For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 10, 2001

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General Pulaski Memorial Day, 2001
by the President of the United States of America
a Proclamation
I Came Here, Where Freedom Is Being Defended,

           to serve it, and to live and die for it.

               -General Casimir Pulaski in a letter

                 to General George Washington

     Every year, on October 11, we honor the memory of Brigadier General Casimir Pulaski, a courageous soldier of liberty who bravely gave his life 222 years ago fighting for America --0__=gayp9FgmJKhRjO8nK5MREq0AIyBSSCAi3r4kiEnl8jJTdrgiJT6Berog Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Disposition: inline Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable

's independence.  The stories of General Pulaski's heroism during the Revolutionary War have been a source of inspiration for many=

generations of Americans, and his gallant sacrifice serves as a poignan= t reminder of the price patriots paid to obtain our liberty.

     Pulaski, who was born in Poland in 1745, joined his first fight ag= ainst tyranny and oppression at age 21, defending his beloved Poland against = Prussian and Imperial Russian invaders.  In numerous battles, Pulaski achieved f= ame as a calvary officer, earning promotion to commander of an army of Polish fr= eedom fighters.  But the aggressors ultimately overcame the Poles, and Pulask= i was forced into exile.  In 1777, Pulaski offered his services to America's = fight for freedom and set sail from France to join the war for independence.

     Far from his native land, Pulaski showed the same courageous comba= tiveness on American soil that had gained him fame at home.  Distinguishing hims= elf in battle after battle, Pulaski earned a commission from the Continental C= ongress as a Brigadier General, and he was assigned by General Washington to co= mmand the Continental Army's calvary.  In 1779, during the siege of Savannah, Gen= eral Pulaski made the ultimate sacrifice, giving his life in battle so that = our Nation might win its freedom.  General Pulaski's valiant leadership ear= ned him recognition as the "Father of the American cavalry".

     Ever since his heroic death, America has honored General Pulaski's=

memory in many ways, including the naming of counties, towns, and streets afte= r him. Since 1910, a statue of General Pulaski has stood in Washington, D.C., permanently memorializing his patriotic contributions and noble sacrifi= ce. Today, as we respond to the atrocities committed against the United Sta= tes on September 11, we have been deeply moved by the tremendous outpouring of=

sympathy, support, and solidarity from our Polish friends, from the hig= hest levels of the govern-ment to the thousands of Poles who placed flowers = and candles at our Embassy gate.  Our two nations, united by the virtues an= d ideals that General Pulaski embodied, will always remain friends and allies.

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     NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States = of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution an= d laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, October 11, 2001, as Ge= neral Pulaski Memorial Day.  I encourage all Americans to commemorate this oc= casion with appropriate programs and activities paying tribute to Casimir Pula= ski and honoring all those who defend the freedom of our great Nation.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this          tent= h day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand one, and of the Independe= nce of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-sixth.

                               GEORGE W. BUSH

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