[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 5276-5277]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 COMMEMORATING TWO POLISH ANNIVERSARIES

  (Mr. SIRES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. SIRES. Madam Speaker, today I rise to stand with the Polish 
people as they commemorate two horrific events on this Saturday, April 
10.
  First, the 71st anniversary of the Katyn Forest massacre, and the 
second, the first anniversary of the tragic airplane crash that killed 
96 people, including the Polish President and top Polish officials.
  The Katyn Forest massacre occurred during World War II in April and 
in May of 1940 while Poland was fighting a war on two fronts. The 
Soviet secret police brutally killed over 20,000 Poles whose bodies 
were later recovered in a mass grave at Katyn. Tragically, last year, 
as a delegation of Polish officials were en route to Katyn to 
commemorate the massacre, their plane unexpectedly crashed in western 
Russia, killing all aboard.
  It was with great sadness that I heard the news after having had the 
great honor of meeting the Polish President Kaczynski in the past. His 
devotion to the Polish nation and the people were immeasurable.
  Madam Speaker, the Polish people over the past year and through the 
course of history have been unwavering in their resilience and 
patriotism in the face of adversity. Their courage is admirable and 
inspiring. On this day, we stand in solidarity as they commemorate two 
occasions of great loss.

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