 years of bitter warfare that ended on July 27, 1953. Many were also injured, taken as prisoners of war, and missing in action. These dedicated servicemen and women, under the banner of the United Nations, fought to secure the blessings of freedom and democracy on the Korean Peninsula, and they deserve our unending respect and gratitude.

Every day we are reminded of the selfless service of these veterans. The Korean War Veterans Memorial stands in our Nation’s Capital as an enduring tribute to them. Marching among juniper bushes and rows of granite, Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Airmen, and Coast Guardsmen silently remind all who glimpse their faces of the great challenges that so many Americans overcame. The strong partnership between the United States and the Republic of Korea is also a proud testament to our men and women in uniform.

Today we remember and honor the valor of Korean War veterans and the extraordinary sacrifices that they and their families made in the cause of peace.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim July 27, 2009, as National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities that honor and give thanks to our distinguished Korean War veterans. I also ask Federal departments and agencies and interested groups, organizations, and individuals to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff on July 27, 2009, in memory of the Americans who died as a result of their service in Korea.

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

BARACK OBAMA

Official federal proclamation text, transcribed from Federal Register pages 37925–37926. Page headers and line wrapping have been removed for readability; the signature is represented by the name above.

Verify the official document

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

Explore other dated directives in the Presidential Half-Staff Archive.

Signature page from the official published proclamation

Select the published signature page to open the complete official PDF.

A flag display for remembrance

For a commemorative display, explore U.S. flags at FORTISVEX. Check the individual product's fabric, size, and attachment details for your location and mounting hardware.