And don’t forget Tadeusz Kosciuszko.
You left out Thaddeus Kosciuszko, who has a Mississippi city http://www.cityofkosciusko.com/history.html and an Indiana County http://www.kcgov.com/ named for him.
Pulaski has a county and a town in Virginia http://www.pulaskicounty.org/ http://www.pulaskitown.org/ , a town in Tennessee http://www.pulaski-tn.com/ , and a county in Arkansas http://www.co.pulaski.ar.us/
Outlawed by Russia for his actions on behalf of Polish liberty, he traveled to Paris where he met Benjamin Franklin. Franklin convinced him to support the colonies against England in the American Revolution.
Pulaski impressed with the ideals of a new nation struggling to be free, volunteered his services. Franklin wrote to George Washington describing the young Pole as an officer, renowned throughout Europe for the courage and bravery he displayed in defense of his country¹s freedom.
In 1777, Pulaski arrived in Philadelphia where he met General Washington, Commander-in -Chief of the Continental Army. Later at Brandywine, he came to the aid of Washington's forces and distinguished himself as a brilliant military tactician. For his efforts, Congress appointed him Brigadier-General in charge of Four Horse Brigades. Then again, at the battles of Germantown and Valley Forge, Pulaski's knowledge of warfare assisted Washington and his men.
Later in 1778, through Washington's intervention, Congress approved the establishment of the Cavalry and put Pulaski at its head. The Father of the American Cavalry demanded much of his men and trained them in tested cavalry tactics. He used his own personal finances, when money from Congress was scarce, in order to assure his forces of the finest equipment and personal safety.
Pulaski and his legion were then ordered to defend Little Egg Harbor in New Jersey and Minisink on the Delaware and then south to Charleston, South Carolina. However, it was at the battle of Savannah in 1779 that General Pulaski, riding forth into battle on his horse, fell to the ground mortally wounded by the blast of cannon. It is said, the General's enemies were so impressed with his courage, that they spared his life and permitted him to be carried from the battlefield. However, two days later, on October 11 Pulaski died.
As for "eternal indebtedness," the United States is much more indebted to France, a country with which the United States has often had strained ties, easily the most powerful foreign country to help the Americans (motives aside). Yet even there, helping France in World War 1, and liberating it in World War 2 probably repaid that debt.
Man is only eternally indebted to God.
ping
If the title is included, one sentence and a phrase, and a statement and an opinion.
Here’s a thread on Kosciuszko
The FReeper Foxhole Profiles Thaddeus Kosciuszko - Jul. 26th, 2004
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-vetscor/1178523/posts
And one on Pulaski:
The FReeper Foxhole Profiles Casimir Pulaski - Mar. 15th, 2003
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-vetscor/865263/posts
Since both Pulaski and Kosciusko “volunteered their services,” why would anyone refer to “Polish mercenaries?”
Everyone in the Western world also owes a debt to Jan Sobieski for his crucial role in throwing the Islamic Turks back from Vienna. The Poles are also backing us in Iraq and standing up to the Russian fascist Putin.
I’ve never heard of these guys referred to as ‘mercenaries.’ They weren’t - it wasn’t a moneymaking venture for them, they did it for idealism and they were invaluable, not a mere service for a price.