[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 131, 115th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
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.
PROCLAMATION 9658--OCT. 10, 2017
PROCLAMATION 9658--OCT. 10, 2017

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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.
DONALD J. TRUMP