General Pulaski Memorial Day, 2023

Proclamation 10651 of October 10, 2023

General Pulaski Memorial Day, 2023

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Today, we celebrate the life and legacy of General
Casimir Pulaski--whose story is forever woven into our
Nation's fight for independence and who remains a
source of inspiration for all those standing for the
cause of freedom around the world.

Born and raised in Warsaw, General Pulaski long fought
against the Russian domination of Poland. In 1777--
after learning of our young Nation's aspiration for
independence--he stepped up to serve alongside American
soldiers in the Revolutionary War, including leading a
critical counterattack that helped slow British
advances. In 1779, General Pulaski made the ultimate
sacrifice for our country--giving his life so that our
Nation and our ideas of freedom, equality, and
democracy might live.

General Pulaski's heroism represents just one of the
countless contributions that Polish people have made to
promote liberty around the world--contributions we
continue to see today. Since Russia's brutal full-scale
invasion of Ukraine last year, the world has witnessed
countless acts of courage and conviction by the people
of Poland for the causes of freedom and human decency.
They have donated tanks, artillery, and aircraft to
support Ukraine's self-defense and have become a key
hub for aid from other partners. As I have seen first-
hand during my trips to Poland these past 2 years, they
have embraced Ukrainian refugees during this dark
moment, offering them safety, hope, and light.

General Pulaski famously wrote to George Washington
regarding the fight for our independence, ``I came
here, where freedom is being defended, to serve it, and
to live or die for it.'' He laid down his life, not for
a place, person, or President but for an idea unlike
any other idea in all of human history--the idea of the
United States of America, a citadel of liberty and
beacon of freedom. As we pay tribute to his life and
service, may we also honor our friends in Poland and
our vibrant Polish American community, which continues
to uphold his legacy and keep the flame of freedom
burning bright.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., 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 October 11, 2023,
as General Pulaski Memorial Day. I encourage all
Americans to commemorate this occasion with appropriate
programs and activities paying tribute to General
Casimir Pulaski and honoring all those who champion
freedom around the world.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
eighth.