[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 375 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 375

        Recognizing the 75th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 23, 2019

    Mr. Portman (for himself and Mr. Brown) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
        Recognizing the 75th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising.

Whereas, October 2, 2019, marks the 75th anniversary of the tragic conclusion to 
        the Warsaw Uprising, a landmark event during World War II, in which 
        brave citizens of Poland revolted against the German Nazi occupation of 
        the city of Warsaw in the face of daunting and seemingly insurmountable 
        odds;
Whereas the Warsaw Uprising, which was part of a nationwide resistance against 
        the German Nazi occupation of Poland and lasted for 63 days, was started 
        by the Polish Home Army, the underground resistance effort that included 
        many young and brave individuals;
Whereas the Warsaw Uprising occurred just over a year after the Warsaw Ghetto 
        Uprising in April 1943, which was the single largest act of Jewish 
        resistance against forces of Nazi Germany;
Whereas, after the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the remaining Jewish Poles from 
        Warsaw were sent to Treblinka, the killing center and labor camp, and 
        murdered;
Whereas, beginning August 1, 1944, the Polish Home Army fought against the 
        German Nazi occupation of Warsaw, using mostly homemade weapons and far 
        outnumbered by the overwhelming German Nazi force, at a cost of 
        approximately 200,000 citizens of Poland killed, wounded, or missing;
Whereas Adolf Hitler ordered the annihilation of the city of Warsaw and the 
        extermination of its citizens as punishment for the uprising, decimating 
        80 percent of Warsaw with no regard for the lives of the citizens of 
        Warsaw or for the rich heritage of historic architecture in Warsaw;
Whereas a Soviet-led army halted its march toward the city of Berlin at the 
        banks of the Vistula River on the specific orders of Stalin to allow the 
        German Nazis to decimate the Poles;
Whereas, throughout the Warsaw Uprising, many people fled the city of Warsaw, 
        remained in hiding, or were wounded or killed, and the surviving 
        population of Warsaw, which once totaled more than 1,300,000 people, was 
        then sent to prisoner of war camps and endured harsh conditions; 
Whereas, after World War II, thousands of Polish refugees fled from Poland due 
        to persecution and came to the United States for safety, security, and 
        new opportunities;
Whereas the deep, rich history and traditions of immigrants from Poland who 
        settled in the United States, particularly in the States of Ohio, New 
        York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin, have undeniably 
        shaped the social fabric and foundation of the United States;
Whereas, in the 20th century, Cleveland, Ohio; Buffalo, New York; Pittsburgh, 
        Pennsylvania; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Detroit, Michigan; and Chicago, 
        Illinois; served as the major epicenters for immigrants and workers from 
        Poland whose remarkable contributions to industry led to the 
        incorporation of new towns and the subsequent growth of those towns;
Whereas the heroic actions of the Polish underground resistance during World War 
        II and the brave citizenry of Poland provide a valuable lesson in 
        perseverance and patriotism;
Whereas the legacy of the Warsaw Uprising serves as one of the most poignant 
        reminders of the human cost of the Allied war effort during World War II 
        to defeat Adolf Hitler and the German Nazis; and
Whereas the bravery demonstrated by the citizens of Poland during the Warsaw 
        Uprising continues to inspire people throughout the world who are 
        subjected to tyranny and oppression and who join the fight for freedom, 
        democracy, and the pursuit of liberty: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the 75th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising;
            (2) commends the bravery, heroism, and patriotism of the 
        individuals who fought as part of the Polish Home Army in order 
        to liberate Poland from German Nazi occupation; and
            (3) honors the memory of the soldiers and civilians whose 
        lives were lost during the fighting, and the individuals who 
        suffered in concentration camps and death camps during World 
        War II and the Holocaust.
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