General Pulaski Memorial Day, 1998

Proclamation 7138 of October 9, 1998

General Pulaski Memorial Day, 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 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 determinedspirit 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.