Author Archives: Paul Kostro

April 10, 2017 — Rogers Rangers

Dear William, Daniel, Catherine, Michael, and Sarah, (and your parents), (and any future descendants and their parents),

Hi, Kiddies (and your Parents)! I know that I have not written lately, but I DO think about you often.

This morning, Babcia Krysia had me go through a box of old papers — there I found this:

This one page (front and back) pocket manual is from my Army days — when I was in ROTC as a college student, and went to Airborne School, and finally became a commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.

During my Army days, there were things we had to memorize constantly — one of those things was the Rogers’ Rangers Standing Orders (now, researching this for you, I learned that these Standing Orders were NOT real — they were imagined in a book; but, they became real once the Army Rangers adopted them.

Major Robert Rogers, the founding leader and namesake of Rogers’ Rangers, in a 1776 painting

Rogers’ Rangers in their green, wool uniforms, during the French and Indian War

The Rogers’ Rangers started out as a New Hampshire independent military unit, attached to the British Army during the French and Indian War. They became the chief scouting arm of British Crown forces, and the British valued them highly for gathering intelligence. Later, they became a Loyalist force during the American Revolutionary War. Apparently, when the American Revolution began in 1775, Robert Rogers offered his services to General George Washington; however, Washington turned him down, fearing that he might be a spy. So, Rogers offered his services to the British, who accepted. When you study about this in American History — remember, the Rogers’ Rangers were not America’s friends.

I hope that, when the time comes, you will be able to impress your teacher and classmates with your intimate knowledge about the Rogers’ Rangers.

Personally, I like the first order the best: “Don’t forget nothing.”

There are many good lessons in these Standing Orders; lessons the can help you in your daily lives, and in your professional lives.

“4. Tell the truth about what you see and what you do.” Whether you are a spy, or an investigator — others depend on you to see, and tell. Do NOT say what you believe others want you to say — say what you, in fact, did see, so that others can adjust their plans accordingly. It is YOUR truth that can lead to success.

“5. Don’t never take a chance you don’t have to.” In your life, enjoy it; BUT, be risk-adverse. That means, do not put yourself in danger, if danger can be avoided. There is plenty of danger that cannot be avoided. Do not become your own worst enemy.

“11. Don’t ever march home the same way. Take a different route so you won’t be ambushed.” See the world; take a different route, take the road less traveled, observe and appreciate.

“13. Every night you’ll be told where to meet if surrounded by a superior force.” Always have an Exit Strategy. Be prepared for the unexpected; and, make arrangements with your family and friends to meet someplace if circumstances require it. When my children were little, we used to have Fire Drills. We all practiced running out of the house, and we would meet by the large tree in front of the house. We also had a designated meeting place if we could not get back home for some reason. If home was not an option, everyone was told to walk North, towards Canada; and to go to Elzunia’s and Alfred’s farm, where we would eventually meet (thank God we never had to do that — it would have been a very long walk!!!).

Walk from Westfield NJ to Potter Hollow NY — about 150 miles!!!

An average person can walk about 3 miles per hour on a road. If you walk for 5 hours per day, you can walk 15 miles. So, to walk 150 miles, it would take you about 10 days. Double that for the unexpected, and then give it some extra time for other unexpected things, we could all meet there in about a month. I realize that this is NOTHING compared to what Rysiu did; but, it was a plan.

You too should always have a plan; and, do not forget to plan for the unexpected.

Love,

Dziadziuś Paweł.

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February 8, 2017 — Knees & Hips

Dear William, Daniel, Catherine, Michael, and Sarah, (and your parents), (and any future descendants and their parents),

For quite a long time now, my hips have been hurting me. At first, they hurt when I would lie down — no matter which way I was facing, they hurt — face up, they hurt; on my side, facing right, they hurt; facing left, they hurt (but less so, because I would see Babcia Kryisa, and that made it better).

.

Over time, my hips started hurting from just standing — NO FUN to be at a cocktail party!

So, I started taking Advil PM — 2 tablets each night. That would put me to sleep, even thought the pain was still there.

I told my doctor about this, but he was not particularly impressed — he told me to see an orthopedist; and told me I may need hip replacement surgery.

SURGERY!!! My sister Olenka had hip replacement surgery several years ago — this is not something I would be looking forward to.

Over time, the pain decreased; BUT, then my knees started to hurt also. Bacia Krysia told me that I was too heavy, and I was crushing myself. (I AM heavy — 317 lbs.!)

