General Pulaski Memorial Day, 2014

( printed page 62299) Proclamation 9192 of October 10, 2014 General Pulaski Memorial Day, 2014 A Proclamation More than 200 years ago, Brigadier General Casimir Pulaski answered the call of our fledgling Nation as we sought to secure liberty and justice. A Polish-born leader, he fought and sacrificed his life for a country not fully his own. He understood that the promise of our new Nation was not about circumstance of birth, but rather a set of beliefs and unalienable rights. Today, we pay tribute to a hero of the American Revolutionary War, and we celebrate the contributions that generations of Polish-Americans have made to the country for whose independence Pulaski took up arms. As a young man, Casimir Pulaski fought for Polish sovereignty, defending his homeland from foreign occupation with courage and bravery. After many years, his confederation was overpowered, and he was exiled to France where he met Benjamin Franklin. With Franklin, Pulaski discussed America's struggle to throw off the tyranny of an empire, and in 1777, Pulaski crossed the Atlantic to stand with a small band of patriots. In America, Pulaski served with honor and distinction. During battle, he aided George Washington and—because of his leadership and skill on horseback—became known as the “Father of the American Cavalry.” But tragically in October of 1779, as Pulaski led his troops during the siege of Savannah, Georgia, he was mortally wounded. While he was not witness to the conclusion of the war, his memory is forever enshrined in the pages of its history. Pulaski's life represents only one chapter in the Polish people's long and storied legacy of fighting for freedom. This year, we celebrated the 25th anniversary of an election where, for the first time, the people of Poland had a choice. The culmination of centuries of struggle, it marked the beginning of a new course for Poland—one that has ushered in the return of democracy and demonstrated the enduring str…