A Proclamation on the Death of Madeleine Korbel Albright

 IMPORTANT UPDATE - As a mark of respect for former Secretary of State Madeleine Korbel Albright and her life of service to our Nation, in view of her passing, President Biden has ordered that the flag of the United States be flown at half-staff immediately throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset on March 27, 2022. "Madeleine Albright was a force. She defied convention and broke barriers again and again. She was an immigrant fleeing persecution. A refugee in need of safe haven. And like so many before her — and after — she was proudly American."

A Proclamation on the Death of Madeleine Korbel Albright

March 23, 2022

Madeleine Albright was a force. She defied convention and broke barriers again and again. She was an immigrant fleeing persecution. A refugee in need of safe haven. And like so many before her — and after — she was proudly American.

As the devoted mother of three beloved daughters, she worked tirelessly raising them while earning her doctorate degree and starting her career in American diplomacy. She took her talents first to the Senate as a staffer for Senator Edmund Muskie followed by the National Security Council under President Carter. And then to the United Nations where she served as United States Ambassador, and ultimately, made history as our first woman Secretary of State, appointed by President Clinton. A scholar, teacher, bestselling author, and later accomplished business woman, she always believed America was the indispensable Nation, and inspired the next generation of public servants to follow her lead, including countless women leaders around the world. Madeleine was always a force for goodness, grace, and decency — and for freedom.

As a mark of respect for former Secretary of State Madeleine Korbel Albright and her life of service to our Nation, I hereby order, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset on March 27, 2022. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-third day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-sixth.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

A Proclamation on Amending Proclamation 10320, Death Of Robert J. Dole

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Robert Joseph Dole, a former U.S. senator, died on Sunday, December 5, 2021. The Flag Code dictates that the United States flag should immediately be flown at half-staff, "on the day of death and the following day." 4 USC Section 7(m). In an interesting divergence, President Biden has ordered that “the flag of the United States be flown at half-staff immediately throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset on December 9, 2021.” In view of the intervening commemoration of National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, consider this proclamation as superseding, or perhaps more aptly, underscoring that former proclamation. The president refers to Sen. Dole as "a statesman like few in our history and a war hero among the greatest of the Greatest Generation,”even as we pay tribute thereto.

A Proclamation on Amending Proclamation 10320, Death Of Robert J. Dole

December 9, 2021

By the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to extend the display of the flag at half-staff as a mark of respect for Robert Joseph Dole, it is hereby ordered that Proclamation 10320 of December 5, 2021, is amended by deleting in the first sentence the words “until sunset on December 9, 2021” and inserting in their place the words “through Saturday, December 11.”

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this ninth day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-sixth.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

A Proclamation on National Pearl Harbor Day, 2021

IMPORTANT UPDATE - President Biden has proclaimed Tuesday, December 7, 2021, as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day; the president urges "all Federal agencies, interested organizations, groups, and individuals to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff on December 7, 2021, in honor of those American patriots who died as a result of their service at Pearl Harbor." "[W]e honor the patriots who perished, commemorate the valor of all those who defended our Nation, and recommit ourselves to carrying forth the ensuing peace and reconciliation that brought a better future for our world. Today, we give thanks to the Greatest Generation, who guided our Nation through some of our darkest moments and laid the foundations of an international system that has transformed former adversaries into allies."

A Proclamation on National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, 2021

December 5, 2021

On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked our forces at Pearl Harbor and other locations in Hawaii, taking the lives of 2,403 service members and civilians and leading the United States to declare its entrance into World War II. It was a day that still lives in infamy 80 years later. As we mark National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, we honor the patriots who perished, commemorate the valor of all those who defended our Nation, and recommit ourselves to carrying forth the ensuing peace and reconciliation that brought a better future for our world. Today, we give thanks to the Greatest Generation, who guided our Nation through some of our darkest moments and laid the foundations of an international system that has transformed former adversaries into allies.

A decade ago, I paid my respects at the USS Arizona Memorial — where 1,177 crewmen lost their lives on that terrible December day. To this day, beads of oil still rise to the surface of the water — metaphorical “Black Tears” shed for those lost in the attack. Reading those names etched in marble was a mournful reminder of the sacrifices and the human cost of protecting our Nation and the ideals this great country represents. Our Nation remains forever indebted to all those who gave their last full measure of devotion eight decades ago. We will never forget those who perished, and we will always honor our sacred obligation to care for our service members, veterans, and their families, caregivers, and survivors.

The Congress, by Public Law 103-308, as amended, has designated December 7 of each year as “National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.”

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim December 7, 2021, as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. I encourage all Americans to reflect on the courage shown by our brave warriors that day and remember their sacrifices. I ask us all to give sincere thanks and appreciation to the survivors of that unthinkable day. I urge all Federal agencies, interested organizations, groups, and individuals to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff on December 7, 2021, in honor of those American patriots who died as a result of their service at Pearl Harbor.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-sixth.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.