Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 106 Part 6.djvu/859

 PROCLAMATION 6486—OCT. 8, 1992 106 STAT. 5417 10, 1992, as National Customer Service Week. I invite all Americans to observe this week with appropriate programs and activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and seventeenth. GEORGE BUSH Proclamation 6486 of October 8, 1992 General Pulaski Memorial Day, 1992 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Each October 11, when our Nation honors the memory of General Casimir Pulaski, the great Revolutionary War hero who died on this date in 1779, we also celebrate the deep and abiding friendship that exists between the Polish and American peoples. That friendship has been rooted in a shared love of liberty and democratic government, and as we proudly reflect on the past, we also look forward to continuing cooperation between our two countries in this new, post-Cold War era. Before he came to the United States more than 200 years ago, Casimir Pulaski had fought in the struggle to free his native Poland from foreign domination and repressive rule. By the time the young Count was forced into exile, he was, as Benjamin Franklin noted, "famous throughout Europe for his bravery and conduct in the defense of the liberties of his country." Although Count Pulaski would not live to see the liberation of his beloved homeland, no amount of adversity could deter him from a cause as universally important as that of freedom. This skilled horseman and fighter thus adopted our ancestors' struggle as his own, volunteering for service in the Continental Army, where he was named a General and eventually granted command of his own cavalry unit. General Pulaski and his troops fought with great tenacity in a number of major campaigns, including at Brandywine and Trenton. Impressed by Pulaski's fearlessness and persistence, General George Washington later wrote to the Congress that "the Count's valor and active zeal on all occasions have done him great honor." It was such zeal for the cause of liberty that inspired General Pulaski to lead a bold yet dangerous charge during the seige of Savannah on October 9, 1779. He was mortally wounded in the attempt and died 2 days later. General Pulaski and other martyrs in America's War for Independence did not die in vain, however, and today we know that their hard-won victory helped to ignite the continuing expansion of freedom around the globe. On this occasion we remember, especially, the generations of courageous Poles who have shared in the epic struggle for liberty and self-determination. From our own Savannah, Georgia, to places such as Westerplatte, the Katyn Forest, and the Gdansk shipyards.

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