NOT a pretty picture 🙁

Babcia Krysia bought me a cane — which I do not need for regular walking; but, is VERY helpful when I need to climb or go-down stairs.

A few days ago, when I was visiting my doctor for my quarterly blood test, I convinced him that it may be a good idea to get some X-Rays of my hips and knees — he was noncommittal, but he did give me a recipe so that I could get the X-Rays.

Today, I was driving by the X-Ray place, so I stopped in and got X-Rayed:

These are my hips.

My Hips X-Ray Report

These are my knees.

My Knees X-Ray Report

Bottom line — things do not look that bad (but, it hurts). But, the alternative could be worse — I could be pushing up daisies.

If you want to catch-up on some of my other medical adventures, you may want to read HERE and HERE — I had other medical adventures, but I will save those for some other day.

Now, I have to get back to work.

Love,

Dziadziuś Paweł.

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February 5, 2017 — New Third Cousin (Magdalena Maczynska)

Dear William, Daniel, Catherine, Michael, and Sarah, (and your parents), (and any future descendants and their parents),

Congratulations! You have a NEW Third Cousin! Her name is Magdalena Maczynska, and she was born on February 1, 2017, in Warszawa Poland.

2017_02_01_NewCousin

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Probably, the easiest way for you to understand this Family Tree is to print it out, and then paste the pages together (each next to each other) — to do so, go HERE.

As you can see from this Family Tree, Magdalena is the daughter of Marek’s, Rysiu’s, & Malgosia’s Second Cousin, Kasia Maczynska (nee Tomala), who is the daughter of my First Cousin, Roza Tomala (nee Bobrowska), who is the daughter of my Dad’s sister, Teresa Bobrowska (nee Kostro).

I met Kasia (Magdalena’s Mom), when Malgosia, John, Marek, Kelly, Babcia Krysia and I traveled to Poland in 2006 — I started telling you about that trip HERE (unfortunately, I never got around to telling you the rest of that story — maybe I will have a chance to do so soon).

Anyway, on our second day in Poland, we attended a dinner hosted by my First Cousin Roza and her family. That is when I met Kasia.

On May 26, 2012, Kasia married Piotr Mączyński.

5/26/2012

 

Together, Piotr and Kasia set up a photography business — FlipFrames

Piotr & Kasia

I hope that each of you will have the chance to open your own business some day — it is hard work, but it can be very rewarding.

Today is the Superbowl — so, I have to run (I need to prepare some snacks).

Love,

Dziadziuś Paweł.

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February 2, 2017 — The Importance Of Books

Dear William, Daniel, Catherine, Michael, and Sarah, (and your parents), (and any future descendants and their parents),

From some of my prior letters to you (e.g., when I wrote to William about his first book), you may have gotten the impression that I like books — well, you are RIGHT! And, you already know that even I wrote a book about some aspects of my life, and my Mom’s life.

As a law student, it was quite a challenge for me because I read relatively S L O W L Y. In comparison, Babcia Krysia is a FAST reader.

I did read books as a kid — I remember reading Heidi several times; and I read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (by Jules Verne) serveral times. I also read W Pustyni i w Puszczy (translated: In Desert and Wilderness; by Henryk Sienkiewicz) in Polish, Spanish, and English.

As a kid, I used to go to the Library very often, and would look at many books, on a variety of topics — and then, I would take out many books, take them home, and read them there.

When I registered for High School (Mater Christi Catholic Diocesan High School, in Astoria, N.Y.C. [I previously told you about some of my experiences there HERE and HERE]), I received HOMEWORK for the summer before I even started school! One of my assignments was the read a book called: “How To Read A Book” I though (then) that this was the siliest thing to do — to read a VERY thick book about how to read a book.

(Circa 1965) My Dad, surprised (and probably annoyed by his photo-snapping teenage son), as he was trying to read the New York Times (probably on a Sunday after church) — note our very first black and white Zenith television, purchased by my parents in 1959, when we came to America

I told you that Babcia Krysia is a fast reader — my Dad, also, was a fast reader, and he LOVED to read. I think that my children, Marek, Rysiu and Malgosia were fortunate to inherit Babcia Krysia’s reading abilities — now I hope that each of YOU also inherited the ability to read and comprehend quickly, and that you enjoy and read MANY good books.

Love,

Dziadziuś Paweł.

