Chargé D'Affaires Kenneth Hillas, accompanied by Naval Attaché Donald Thieme, paid tribute to the sixty-second anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising with a wreath laying ceremony in Warsaw on August 1. The Uprising began on August 1, 1944 and lasted sixty-three days. U.S. Ambassador to Poland Victor Ashe has called the Uprising "one of the most remarkable displays of courage in history."  more 

On July 4th Embassy Warsaw celebrated American Independence with a reception at the residence attended by over 1,400 guests. Ambassador Ashe stressed that "The history we celebrate today is a testament to the power of freedom to lift up a whole nation" in his remarks. The U.S. Armed Forces Europe Rhine River Ramblers and the Representative Ensemble of the Polish Armed Forces entertained and the evening was capped off with a rousing fireworks display on the Warsaw skyline. more 

On July 6 Ambassador Ashe hosted a reception in honor of the Directors of Poland’s national parks. Ambassador Ashe has visited 10 of Poland’s 23 national parks, which showcase the natural beauty and diverse range of flora and fauna found in the country. Ambassador Ashe worked hard during his tenure as Mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee to increase green space and supports Polish conservation efforts. In his remarks to the Directors Ambassador Ashe noted that "God is not making any more new land. It is important we save what we have been given." 

Ambassador Ashe met with Warren Miller, Chairman of the U.S. Commission for America's Heritage Abroad, during Mr. Miller's recent trip to Poland. The U.S. Commission for America's Heritage Abroad is a Presidential commission whose mandate is to preserve landmarks important to the heritage of American Jews. Mr. Miller was first appointed to the commission by George H. W. Bush, was reappointed by Bill Clinton, and was named chairman by President George W. Bush. He was in Poland to unveil the monument to the Kielce Pogrom, which occurred on July 4.

Cultural Attaché Jim Wolfe took part in the official opening ceremonies with organizer Dariusz Stępień and Mayor Bogdan Wilkowski and later introduced the headlining band: the Patricia Vonne group from Austin, Texas. Vonne’s Tex-Mex band played for an enthusiastic crowd of up to 15,000 country music fans from throughout Europe in Sułomino on Wolin Island in the northwest of Poland. Other bands and country dance groups participating in the 9th annual Western Piknik July 20-23 came from Poland, Italy, Germany, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. Patricia Vonne’s participation was made possible through an American Embassy grant.  

Counselor for Public Affairs Ed Kulakowski participated in the opening of the photo exhibit “Roma Rising” by American photographer Chad Evans Wyatt on August 2 at the International Youth Meeting Center at Auschwitz. August 2 is a Day of Remembrance organized by the Roma Society in Poland commemorating the 62nd anniversary of the extermination of the Roma camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau. “Roma Rising” will be exhibited from August 2 to August 23 at the International Youth Meeting Center, Ul. Legionów 11, Oświecim. For further information, check www.romarising.com and www.mdsm.pl.

On June 28 Ambassador Ashe met with Thomas Blatt, a survivor of the Sobibor Concentration Camp, and one of the fifty survivors who participated in the prison revolt there, the only such successful revolt against the Nazis. Blatt is the author of Sobibor: The Forgotten Revolt and From the Ashes of Sobibor, and has worked tirelessly to promote Holocaust education. He is retired and lives in Bellevue, Washington.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will open an office at the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw in August. The office will be tasked with cooperation with Polish authorities to enforce the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States. Cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies is essential to the DEA mission because the trafficking syndicates responsible for the drug trade inside the United States do not operate solely within its borders. The DEA has over 50 offices in foreign countries.