In the town of Lancaster inside Kentucky's Bluegrass region, lies a veteran's memorial outside of Lancaster Elementary School. It consists of two large naval guns....
Celebrating Polish Armed Forces Day at the American Czestochowa, 2024
On the morning of August 18, the grounds of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, in Doylestown, PA, teemed with life. A throng...
Poland decorates a 102-year-old World War II veteran in Chicago
On the morning of Friday, March 8, 2024, the Polish Consul General in Chicago visited the home of local resident Zofia Biernadska. The 102-year-old veteran...
Giving a living history presentation to Polish school students in Des Plaines
On a Saturday morning, students at General Wladyslaw Anders Polish School in Des Plaines received a special treat. Visiting them was a group of Polish...
Uncrating a WWII veteran’s war trophies from the Pacific
Working estate sales, I often come across military memorabilia. Most times it is simply a uniform, a photo album, or some other odds and ends....
Workplace discoveries (#6): a pennant signed by players from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball LeagueÂ
The pennant hung on the wall above the bed in a plastic sleeve. Its colors somewhat faded from exposure to the sun. Still, both the...
Workplace discoveries (#5): the tale of two wartime light devices
Two light sources sit idle side-by-side. In appearance they are dissimilar, in utility they had different functions, and in origin, produced in separate countries. What...
An unexpected surprise in the mail from a customer
This past Wednesday I came home from running errands to find a package sticking out from my mailbox. I was not expecting anything, but it...
Hidden secrets of Chicago’s Navy Pier in World War II
Private detective Leonard C.M. Johnson had a career that could fill countless crime thrillers. Working the streets of Chicago since 1919, he was at the...
Beating out the Nazis in Mechernich, Germany, 1945
March 15, 1945. The war in Europe is coming to an end. Although Germany's surrender is just weeks away, its troops continue to put up...
Leader of war-torn Poland speaks at Chicago’s Soldier Field, 1941
On a brisk Sunday afternoon, April 20, 1941, the roar of 75,000 voices filled Chicago’s Soldier Field- not for a game, but a wartime rally....
Uncrating a WWII veteran’s war trophies from the Pacific
Working estate sales, I often come across military memorabilia. Most times it is simply a uniform, a photo album, or some other odds and ends....
War memorial in my father’s village of Niedzieliska
Two rows of neatly trimmed hedges run alongside a gray cobblestone path leading towards the entrance. Beyond a pair of wrought iron gates lay scores...
Remembrance at the execution site of a retired soldier, Michał Gaca
The Germans took the retired Polish army officer and led him away from his house. He met his death at the edge of the village....
A Polish refugee learns the ‘GI Salute’ in 1950
Stanley Kozak, born Stanisław, was my great-uncle. As a teenager he was abducted by the Nazis during the Second World War, and he ultimately settled...
Nazi espionage in pre-war Poland: an act of terror
Found in the photo albums of several German soldiers are snapshots of the damaged Tarnów train station in Poland. They show a section of the...
Latest Posts
Hidden secrets of Chicago’s Navy Pier in World War II
Private detective Leonard C.M. Johnson had a career that could fill countless crime thrillers. Working... Hidden secrets of Chicago’s Navy Pier in World War II Read More
Beating out the Nazis in Mechernich, Germany, 1945
March 15, 1945. The war in Europe is coming to an end. Although Germany's surrender... Beating out the Nazis in Mechernich, Germany, 1945 Read More
You sunk my ship! One Kentucky school’s WWII Naval guns
In the town of Lancaster inside Kentucky's Bluegrass region, lies a veteran's memorial outside of... You sunk my ship! One Kentucky school’s WWII Naval guns Read More