[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 198 (Monday, October 16, 2017)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 48191-48192]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-22546]



[[Page 48189]]

Vol. 82

Monday,

No. 198

October 16, 2017

Part III





The President





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Proclamation 9658--General Pulaski Memorial Day, 2017
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  Federal Register / Vol. 82 , No. 198 / Monday, October 16, 2017 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 48191]]

                Proclamation 9658 of October 10, 2017

                
General Pulaski Memorial Day, 2017

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Today, we commemorate General Casimir Pulaski, a Polish 
                immigrant whose heroic contributions to the American 
                Revolutionary War helped shape our Nation's history. 
                Known as the ``Father of the American Cavalry,'' 
                General Pulaski demonstrated bravery as a soldier and 
                exceptional leadership as a military officer. General 
                Pulaski is internationally renowned for having 
                supported and fought for independence and freedom, both 
                in his native Poland and in the United States.

                Born into Polish nobility, General Pulaski and his 
                family fought to preserve a free and self-governing 
                Poland. Exiled from his country after a failed uprising 
                against Russian control of Poland, the Marquis de 
                Lafayette and Benjamin Franklin recruited General 
                Pulaski to join the fight for freedom in the American 
                Revolution. During his first military engagement with 
                the British, at the Battle of Brandywine, General 
                Pulaski led a courageous charge that averted a defeat 
                of the American cavalry, saving the life of General 
                George Washington and earning him the rank of Brigadier 
                General in the United States Continental Army.

                General Pulaski gave his complete devotion to the 
                American cause for freedom. He spent the harsh winter 
                that ran from 1777 into 1778 at Valley Forge with 
                General Washington, and used his own personal finances 
                to supply his cavalry legion when resources were 
                scarce. Fatefully, on October 9, 1779, General Pulaski 
                was severely wounded leading a daring charge against 
                British forces, this time in the Battle of Savannah. 
                General Pulaski died shortly thereafter, paying the 
                ultimate sacrifice for his adopted American 
                compatriots.

                General Pulaski once wrote to General Washington: ``I 
                came here, where freedom is being defended, to serve 
                it, and to live or die for it.'' In recognition of his 
                selfless devotion to our country and its cause, the 
                Congress, in 2009, granted honorary citizenship to 
                General Pulaski, one of only eight people ever to have 
                earned this distinction. He is an example for all those 
                who love freedom and seek the courage to defend it.

                General Pulaski's defense of the Polish-American values 
                of liberty, the rule of law, and the sovereignty of the 
                people symbolizes the close bond between the United 
                States and Poland. We have helped one another in the 
                most challenging of times, from the American Revolution 
                to the Polish liberation from communism. Today, our 
                strong bilateral relationship with Poland, forged 
                initially by remarkable individuals like General 
                Pulaski, continues to enhance the important security, 
                economic, and social ties that help bring prosperity to 
                both countries.

                More than 200 years after General Pulaski's heroic 
                death, there are 9.5 million Americans of Polish 
                descent. They carry forward General Pulaski's legacy by 
                protecting our shared values, strengthening our 
                cultural heritage, and serving in our Armed Forces. 
                They remind us that the story of Poland, like the story 
                of America, is of a people who have never lost hope, 
                have never been broken, and have never forgotten who 
                they are.

[[Page 48192]]

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim October 11, 2017, as 
                the 88th anniversary of General Pulaski Memorial Day. I 
                encourage all Americans to commemorate on this occasion 
                those who have contributed to the furthering of our 
                Nation.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand seventeen, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                second.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2017-22546
Filed 10-13-17; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F8-P