[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 201 (Friday, October 16, 2020)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 65635-65636]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-23105]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 201 / Friday, October 16, 2020 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 65635]]


                Proclamation 10099 of October 9, 2020

                
General Pulaski Memorial Day, 2020

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                The life of the Polish-American hero General Casimir 
                Pulaski is a testament to our Nation's ideals and a 
                paragon of the cause of human freedom. General 
                Pulaski's devotion to country--and the shared values 
                upon which our Nation and Poland were both founded--
                accentuates our common commitment to liberty. On 
                General Pulaski Memorial Day, we honor and celebrate 
                his courage and expertise in the Revolutionary War, 
                which helped found a Nation conceived in the ideals he 
                held most dearly.

                General Pulaski was a military leader renowned for his 
                bravery and tactical acumen. In Poland, he fought 
                valiantly in defense of his country's sovereignty and 
                against the scourge of foreign tyranny. In 1777, 
                recognizing our burgeoning Nation's cause, Pulaski 
                eagerly joined General George Washington's Continental 
                Army upon the recommendation of Benjamin Franklin. 
                Pulaski spent the next 2 years in service to America 
                and its battle for self-determination and liberty.

                Throughout his time in the Continental Army, General 
                Pulaski distinguished himself as a military leader of 
                tactical brilliance and tremendous valor. At the Battle 
                of Brandywine, he famously saved General Washington's 
                life, who later promoted him to Brigadier General and 
                gave him command of a cavalry division. Dubbed the 
                ``Pulaski Legion'' his division played a key role in 
                the fight for American Independence. Tragically, 
                though, the ``Father of the American Cavalry'' was 
                mortally wounded while leading his men during the 
                Battle of Savannah in October of 1779.

                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'' General Pulaski's 
                ultimate sacrifice for a young Nation that was not his 
                own illustrates what is still true today--America is 
                the shining city on a hill and a symbol of freedom and 
                opportunity for the entire world. The United States of 
                America is more than a name to rally around; it is the 
                land of a people committed to universal values that 
                inspired a young Polish soldier to fight over 200 years 
                ago, thousands of miles from his place of birth, and it 
                continues to inspire freedom-loving people near and 
                far.

                As I told the Polish people during a trip to Warsaw in 
                my first year in office, the United States and Poland 
                share a special bond forged by unique histories and 
                national characters, and a fellowship that exists only 
                among people who have fought and bled and died for 
                freedom.

                As we join together in celebration of General Pulaski's 
                commitment to the cause of liberty, we reaffirm the 
                enduring bond between our Nation and his native Poland. 
                His legacy, carried in the hearts of nearly 10 million 
                Polish Americans, will forever be etched into the great 
                American story.

                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, 2020, as 
                General Pulaski Memorial Day. I encourage all Americans 
                to commemorate on this occasion those who have 
                contributed to the furthering of our Nation.

[[Page 65636]]

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

[FR Doc. 2020-23105
Filed 10-15-20; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P