help level the playing field to the benefit of American companies, who already meet high standards under United States domestic law. Improved disabilities standards abroad would also afford American businesses increased opportunities to export innovative products and technologies, stimulating job creation at home.
Equal access, equal opportunity, and the freedom to make of our lives what we will are principles upon which our Nation was founded, and they continue to guide our efforts to perfect our Union. Together, we can ensure our country is not deprived of the full talents and contributions of the approximately 54 million Americans living with disabilities, and we will move forward with the work of providing pathways to opportunity to all of our people.
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 Tuesday, July 26, 2011, the Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. I encourage Americans across our Nation to celebrate the 21st anniversary of this civil rights law and the many contributions of individuals with disabilities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.
Proclamation 8695 of July 26, 2011
National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, 2011
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
On June 25, 1950, the Korean peninsula erupted in conflict, becoming the front line of an intensifying Cold War. For 3 years, our Armed Forces fought to help keep Korea free, suffering bitter reversals and winning stunning victories before the Military Armistice Agreement at Panmunjom secured the border near the 38th parallel. Together, American service members and allied forces were part of a generation that, in the words inscribed at their memorial in Washington, defended “a country they never knew and a people they never met.” Today, we express our unending gratitude to all who fought and died in pursuit of freedom and democracy for the Korean peninsula.
Our veterans’ courage and sacrifice have enabled the Republic of Korea to flourish as a strong and prosperous nation for over half a century. In the decades following the Armistice, the American and South Korean people have maintained a warm friendship, and our alliance is stronger than ever. We remember our common values and shared suffering during the Korean War, and we continue to work together towards advancing the cause of freedom and stability in East Asia and around the world.
Today, we honor the tens of thousands of service members who gave their last full measure of devotion to protect the people of the Republic of Korea.
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