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The House of Representatives today passed H. J. Res. 26, to grant Brigadier General Casimir Pulaski honorary posthumous citizenship for his service during the American Revolutionary War.

“Casimir Pulaski was one of the great heroes of the American Revolution,” said Rep Tonko (NY-21). “He was a dedicated freedom fighter who deserves the highest recognition the United States can give to an immigrant war hero. I am honored to join with other Members of Congress to help enshrine his memory with honorary posthumous citizenship.”

General Pulaski left his native Poland and fought on the side of the colonists against the British in the American Revolution. George Washington bestowed the rank of brigadier general on Pulaski, who organized a legion of cavalry known as the Pulaski legion. Pulaski is credited with being the ‘Father of the American Cavalry.’

He famously said, “I came here, where freedom is being defended, to serve it, and to live or die for it.”  After fighting bravely at Brandywine and ejecting the British occupiers from Charleston, Brigadier General Pulaski was mortally wounded in Savannah, Georgia and was taken aboard the American ship USS Wasp, where he died at sea on October 11, 1779.

Rep. Tonko spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives yesterday in support of the bill.  “General Pulaski lent his military expertise to more than just his motherland.  Streets, roads, bridges and monuments bear his name, one of which is the Pulaski Memorial Bridge in my hometown of Amsterdam, NY, which is a reflection of the greatness of this individual.  The Polish-Americans of this land, throughout it history, have made immense contributions for the betterment of America.”

Congress has previously granted honorary U.S. citizenship posthumously only five times, most recently to the Marquis de Lafayette in 2002.  Lafayette was a Frenchman who, like Pulaski, fought courageously on the side of America during the Revolutionary War.

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