[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 31 (Tuesday, March 5, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E241]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING CASIMIR PULASKI DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANIEL LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 5, 2013

  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Polish 
and American freedom fighter Casimir Pulaski. In my home state of 
Illinois, we celebrate Casimir Pulaski Day, which is observed on the 
first Monday of March.
   Born in Warsaw, Poland, on March 6, 1745, Casimir Pulaski was a 
skilled commander who fought against Russian forces in Poland. Based 
upon his work fighting for freedom in Poland, Pulaski was recruited by 
Benjamin Franklin to join in the American Revolution. In his first 
correspondence to George Washington, Pulaski famously wrote, ``I came 
here, where freedom is being defended, to serve it, and to live or die 
for it.'' In his first battle of the Revolution, the Battle of 
Brandywine on September 11, 1777, Pulaski helped alter the course of 
history by rallying a counterattack against advancing British forces 
that afforded Washington and countless American troops the time needed 
to successfully retreat. As a result, Washington promoted Pulaski to 
brigadier general of the American cavalry.
   His influence on American independence did not end there. Pulaski 
introduced some modern military tactics to the American revolutionaries 
and led troops in numerous battles and sieges up and down the eastern 
seaboard. He organized the Continental Army's first successful cavalry 
unit, often using his own money to finance equipment for his men.
   On October 9, 1779, during the Battle of Savannah, Pulaski was 
struck by grapeshot while attempting to lead a secondary charge against 
the entrenched British. He was taken aboard the USS Wasp and died from 
his wounds two days later. On October 15, he was buried at sea. Today 
Pulaski is remembered as the father of the American cavalry and one of 
the heroes of the American Revolution. He has been memorialized across 
America, through the naming of towns, counties, roads, and other 
landmarks.
   In 2009, on the 230th anniversary of his death, Congress honored 
Pulaski posthumously as an honorary citizen of the United States, 
marking only the seventh time in American history that an individual 
has been granted such an honor.
   This past Saturday, I joined the Polish Highlanders Alliance at 
their headquarters in Chicago's Archer Heights community to celebrate 
Pulaski Day. In my address to the group gathered to remember Casimir 
Pulaski, I praised the long friendship between the United States and 
Poland, and pledged my continued support for bringing Poland into the 
Visa Waiver Program.
   Today, I ask all Americans to remember a true Polish and American 
hero who devoted and ultimately sacrificed his life to the pursuit of 
freedom.

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