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 of World War II received a special decoration from the Polish government: the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit. It was in recognition of her activism in the Polish community of Chicago, spanning over half a century. It was an award well deserved!
A trek all over the world
In April 1940, Soviet soldiers herded the then seventeen Mrs. Biernadska and her family onto boxcars and deported them from their home in Poland. The Soviets relocated the family to Siberia in what is now Kazakhstan. Surviving over a year of harsh conditions, Mrs. Biernadska was one of the nearly 120,000 Polish military personnel and civilians evacuated from the Soviet Union during the period of 1941 and 1942. These men and women, adults and children, left with General Władysław Anders for Iran, where they came under British command.
It was in Iran that Mrs. Biernadska joined the Women’s Auxiliary Service of the Polish Army. Assigned to 318 Field Canteen and Mobile Library Company, attached to the 3rd Carpathian Rifle Division, she served in the Italian Campaign. She was present at the Battle of Monte Cassino in early 1944. Helping at a field hospital, she handed out water and comforted the wounded. For four months, launching four assaults, Allied forces fought German troops to secure the mountain top monastery of Monte Cassino. Polish II Corps alone had over 900 soldiers killed in action. The Poles were the first to enter the monastery and shortly thereafter, they hoisted their country’s flag over the ruins.
The action of Polish troops at Monte Cassino has become revered in the annals of Polish history. On the eve of the battle’s conclusion, soldier and poet Feliks Konarski, known also as Ref-ren, penned “The Red Poppies of Monte Cassino.” It became one of the most popular Polish soldier’s songs from the war. Konarski also made his way to Chicago, where he too became active in the Polish community. He is buried amongst comrades in the Polish Veterans Section at Maryhill Catholic Cemetery in Niles.
Read more on the Polish Veterans Section at Maryhill Cemetery in Niles.: Poland decorates a 102-year-old World War II veteran in ChicagoFollowing the war, Mrs. Biernadska briefly lived in England. That is where she married a fellow Polish veteran and participant of the Battle of Monte Cassino. Then in 1948 the couple emigrated to Argentina and resided there for many years, before emigrating to Chicago in the 1960s.
Awarded the Order of Merit
Mrs. Biernadska’s Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit came in recognition of her activism in Chicago’s Polish community. She began her work over half a century ago and took part in numerous organizations. These include the Polish Combatant’s Association (SPK), the 5th Polish Kresowa Infantry Division Veterans Association, the Polish Scouting Association, and the Polish Army Veterans Association (PAVA). She frequently gave presentations at Polish language schools in the Chicago area. Having a particularly strong affiliation with General Kazimierz Pulaski Polish School in Hardwood Heights, she directed the school’s annual nativity play and other performances for many years.
Her award ceremony on March 8, 2024, took place at her home on the North Side of Chicago. Presenting the decoration, signed into effect in September 2023, was the Consul General of Poland in Chicago, Dr. Paweł Zyzak. Also in attendance were family members, journalists, and representatives from the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), 12th Polish Uhlan Regiment historical reenactment group, and PAVA Post 90. I had the privilege of representing the last group along with my fellow member Tomasz Dąbrowski.
Immediately following the ceremony Mrs. Biernadska’s family served tea and cake. The guests then listened attentively as the veteran as she recalled wartime stories. She became emotional when asked about the Battle of Monte Cassino. It was an “okropny” experience, horrible. Her lovingly put together wartime photo album, containing snapshots from Iran, Italy, and elsewhere, made its way around.
The entire visit took a little over two hours. Gradually the guests began to leave one by one. Left in good spirits, the veteran also had several beautiful bouquets of flowers decorating her house, gifts for International Women’s Day!
