Proclamation 6839

By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation

October 11 marks the anniversary of the death of General Casimir Pulaski, an American and Polish hero whose devotion to the cause of freedom led him to our shores to fight in the War for Independence and, finally, to give his life during the siege of Savannah. Each year, people around the Nation honor this great man, remembering that his courage and unwavering principles helped to make our country free.

It was General Pulaski's love of liberty that inspired his battle against oppression-first in his native Poland and then in America. With exceptional valor and military skill, he commanded soldiers of the Continental Army in several important contests of the Revolutionary War. And on this day in 1779, General Pulaski made the ultimate sacrifice so that democracy and self-government might triumph.

The annals of Poland and America contain many accounts of bravery, nobility, and service, and Casimir Pulaski occupies a prominent place in the hearts and histories of both countries. Thanks to the struggles and sacrifices of the men and women who have followed his proud example, Poland today is peaceful, free, and increasingly prosperous.

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 October 11, 1995, as General Pulaski Memorial Day. I encourage all Americans to commemorate this occasion with appropriate ceremonies and activities paying tribute to the legacy of General Casimir Pulaski and honoring all those who carry on his mission.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twentieth.

William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 4:53 p.m., October 11, 1995]