[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 34, Number 41 (Monday, October 12, 1998)]
[Pages 2019-2020]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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Proclamation 7138--General Pulaski Memorial Day, 1998

October 9, 1998

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Two hundred nineteen years ago, General Casimir Pulaski selflessly 
gave his life on an American battlefield, far from his native soil, in a 
struggle dedicated to the principles of freedom and self-governance. 
Each year on October 11, America solemnly marks the anniversary of the 
death of this hero, a man whose devotion to liberty recognized no 
national boundary.
    Born in Poland in 1747, Pulaski first joined the fight against 
tyranny and oppression at his father's side, defending their beloved 
homeland against Prussian and Imperial Russian aggression. At the age of 
21, Pulaski took command of a detachment of rebel forces and proved his 
valor and strategic skill as he led freedom fighters into numerous 
battles. Struggling against insurmountable odds, he and his fellow 
rebels were ultimately defeated, and Pulaski was forced into exile.
    Carrying the cause of freedom to foreign shores, Pulaski came to 
America to offer his services to George Washington in our country's 
struggle for independence. He wrote to General Washington, ``I came 
here, where freedom is being defended, to serve it, and to live or die 
for it.'' He proved true to his word. Washington was so impressed with 
Pulaski's abilities during the battle of Brandywine Creek that he 
recommended that the Continental Congress appoint Pulaski as general of 
the American cavalry. Pulaski and the special infantry and cavalry unit 
he formed

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fought bravely at the front lines of the Revolutionary War. And during 
the siege of Savannah, Casimir Pulaski gave his life so that our Nation 
might live in freedom.
    Every year on this date, Americans across our country commemorate 
General Pulaski and draw inspiration from his life and the principles 
for which he fought. As we reflect on how far liberty and democracy have 
advanced across the globe, we know that General Pulaski's gallant and 
determined spirit continues to live. It is this very spirit that kept 
alive the dream of freedom in the hearts and minds of the Polish people 
during the darkest days of Nazi and Communist oppression. Today, thanks 
to the enduring resolve and sacrifices of modern heroes following 
Pulaski's example, Europe is free, and the United States and Poland, as 
staunch friends and future NATO allies, look forward to a new millennium 
bright with the prospects of peace and prosperity.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the 
Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Sunday, 
October 11, 1998, as General Pulaski Memorial Day. I encourage all 
Americans to commemorate this occasion with appropriate programs and 
activities.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this ninth day of 
October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and 
of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
twenty-third.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:43 a.m., October 13, 
1998]

Note: This proclamation will be published in the Federal Register on 
October 14.