Many lessons of patriotism
So much can we learn from Eugeniusz how to love your home country. For her - Poland - he was able to give the ultimate sacrifice - his life... It's because of that love for his country he spent five years in the Nazi camps and prisons, including 11 months in Auschwitz-Birkenau.
In one of the chapters of his "Living Shadows" book Eugeniusz says that every Sunday the students were coming to the school and with the school banner at helm they were marching to the St. Trinity Garrison Church in Bielsko where a patriotic mass was celebrated. Nobody protested that and all kids were happy to come for this every-Sunday patriotic event. There were many of such events at that time as the whole nation was just ecstatic to have their beautiful country independent again. They were waiting for that very long - from 1795 till 1918 and when that finally happened they were very proud to be free again and they were ready to die for her.
Unfortunately, their freedom didn't last for too long and in 1939 Poland lost independence again - first when the Nazis captured most of the territory starting on September 1, 1939 and then the Soviets took the reminder on September 17, 1939, following the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact.
Interestingly, the Tytyk family suffered at hands of both aggressors. Eugeniusz spent 5 years in the Nazi concentration camps and prisons, suffering tortures, beatings, hunger, sickness, hard slave work that could end with his death at any moment. Miraculously, he survived even though he had to go through the deadliest of the Nazi camps - Auschwitz-Birkenau. Unfortunately, his father - Bazyli Tytyk - got killed - not by the Nazis, but by the Soviets, murdered by the NKVD in Katyn, at the direct Stalin's order. Eugeniusz's mother also suffered during the war. She was evicted from their home and was forced to work very hard for the Wehrmacht - the German army.
Read about Eugeniusz's family history in his "Living Shadows" book.
Ilona
Technorati tags: Auschwitz, Auschwitz-Birkenau, political prisoner, WWII, Nazi camps, concentration camps, death camps, Nazis, Soviets, Katyn, NKVD, Stalin, Holocaust, Eugeniusz Tytyk, Bazyli Tytyk
In one of the chapters of his "Living Shadows" book Eugeniusz says that every Sunday the students were coming to the school and with the school banner at helm they were marching to the St. Trinity Garrison Church in Bielsko where a patriotic mass was celebrated. Nobody protested that and all kids were happy to come for this every-Sunday patriotic event. There were many of such events at that time as the whole nation was just ecstatic to have their beautiful country independent again. They were waiting for that very long - from 1795 till 1918 and when that finally happened they were very proud to be free again and they were ready to die for her.
Unfortunately, their freedom didn't last for too long and in 1939 Poland lost independence again - first when the Nazis captured most of the territory starting on September 1, 1939 and then the Soviets took the reminder on September 17, 1939, following the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact.
Interestingly, the Tytyk family suffered at hands of both aggressors. Eugeniusz spent 5 years in the Nazi concentration camps and prisons, suffering tortures, beatings, hunger, sickness, hard slave work that could end with his death at any moment. Miraculously, he survived even though he had to go through the deadliest of the Nazi camps - Auschwitz-Birkenau. Unfortunately, his father - Bazyli Tytyk - got killed - not by the Nazis, but by the Soviets, murdered by the NKVD in Katyn, at the direct Stalin's order. Eugeniusz's mother also suffered during the war. She was evicted from their home and was forced to work very hard for the Wehrmacht - the German army.
Read about Eugeniusz's family history in his "Living Shadows" book.
Ilona
Technorati tags: Auschwitz, Auschwitz-Birkenau, political prisoner, WWII, Nazi camps, concentration camps, death camps, Nazis, Soviets, Katyn, NKVD, Stalin, Holocaust, Eugeniusz Tytyk, Bazyli Tytyk
posted by Ilona at 8:28 PM
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