Panie Komendancie, drodzy weterani, Wielebny Księże, Mr. Mayor and Councilmembers, witam Państwa serdecznie.
Hrabia Kazimierz Pułaski, jako jeden z dowódców Konfederacji Barskiej walczył na Litwie, na Ukrainie, w Wielkopolsce i na Podlasiu. Po klęsce Konfederacji Barskiej, w Paryżu, Pułaski spotkał Benjamina Franklina, delegata rządu Kongresu Kontynentalnego, którego poprosił o przyjęcie go do Armii Waszyngtona. Franklin wyznał, że Polacy mają w świecie renomę dzielnych wojowników.
Krótko po przyjeździe, w 1777 roku, czekając na przydział, Pułaski pod Brandywine, z małym oddziałem, uwolnił Armię Waszyngtona z oblężenia przez oddziały brytyjskie. Mianowany generałem, zorganizował Legion swego imienia.
Dwa lata pożniej, Legion Pułaskiego otrzymał rozkaz wymarszu na południe. Dotarł do Charleston. Pułaski, ze swym Legionem, zaskoczył armię angielską, nieoczekiwanym napadem, który zakończył się wspaniałym zwycięstwem Legionu i jego wodza.
Po raz ostatni dowodził Pułaski Legionem w dniu 9 października, w bitwie o Savannah w Stanie Georgia. Plan szturmu na miasto został zdradzony Anglikom. W tym bitwie padł śmiertelnie ranny. Zmarł dwa dni później.
In Poland, Count Casimir Pulaski led an army of Polish soldiers in fighting Russian forces stationed in Poland. He fought valiantly, earning him international acclaim as a soldier and a son of liberty. Eventually, however, the massively larger Russian army forced Pulaski’s soldiers to disband and Pulaski sought refuge in France.
In France, Benjamin Franklin, who had heard of Pulaski, recruited him to join the American cause. Pulaski agreed and Franklin recommended to George Washington that Pulaski be put in charge of the Continental Army cavalry, writing that “Pulaski was renowned throughout Europe for the courage and bravery he displayed in defense of his country’s freedom”.
When Pulaski first arrived in America, he wrote to General Washington offering his services. In his letter he wrote: “I came here, where freedom is being defended, to serve it, and to live or die for it.” Eager to get right into the thick of the fighting, he traveled to the encampment of General Washington, who gently informed Pulaski that he first needed the approval of Continental Congress before joining. Undeterred, Pulaski didn’t wait for official approval and followed Washington to Brandywine.
At Brandywine, on September 11, 1777, the British caught Washington in a precarious position, and surrounded Washington and his troops. It appeared that the Americans would be routed and Washington captured, but Pulaski–possessing no rank–asked Washington to give him temporary command of some cavalry. Washington agreed, and Pulaski skillfully led a counterattack, helping delay the British enough for the Continental Army to retreat and regroup and saving Washington’s life.
Two years later, in October 1779, Pulaski was mortally wounded in the battle of Savannah.
In 2009, President Obama signed a joint declaration of Congress proclaiming Kazimierz Pulaski an honorary citizen of the United States, one of only 8 people ever to be bestowed such an honor.
There are many other tributes to Pulaski in the United States. In 1929, Congress passed a resolution recognizing October 11 of each year as “General Pulaski Memorial Day.” There are Pulaski Day parades in NY, Chicago, Wyandotte and in many other cities. Hundreds of schools are named after Pulaski, and there are many towns, counties, bridges and roads named after him.
And here, in Wyandotte, we have this wonderful memorial in honor of General Pulaski, where we are able to honor this hero every year. I want to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to the City of Wyandotte for hosting this prestigious statute of General Pulaski in Pulaski Park, and especially to the Polish Army Veterans of Post 95 for upholding this important annual tradition of commemorating a great freedom fighter and General of the American Continental Army – General Kazimierz Pulaski.