[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1440 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1440

       Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 11, 2024

Ms. Kaptur (for herself, Mr. Turner, Mr. Keating, and Mr. Smith of New 
 Jersey) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
       Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising.

Whereas on August 1, 1944, the Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa, AK) launched a 
        daring uprising against the Nazi German occupation of Warsaw in an 
        attempt to liberate the capital before the arrival of the Red Army, to 
        strengthen the international position of the Government of the Republic 
        of Poland in exile in London, and to prevent Stalin's aim to subordinate 
        and Sovietize Poland;
Whereas the Warsaw Uprising was the largest single military operation of the 
        Polish Underground State and the largest urban uprising against the 
        Nazis during World War II;
Whereas the uprising lasted for 63 days, and during that time, the Polish Home 
        Army, poorly armed and equipped, relying on limited resources based on 
        their own production, allied airdrops and acquiring of weapons, fought 
        bravely against regular Nazi German formations, a much larger, better-
        equipped force;
Whereas the Warsaw Uprising resulted in the estimated deaths of between 150,000-
        200,000 Poles including around 16,000-18,000 insurgents and resulted in 
        the forced deportation of a further 650,000 civilians Warsaw, of which 
        150,000 were sent to Nazi labor and concentration camps;
Whereas approximately 60,000 people died in planned extermination with the 
        orders of Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler, specifically in the 
        district of Wola in Warsaw;
Whereas the old city of Warsaw was leveled to the ground following the Uprising 
        and it took years to rebuild what was lost;
Whereas the Warsaw Uprising was ultimately crushed by the Nazis, it served as a 
        symbol of Polish resistance and courage. It marked the Polish commitment 
        to independence and freedom, freedom away from occupation, foreign 
        powers, imposition; the freedom to cultivate and freely celebrate Polish 
        culture, religion, language;
Whereas the Kotwica symbol, initially a World War II emblem of the Polish 
        Underground State and Home Army, over time came to symbolize the phrase 
        Polska Walcz5ca (``Fighting Poland'') and became an emblem for the 
        Polish struggle to regain independence;
Whereas the Warsaw Uprising was a major turning point in World War II, it helped 
        to hasten the defeat of the Nazis, symbolizing that Poland would not 
        surrender, and it inspired other uprisings in occupied Europe;
Whereas the United States and Poland have a long and close friendship, dating 
        back to the American Revolution; and the United States provided 
        significant financial and material assistance to Poland following World 
        War II, which helped to rebuild Warsaw and other Polish cities;
Whereas the United States and Poland are both committed to the principles of 
        democracy, freedom, and human rights and the United States also provided 
        support to the Polish Solidarity movement, a labor union that played a 
        leading role in the fight against communism in Poland which culminated 
        in the fall of communism in Poland in 1989;
Whereas the United States and Poland are both members of the North Atlantic 
        Treaty Organization (NATO) and are both committed to working together to 
        ensure security in Europe and globally;
Whereas the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising is an opportunity to 
        remember and honor the sacrifice of the Polish people who fought for 
        their freedom and independence;
Whereas the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising is an opportunity to 
        remember the importance of standing up for freedom and democracy, 
        powerful symbols of resistance and hope;
Whereas the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising is an opportunity to 
        remember the lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides and to 
        remember the legacy of the Warsaw Uprising and other efforts of 
        resistance including the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and to stand against 
        all forms of intolerance and discrimination, including antisemitism;
Whereas the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising is also an opportunity to 
        reaffirm the strong friendship between the United States and Poland:
Now, therefore, be it resolved, That the House of Representatives--

    (1) commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising;

    (2) honors the memory of the Polish people who fought and died in the 
Warsaw Uprising;

    (3) expresses its deepest gratitude to the Polish people for their 
sacrifice during the Warsaw Uprising, which was a phenomenon on the scale 
of occupied Europe and became a symbol of courage in the fight for 
independence for subsequent generations of Poles;

    (4) reaffirms the strong friendship, and diplomatic, cultural and 
political ties between the United States and Poland; and

    (5) calls on the President to work with the Polish Government to ensure 
that the Warsaw Uprising and the spirit of Polish bravery and commitment to 
freedom is never forgotten.

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