General Pulaski Memorial Day, 2007

Proclamation 8189 of October 10, 2007

General Pulaski Memorial Day, 2007

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

More than two hundred years after the death of General
Casimir Pulaski, we honor the life and legacy of a
Polish patriot and American Revolutionary War soldier
who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.

Casimir Pulaski first demonstrated his devotion to the
cause of liberty while defending his native Poland and
earned a reputation for courage and resolve. He later
met Benjamin Franklin in Paris and learned of America's
struggle for independence. Inspired by freedom's call,
Pulaski joined General George Washington in the
American Revolution in 1777 and was soon commissioned
as a Brigadier General. General Pulaski recruited and
trained a special corps of American, Polish, Irish,
French, and German troops, and he became known as ``the
Father of the American Cavalry.'' Although he was
mortally wounded at the siege of Savannah in 1779, his
legacy lives on.

As we celebrate General Pulaski Memorial Day, we honor
a son of Poland who stood with our country at the dawn
of our independence. Casimir Pulaski's determined
efforts in Poland and America remind us of the great
contributions Polish Americans have made to our
country. Today, we recognize the enduring bond between
the Polish and American people, and we are grateful for
Poland's efforts in support of freedom and democracy in
Afghanistan and Iraq and in the global war on terror.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, 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, 2007, as General
Pulaski Memorial Day. I urge Americans to commemorate
this occasion with appropriate activities and
ceremonies honoring General Casimir Pulaski and all
those who defend our freedom.

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