BALTIMORE – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) issued the following statement in recognition of General Pulaski Memorial Day 2015, which is this Sunday, October 11.

“Every day, thousands of Marylanders commute on a stretch of Route 40 east of Baltimore called Pulaski Highway. In our busy world, it is easy to forget the significance of the commonplace parts of our lives, like the namesake of Pulaski Highway. Today, we take a moment to reflect on the life of Brigadier General Casmir Pulaski. Like many Polish-Americans, this country would not be the great land it is today without him. Born in Warsaw, Poland, it was while living in France in in the spring of 1777 that Brigadier General Pulaski met Benjamin Franklin. Pulaski was drawn to the principles for which Americans were fighting and dying in the Revolutionary War. Upon joining the Revolution, Pulaski was placed in charge of units comprised of men from backgrounds as diverse as America is today. He fought alongside free men of color, and Americans of different religions and countries of birth. He inspired all of them, including General George Washington, who said of him, ‘(Pulaski) was renowned throughout Europe for the courage and bravery he displayed in defense of his country’s freedom.’ Brigadier General Pulaski went on to save Washington’s life before giving his own at the siege of Savannah.

“On General Pulaski Memorial Day, we celebrate the ideals that inspired a man to leave his own country to fight and die for a better life in America. We honor a man whose name we use frequently and whose legacy may not be well known, but whose spirit still underpins what makes this country great.”

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