Presidential Documents

48191 

Federal Register 

Vol. 82, No. 198 

Monday, October 16, 2017 

Title 3— 

The President 

Proclamation 9658 of October 10, 2017 

General Pulaski Memorial Day, 2017 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

Today, we commemorate General Casimir Pulaski, a Polish immigrant whose 

heroic contributions to the American Revolutionary War helped shape our 

Nation’s history. Known as the ‘‘Father of the American Cavalry,’’ General 

Pulaski demonstrated bravery as a soldier and exceptional leadership as 

a military officer. General Pulaski is internationally renowned for having 

supported and fought for independence and freedom, both in his native 

Poland and in the United States. 

Born into Polish nobility, General Pulaski and his family fought to preserve 

a free and self-governing Poland. Exiled from his country after a failed 

uprising against Russian control of Poland, the Marquis de Lafayette and 

Benjamin Franklin recruited General Pulaski to join the fight for freedom 

in the American Revolution. During his first military engagement with the 

British, at the Battle of Brandywine, General Pulaski led a courageous charge 

that averted a defeat of the American cavalry, saving the life of General 

George Washington and earning him the rank of Brigadier General in the 

United States Continental Army. 

General Pulaski gave his complete devotion to the American cause for freedom. He spent the harsh winter that ran from 1777 into 1778 at Valley 

Forge with General Washington, and used his own personal finances to 

supply his cavalry legion when resources were scarce. Fatefully, on October 

9, 1779, General Pulaski was severely wounded leading a daring charge 

against British forces, this time in the Battle of Savannah. General Pulaski 

died shortly thereafter, paying the ultimate sacrifice for his adopted American 

compatriots. 

General Pulaski once wrote to General Washington: ‘‘I came here, where 

freedom is being defended, to serve it, and to live or die for it.’’ In recognition 

of his selfless devotion to our country and its cause, the Congress, in 

2009, granted honorary citizenship to General Pulaski, one of only eight 

people ever to have earned this distinction. He is an example for all those 

who love freedom and seek the courage to defend it. 

General Pulaski’s defense of the Polish-American values of liberty, the rule 

of law, and the sovereignty of the people symbolizes the close bond between 

the United States and Poland. We have helped one another in the most 

challenging of times, from the American Revolution to the Polish liberation 

from communism. Today, our strong bilateral relationship with Poland, 

forged initially by remarkable individuals like General Pulaski, continues 

to enhance the important security, economic, and social ties that help bring 

prosperity to both countries. 

More than 200 years after General Pulaski’s heroic death, there are 9.5 

million Americans of Polish descent. They carry forward General Pulaski’s 

legacy by protecting our shared values, strengthening our cultural heritage, 

and serving in our Armed Forces. They remind us that the story of Poland, 

like the story of America, is of a people who have never lost hope, have 

never been broken, and have never forgotten who they are. 


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48192 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 198 / Monday, October 16, 2017 / Presidential Documents 

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, 2017, 

as the 88th anniversary of 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 seventeen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-second. 

[FR Doc. 2017–22546 

Filed 10–13–17; 11:15 am] 

Billing code 3295–F8–P 


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