Joe Donnelly: “Mr. Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of the 96 people who died so tragically in the plane crash near Smolensk…”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of the 96 people who died so tragically in the plane crash near Smolensk, Russia, on Saturday, to stand here in solidarity with the Polish people during their time of immense loss. This is a time of sorrow for both our nations. And I extend my deepest sympathy to the Polish people. The plane crash near Smolensk took the lives of many of Poland's leaders traveling to memorialize the 70th anniversary of the Katyn Forest massacre, where during World War II the Soviets executed approximately 22,000 Polish servicemembers, public servants, and citizens. Sadly, that site now claims the blood of more great Poles. Killed on Saturday were President Lech Kaczynski, the First Lady, the governor of Poland's central bank, 12 members of parliament, four generals, many other key leaders, and great Polish citizens such as Anna Walentynowicz, the labor activist whose firing at the Gdansk shipyard helped spark the Solidarity strike. President Kaczynski was a great leader of Poland and a close, important friend of the United States.”