For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 14, 2003
National Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Week, 2003
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
From before the American Revolution, to the Civil War, to the wars
in Vietnam and the Persian Gulf, our National Guard and Reserve have
served our country with distinction. Today, our National Guard and
Reserve forces are active on every front in the War on Terror. During
National Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Week, we honor our
courageous citizen-soldiers and their employers, whose continued
support is vital to the success of our Armed Forces and to the strength
of our country.
America's Guard and Reserve personnel are training hard and
deploying frequently to meet new challenges worldwide. These brave
defenders have performed combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
They have provided security at Guantanamo Bay. They have prepared for
homeland security missions. Our Nation is blessed and grateful for the
service of the brave men and women of the National Guard and Reserve.
By supporting our Guardsmen and Reservists, employers across our
Nation also are helping to advance freedom and democracy around the
world. At the same time, these employers benefit from the experience
and leadership skills these citizen-soldiers bring home. Employer
support of our Guard and Reserve in the United States and abroad helps
ensure our troops are mission-ready and is a source of pride and
assurance for all Americans. This country is grateful to employers and
workers for their support of Guard and Reserve members and their
families. Because military deployment often disrupts families and
businesses, my Administration is working to make deployments more
predictable. Together, our National Guard and Reserve forces and their
employers are united in purpose and reflect the highest standards of
professionalism and honor.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States
of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution
and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 16 through
November 22, 2003, as National Employer Support of the Guard and
Reserve Week. I encourage all Americans to join me in expressing our
heartfelt thanks to the members of our National Guard and Reserve and
their civilian employers for their extraordinary sacrifices on behalf
of our Nation. I also call on State and local officials, private
organizations, businesses, and all military commanders to observe this
week with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day
of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand three, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-eighth.
GEORGE W. BUSH
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