[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 56 (Monday, April 7, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E539]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         OBSERVING THE 4TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SMOLENSK DISASTER

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                      HON. MICHAEL G. FITZPATRICK

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 7, 2014

  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in solemn observation of 
the 4th anniversary of the Smolensk Disaster.
  On the morning of April 10th, 2010 Polish Air Force One crashed at 
Smolenski North Military Airfield in western Russia, killing all 96 
passengers onboard--including Poland's president and first lady, 
political and military elites, as well as religious leaders and 
civilian families.
  The stunning catastrophe happened as those Poles flew to commemorate 
the 70th anniversary of the Katyn Forest Mass Murders perpetrated under 
the direction of Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union against Polish 
prisoners of war.
  Years later, both tragedies still bring pain and suffering to the 
Polish people--both abroad and in my home district of Bucks and 
Montgomery counties.
  In recognition of the fourth anniversary of the Smolensk Disaster, 
members of the Polish community in my region will gather at the 
American Czestochowa in Doylestown to pay tribute to those who lost 
their lives and commemorate this somber anniversary. I join them in 
marking this important date with reflection and prayer, as well as 
thanking the organizing committee for preparing this important event.
  Poland and America remain strong allies with mutual interests in 
advancing the causes of freedom and liberty. I support a strong 
relationship between the two nations, and encourage all Americans to 
remember the Smolensk Disaster and those lost.

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