General Pulaski Memorial Day, 2018

Proclamation 9804 of October 10, 2018

General Pulaski Memorial Day, 2018

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Today, we pay tribute to the Polish immigrant and
renowned military commander, General Casimir Pulaski,
who gave his life for the cause of freedom during the
American Revolutionary War. In the Continental Army,
General Pulaski volunteered to serve alongside our
Nation's forefathers in their cause for independence.
His expertise on the battlefield, tactical insights,
and creation of a highly effective corps of mounted
infantry earned him the title of ``Father of the
American Cavalry.'' On General Pulaski Memorial Day, we
commemorate his legacy and draw inspiration from his
stalwart commitment to liberty, the rule of law, and
the sovereignty of the people.

As a younger man, Count Casimir Pulaski developed a
reputation for tremendous bravery while fighting with
his father to free his native Poland from Russian
control. When Russia nevertheless prevailed, Pulaski
faced exile and crossed Europe into France. There, in a
fortuitous turn of events for America, Pulaski crossed
paths with Benjamin Franklin, who urged him to join the
cause of American independence. Rising rapidly through
the ranks of the Continental Army to the position of
Brigadier General, Pulaski demonstrated uncommon and
contagious courage on the battlefield, saving the life
of General George Washington at the Battle of
Brandywine and transforming a cavalry legion of
Americans, Germans, Frenchman, Irishmen, and Poles into
a lethal fighting force.

On October 9, 1779, General Pulaski was severely
wounded during the Battle of Savannah. Two days later,
he died. In his memory, General Washington wrote that
``[t]he Count's valor and active zeal on all occasions
have done him great honor.'' Although General Pulaski
did not live to see the Star-Spangled Banner fly
victoriously over the field at Yorktown, his legacy of
heroism and sacrifice is etched into our history,
alongside that of heroes like Marquis de Lafayette and
Bernardo de G[aacute]lvez, and has inspired Americans
for generations. By giving his last full measure of
devotion for our freedom and independence, General
Pulaski embodied the special bond that the American and
Polish people cherish to this day. Indeed, more than
two centuries after the General's heroic death, and 100
years since Poland gained its own independence, the
United States of America and Poland continue to share a
kindred devotion to the cause of freedom and to
strengthening the bilateral relationship between our
two countries.

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, 2018, as
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 eighteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
third.