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Stroczynski, Jan
Commander of the Pulaski Cadets, Perth Amboy, NJ

Jan Stroczynski as Assistant Pulaski Parade Marshal, 2011 Pulaski Day Parade, New York City.

The Pulaski Cadets Celebrate 25th Anniversary

This year [2010] The Pulaski Cadets, a historical organization with a military orientation based in Newark, New Jersey, celebrates the 25th anniversary of its founding. A member of the Centennial Legion of Historic Military Commands, the organization considers itself a spiritual heir to the original Pulaski Legion of the American Revolutionary War. The Legion, was renamed as the Pulaski Cadets in 1833. Later, it was incorporated into the 9th New York Infantry Regiment and saw action on the Union side of the Civil War 1861-1865. In 1867 the veterans of this and other units formed an organization known as the Old Guard of the City of New York.

In 1985, with assistance of the New York National Guard and the Centennial Legion of Historic Military Commands, the Pulaski Cadets were reactivated by Brig. General Jan K. Krepa and Colonel T. W. Dziekanowski. They are no longer a military regiment but a patriotic group and a color guard unit that seeks to promote respect for patriotic symbols, the Constitution of the United States, preservation of military traditions and the maintenance of the memory of Brigadier General Casimir Pulaski, their namesake. The mission also extends into the preservation of the Polish culture and encouraging Polish Americans to be proud of their heritage and legacy. The Cadets participate in patriotic parades and events such as the Pulaski Day Parades in New York City and Philadelphia. They also took part in the Grand Military Burial for Gen. Pulaski in Savannah in 2005, the dedication of a memorial marker to Pulaski in Hartsville, PA in 2006, and at the Pulaski Birthday commemoration in Washington on March 6, 2008. Another activity of the organization is The Pulaski Cadet scholarship fund which provides financial assistance to students regardless of heritage.

The 25th Anniversary was celebrated with a banquet at the United Poles in America Hall in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Invited as guests of honor were Pulaski historian Edward Pinkowski, his son Jack Pinkowski Ph.D., Deborah M. Majka (recently named Honorary Consul for the Republic of Poland in Philadelphia, PA), S. Paul Bosse, and Peter J. Obst. It should be mentioned that Ms. Majka is the current president of the American Council for Polish Culture (ACPC) where Mr. Bosse and Mr. Obst are Members of the Board.

Edward Pinkowski had devoted many years of study to the life of Casimir Pulaski, discovering the General's true burial place in the monument at Savannah, GA. In 2007 he and his son attended the Second International Conference devoted to Pulaski in Warka Poland. His son Jack worked on a committee to obtain for Gen. Pulaski an Honorary US Citizenship. S. Paul Bosse, Debbie Majka and Peter Obst served on the Pulaski Committee in Savannah that organized the Grand Military Burial for Gen. Pulaski when in 2005, after extensive study, the remains were returned to the monument. The guests of honor were awarded special framed certificates of recognition by the Cadets for their work in communicating the story of Casimir Pulaski to the larger American society.

Unfortunately, sad events contributed to making the celebration low key. Several invited guests, members of the Polish diplomatic corps, could not be present because they were required to be elsewhere in the aftermath of the airplane tragedy in which President Lech Kaczynski and members of the Polish parliament lost their lives. Mr. Edward Pinkowski, with his son Jack, was also unable to attend because of the deteriorating condition of Kathleen, his daughter-in-law, who later succumbed to her advanced case of cancer.

The Pulaski Cadets look forward to future events and occasions in which they can participate and to involvement in community affairs as outlined in their mission statement. They seek to make contact with the greater Polish-American society. Those wishing to learn more about the organization and membership may do so through the Pulaski Cadets' website: www.pulaskicadets.org

From: Pulaski Cadets Info (2010)

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Cadets at the dedication of a Pulaski Cadets Memorial Plaque at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, PA

Grazyna Przadowska, the first lady cadet of the Pulaski Cadets in white uniform, sits beside Jan Stroczynski (center).

Jan Stroczynski as Assistant Pulaski Parade Marshal, 2011 Pulaski Day Parade, New York City.

Pulaski Cadets, led by Jan Stroczynski march during dedication ceremonies at Moland House (where Washington met Pulaski for the first time) in Hartsville, Pa.

Pulaski Cadets and friends at the Capitol in Washington DC, (l. to. r) Tadeusz Olsztyn, Teresa G. Wojcik, Miroslaw Babisz, Jan Stroczynski, Debbie Majka, Jozef Waskiewicz, Zenon Kowalski

Cadets at Flag Raising Ceremonies in Perth Amboy, NJ, Father W. Latkowski at podium

Cadets sing "Sto Lat" to Quarter Century Cadet Jan Stroczynski. (l. to. r.) J. Wilczynski, T. Starzynski, Z. Kowalski, F. Semeniuk, S. Kasztelan, Jan Traoczynski, A. Milek, L. Rosinski, W. Delezynski, J. waskiewicz, A. Przegladowski, M. Rinowelski, W. Cwiek, Cz. Banasik, (out of picture) T. Szot, M. Garbarek, T. Wysoczanski, T. Olsztyn

Honored at the 25th anniversary banquet (l. to r.) Peter J. Obst, Debbie Majka, Jan Stroczynski (master of ceremonies), and S. Paul Bosse, speaking.

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