“How nice to be home,” expressed Senator Franciszek Adamczyk, Chair of the National Defense Committee and former Consulate General of Poland in Chicago. He met with the media at a luncheon organized by the Polish American Chamber of Commerce (PACC) and co-hosted by the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America (PRUCA) at the Polish Museum of America- Chicago on Tuesday, July 3rd.

Along with Senator Adamczyk, Senators Czeslaw Rybka, vice-chair of the National Defense Committee, member of the Science, Education and Sports Committee and Ludwik Zalewski, vice-chair of the National Defense Committee, member of the Emigration Affairs and Contacts with Poles Abroad Committee were present to deliberate Polish-American affairs.

Henry Kazimerczak, President of the PACC, and Bogdan Pukszta, Executive Director, introduced the special occasion with a warm welcome to our honored guests, Senators Franciszek Adamczyk, Czeslaw Rybka and Ludwik Zalewski. Representatives of PACC and the delegates have met in Warsaw during their mission to Poland led by the Lt. Governor of Illinois and the World Trade Center. Recently the three Senators traveled to Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and Chicago, where various topics were addressed, including: the Military Defense, the future of Poland, and the importance of Poles spreading the knowledge of culture and politics in America.

Senator Adamczyk focused part of his discussion on the Missile Defense Plan, which he believes will eventually expand, due to the fact that “Whenever there are arms found, our goal is to protect Europe, protect Poland from any invasion with the military.”

In addition to talking about the Military Defense, he affirmed, “Poland is the future and in ten to twenty years, Poland’s [economy] will be there, the United States wants to be prepared and wants to be a part of it.” Today the United States’s interest in the Eastern European region has grown and will continue to develop in what was once a forgotten land and invest in the promise of tomorrow. Meanwhile, the relationship between Poland and the United States becomes closer and stronger in all aspects.

Mr. Pukszta concluded the luncheon by thanking all the guests and saying “We are spending our fourth of July holiday here, at the Polish Museum of America with our Generals, Kazimierz Pulaski and Tadeusz Kosciusko. What better way to celebrate Independence Day?” In light of the National holiday, guests were offered a tour of the Museum which held a special exhibit of the two Generals who are prominent figures in both Polish and American history.