2070 Dec. 16 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1997 Proclamation 7061ÐWright The Congress, by a joint resolution ap- Brothers Day, 1997 proved December 17, 1963 (77 Stat. 402; 36 U.S.C. 169), has designated December 17 of December 16, 1997 each year as ``Wright Brothers Day'' and has By the President of the United States authorized and requested the President to of America issue annually a proclamation inviting the people of the United States to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies and activi- A Proclamation ties. On December 17, 1903, Orville Wright lay Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, inside the first heavier-than-air powered craft President of the United States of America, that permitted controlled flight. His brother do hereby proclaim December 17, 1997, as Wilbur stood nearby, steadying the craft at Wright Brothers Day. one wing tip. In a few moments, the brothers In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set would know if their years of hard work and my hand this sixteenth day of December, in painstaking experimentation would finally the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and bear fruit. With Wilbur running beside the ninety-seven, and of the Independence of the plane to build its momentum, Orville United States of America the two hundred achieved, for a scant 12 seconds over a dis- and twenty-second. tance of 120 feet, what humankind had al- William J. Clinton ways dreamed ofÐhe flew. That historic moment marked the first step [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, in a long journey through the skies that would 8:45 a.m., December 17, 1997] ultimately take Americans beyond Earth's at- mosphere and into space. The Mars Path- NOTE: This proclamation was published in the finder spacecraft that captured the world's Federal Register on December 18. attention and imagination this past summer reflects the same American ingenuity and pioneering spirit that sent the Wrights' frag- Remarks on Presenting the ile craft aloft so briefly over Kitty Hawk al- Congressional Space Medal of Honor most a century ago. With unwavering perse- Posthumously to Roger B. Chaffee verance in the face of many failures, steady and Edward H. White II conviction in the possibility of flight, and a December 17, 1997 determination to bring their vision to reality, the Wright brothers expanded our horizons Dr. Gibbons, Mr. Goldin, Congressman and also brought the world closer together. Sensenbrenner, to Edward White and the We are still reaping the benefits of their White family, and Martha Chaffee and the extraordinary achievement. America's aero- Chaffee family, and Mrs. Grissom, other rep- space industry has experienced enormous resentatives of astronauts' families that are growth and development since the Wright here. brothers' first flight. It has strengthened our A generation ago, President Kennedy chal- economy, created new business and rec- lenged our Nation and asked God's blessing reational opportunities, freed us from many to undertake the most hazardous and dan- of the limits of time and distance, and made gerous and greatest adventure on which man our Nation's aviation system the finest in the has ever embarked. His challenge in 1961 world. And thanks in large part to the efforts to send a man to the moon and bring him of the men and women throughout the Fed- safely back to Earth by the end of the decade eral GovernmentÐin the Departments of captured the imagination of millions of peo- Transportation and Defense, the National ple around the world. A group of pioneering Transportation Safety Board, and the Na- Americans recognized the limitless possibili- tional Aeronautics and Space Administra- ties of this seemingly impossible challenge, tionÐthat system is also the safest in the and they would risk their lives to make it world. happen. VerDate 28-OCT-97 13:28 Dec 23, 1997 Jkt 010199 PO 00001 Frm 00038 Fmt 1244 Sfmt 1244 W:\DISC\P51DE4.001 INET01 Administration of William J. Clinton, 1997 / Dec. 18 2071 Two great Americans we honor today, White. On behalf of a grateful Nation, I Lieutenant Commander Roger Chaffee and thank them for their sacrifice. Lieutenant Colonel Edward White, were Now I'd like to ask the military aide to among them. More than 30 years ago, these read the citations. two men, along with their commander, Virgil ``Gus'' Grissom, were selected for the very NOTE: The President spoke at 10:37 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White House. In his remarks, first Apollo mission. Tragedy struck before he referred to Edward H. White, III, son of Lt. they could achieve their goal. On January 27, Col. White; Martha Chaffee, widow of Lt. Comdr. 1967, fire swept through the Apollo capsule Chaffee; and Betty Grissom, widow of Lt. Col. during a training session, killing all three of Virgil Grissom. them. In 1978 President Carter presented Commander Grissom with one of the first Congressional Space Medals of Honor. Remarks on the Peace Process in Today I have the privilege of presenting the Bosnia and an Exchange With same medal to his crewmates, Roger Chaffee Reporters and Edward White, courageous men who December 18, 1997 gave their lives in our Nation's effort to con- quer the frontiers of space. The President. Good morning. I want to Even before they joined the Apollo pro- speak with you today about the progress we gram, Chaffee and White had already served have made toward a lasting peace in Bosnia our Nation with great distinction. Born in and the challenges that still must be faced Texas and a member of the United States in order to finish the job. For nearly 4 years, Bosnia was the battle- Air Force, Colonel White was the first Amer- ground for the bloodiest war in Europe since ican to walk in space. At a White House cere- World War II. The conflict killed or wound- mony soon afterward, President Johnson ed one out of every 10 Bosnians. It drove called him ``one of the Christopher half the country's people from their homes, Columbuses of our century.'' left 9 out of 10 of them unemployed. We Commander Chaffee was a Michigan na- will never be able to forget the mass graves, tive and a decorated Navy pilot. Though he the women and young girls victimized by sys- was the rookie of the crew, he didn't lack tematic campaigns of rape, skeletal prisoners self-confidence. He once said, ``Hell, I'd feel locked behind barbed-wire fences, endless secure taking it up all by myself.'' lines of refugees marching toward a future Today we bestow upon Roger Chaffee and of despair. Edward White the highest honor in Ameri- The war in Bosnia was abhorrent to our ca's space program, but they were honored values. It also threatened our national inter- in our hearts long ago. Their deaths will re- ests. We've learned the hard way in this cen- mind us always that exploring space is dan- tury that Europe's stability and America's se- gerous, life-threatening work, work that de- curity are joined. The war threatened to ex- mands and deserves the bravest and best plode into a broader conflict in the Balkans, among us. Though they never got there, as- endangering the vital interests of allies like tronauts Chaffee, White, and Grissom's foot- Greece and Turkey and undermining our ef- prints are on the Moon. Their presence is forts to build a peaceful, undivided, and felt on every mission of our space shuttle pro- democratic Europe. gram. Their spirits live on in every successful Then, 2 years ago in Dayton, Ohio, Amer- launch and every safe return. And I'm certain ican leadership helped to end the war in they will be there when the international Bosnia. With our allies in NATO and others, space station goes into orbit. we launched an extraordinary military and America has become the world's leading political effort to implement the peace agree- spacefaring nation because of the selfless pio- ment. Twenty-four months later, by almost neering spirits of the men we honor today. any measure, the lives of Bosnia's people are I am proud to present these medals to the better, and their hopes for the future are families of Roger Chaffee and Edward brighter. VerDate 28-OCT-97 13:28 Dec 23, 1997 Jkt 010199 PO 00001 Frm 00039 Fmt 1244 Sfmt 1244 W:\DISC\P51DE4.001 INET01.