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January 25, 2017 — Sto Lat Sarah!!!

Dear William, Daniel, Catherine, Michael, and Sarah, (and your parents), (and any future descendants and their parents),

OK everyone, let’s gather around — today is Sarah’s FIRST Birthday! So, let’s all sing for her:

Lyrics:

Sto lat, sto lat,
Niech żyje, żyje nam.
Sto lat, sto lat,
Niech żyje, żyje nam,
Jeszcze raz, jeszcze raz,
Niech żyje, żyje nam,
Niech żyje nam!

This translates roughly into English as:

100 years, 100 years,
May he/she live, live for us.
100 years, 100 years,
May he/she live, live for us.
Once again, once again,
May he/she live, live for us,
May he/she live for us!

Let’s keep the party going!:

And, now in Spanish!:

Happy birthday Sarah!

Love,

Dziadziuś Paweł.

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January 21, 2017 — The Women’s March & Our Constitution

Dear William, Daniel, Catherine, Michael, and Sarah, (and your parents), (and any future descendants and their parents),

Earlier today, Michael, Daniel, Malgosia, Babcia Krysia and I marched — we marched in the Westfield (N.J.) “sister” march of the Women’s March on Washington. Westfield’s March was one of six in New Jersey. According to the Women’s March on Washington, 673 marches took place worldwide and more than 2.5 million people RSVPed to participate. In Westfield, several thousand people participated in the “Sister March.”

Here are some photos from our March:

So, why were me marching? Well, I recently told you about Mr. Trump being elected president of the United Sates of America — he actually became president yesterday, when the Inauguration ceremony was held. So, today, many people wanted to express their disapproval of Mr. Trump’s actions and behavior. To express that disapproval, a protest march was organized. Our right to hold a protest march is protected under our Constitution.

A constitution is a document that explains the social contract that had been entered by a group of people, and is applicable to all people who enter the country that it applies to (in our case, the United States of America) — it is a basic law that describes the rights and powers of the citizens, and their government.

Signing the Constitution, September 17, 1787

Our Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787. After it was signed, it needed to be approved (“ratified”) by all the sates — here is a map of the states that existed then, and the dates when each of them ratified our Constitution:

Shortly after the United States agreed on its Constitution, the people of Poland decided that this was a good idea, and they agreed to have their constitution as well. The Polish Constitution was created on May 3, 1791 — it was the first constitution of its kind in Europe.

The Polish Constitution of May 3, 1791 was a milestone in the history of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the high point of the Polish Enlightenment.

If you want to find out who the various people are who are depicted in this painting, go HERE.

But, let’s get back to the U.S. Constitution — that is what protects US.

The Preamble to our Constitution says:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

The Preamble is followed by seven Articles — Article I is the basis for the Legislative branch of our government; Article II is the basis for the Executive branch of our government; and Article III is the basis for the Judicial branch of our government. Be aware of the fact that our government is made up of THREE branches of government.

If you want to read the entire Constitution, go HERE.

Two years after the signing of the Constitution, people decided that some amendments were necessary — they started off by enacting ten amendments — now known as the Bill of Rights.

The very First Amendment states:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Thus, the First Amendment states the the government cannot restrict our freedom of speech, nor our right to get together with others for peaceful purposes. THIS is what gives us the right to march and protest.

People have been protesting in the U.S. since before there even was a U.S. — an example is The Boston Tea Party.

Examples, in my lifetime, were the Vietnam War Protests; and the voting rights marches.

I did not take part in those protest marches, and I do feel guilty about that — especially about not taking part in the voting rights marches.

As a family, our first involvement with social justice was participating in the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear that took place on October 30, 2010.

Marek, Rysiu, Krysia & Kelly at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear

A year later, Babcia Krysia and I visited the Occupy Wall Street protest in N.Y.C.

Babcia Krysia at the Occupy Wall Street protest.

So, what I want you to get from all of this is that as Americans, we have the right to protest against the faults of our government — but, remember, the protest MUST be peaceful.

Free speech is an American right; but, be careful how you use it — you cannot stand up in a crowded movie theatre and yell “Fire!”

All rights must be balanced with responsibilities — if you are going to march in protest, obtain a permit to do so — from the photos of our “Sister” March you see that the Police were fully involved; they protected us; and they protected the civil peace so motorists would be inconvenienced to the least amount possible.

Love,

Dziadziuś Paweł.

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