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Presentation of the
"Witness to History"
Award
Warsaw,
October 27, 2021
Mr.
President,
Headmaster,
Laureates,
Ladies and
gentlemen,
As
the President of the Head Executive
Board, I am honoured to be present at
today's celebrations and represent the
members of the Polish Combatants’
Association in Canada, especially our
venerable veterans.
It
is a great honour to receive such a
prestigious award. I accept it with
gratitude on behalf of the PCA. I
would like to add that awarding it
coincides with the 75th anniversary of
the founding of our Association.
The
soldiers of the 2nd Polish Corps of
General Władysław Anders - still in
Falconara, Italy - laid the
cornerstone for the PCA founding in
Canada. Today, we can say with
certainty that on October 3, 1946, the
Polish Combatants’ Association was
established in the land of the Maple
Leaf. A month later, on November 11,
1946, on National Independence Day,
the first group of Polish soldiers
landed on Canadian soil to obtain the
right to a new, free life in a new,
free country at the cost of two years
working as labourers.
Wherever
they went, they founded the Branches
of the Polish Combatants’ Association,
whose aim was self-help, cultivating
Polish traditions, and in particular,
opposing the propaganda of the
communist regime in Poland. They built
the headquarters of the PCA - the
so-called Polish halls, churches,
founded Polish schools, formed dance
groups and theater groups, opened
libraries and loan offices.
At
its peak, the Association had
twenty-two (22) Branches in cities
from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
There used to be 30 Branches; today we
have 12.
Of
the vast ranks of WWII veterans who
belonged to the PCA in Canada, only
sixty-five (65) are alive today. These
are the real "witnesses to history". I
am speaking of the truth, for who can
better testify to history than the one
who co-created it!
Fifty-seven
Polish veterans from all over the
world were present to mark the 70th
anniversary of the Battle of Monte
Cassino in Italy. At this year's 77th
anniversary, there were only seven (7)
of them, including three (3) from
Canada. How many will come to the 80th
anniversary celebrations?
In
just the last year, three Knights of
the Order of Virtuti Militari have
passed on to their "perpetual watch"
in Canada. There is only one Lady left
with us, Major Ewa Ponińska-Konopacka
and one Knight, Major Zbigniew Gondek.
Our
veterans are leaving at an alarming
rate. We, the living, must remember
that it is our duty to honour the
memory of those who did not hesitate
to fight at the call of the
Motherland. Preserving the memory of
them and passing it on to future
generations is one of the fundamental
tasks of the Polish Combatants’
Association.
We
do this in many ways. We document and
publish interviews with our veterans.
Several of the PCA Branches have their
own museums and memorial rooms. We
publish the veteran’s magazine "PCA in
Canada", presenting the achievements
and activities of the PCA in Canada.
The Head Executive Board and most of
the Branches have websites. We take an
active part in the recitals on the
occasion of national holidays - May 3
and November 11. We celebrate Polish
Soldier Day, the National Day of
Remembrance of the Cursed Soldiers,
anniversaries of the Battle of Monte
Cassino and the Warsaw Uprising. We
are present during the celebration of
the Canadian Remembrance Day. We lay
wreaths at Polish monuments and at the
grave of the Unknown Soldier. We take
care of the graves of our veterans and
members of the PCA; we lay flowers at
the graves of Polish generals resting
in cemeteries in Ottawa and other
cities across Canada. Our standard
flag escorts deceased members to their
"perpetual watch".
The
PCA maintains contact with the Polish
Nation to this day, and defends its
good name. It cultivates the spirit of
Polish national traditions among the
young generation, spreads the
knowledge of Polish culture and
history among the Polish community,
acquaints the Polish diaspora and
Canadians with the Polish contribution
to Canadian culture.
Ladies
and gentlemen! I'm not a veteran. I
did not survive the deportation to
Siberia or the Soviet labor camps. I
wasn't even born in Poland. However, I
am the son of soldiers from Monte
Cassino and this to me is an
obligation. I have been a member of
the Association for over 50 years.
The
PCA still belongs to the group of
leading Polish diaspora organizations
that nurture the truth about the
history of Poland. It was and still
remains an enclave and mainstay of
Polishness in Canada. It constantly
praises the sacrifice of the Polish
soldier's blood and guards the
national ethos.
On
behalf of the members of the Polish
Combatants’ Association in Canada, I
would like to thank the Awards
Committee headed by the President of
the Institute of National Remembrance,
Dr. Karol Nawrocki, for this award.
Honour
and praise to the heroes!
Thank you for your
attention.
Andrzej Ruta
President,
Head Executive Board
PCA in
Canada
|
Środa,
3 listopada 2021
Na
Cmentarzu Notre-Dame w Ottawie znajdują się groby wielu
polskich Bohaterów. Już ponad 50 lat obchodzimy ich pamięć
z okazji Święta Niepodległości Polski-11 listopada.
Jako
Prezes Zarządu Głównego mam zaszczyt być
obecny na dzisiejszych uroczystościach i
reprezentować członków Stowarzyszenia
Polskich Kombatantów w Kanadzie,
szczególnie naszych czcigodnych weteranów.
200 do 400 prywatnych
odrzutowców – emitujących do 60 razy więcej
dwutlenku węgla na pasażera w porównaniu z
lotami planowymi – bierze udział w bogatej,
znanej i potężnej konferencji COP26
poświęconej redukcji emisji dwutlenku węgla,
aby "uratować świat".
