2022-06-11: 50th Wedding Aniversary Celebration:
Saturday, June 11:
The End; To Exit, enter the “Esc” Key
Sunday, June 12:
Morning Pool Party:
The End; To Exit, enter the “Esc” Key
The Celebration Continues:
The End; To Exit, enter the “Esc” Key
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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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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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Dear William, Daniel, Catherine, Michael, and Sarah, (and your parents), (and any future descendants and their parents),
Today, I want to discuss POLITICS with you. Today is a very scary day for me; and because of today’s politics, I fear for our future.
I already discussed U.S. presidential politics with you four years ago — but, this time, it is different; at least, for me, it is different; very different.
Initially, there were MANY candidates running for the nomination to run for the office of President of the United States.
The Republican Party Candidates
The Democratic Party Candidates
When I was younger, I considered myself a conservative; however, as I got older, I became much more liberal in my phylosophy.
Although I am still a registered Republican, in this Presidential Race, I favored Bernie Sanders. Despite my support for Sanders, the Democratic Party nominee became Hillary Clinton, and the Republican Party nominated Donald Trump. Each of them generated some excitement for me — Clinton could become our FIRST woman president; and Trump was a total outsider (i.e, he was not a politician).
From all my friends, acquaintances, etc., NOBODY considered Trump to be a serious candidate; and, in their opinion, there was NO chance that he would ever be elected. I, on the other hand, was intrigued — he was certainly different; and he appeared to be smart, knowledgeable and outspoken. Early on, I opined to family and friends that Trump could become President, and he may even be a great President (as far as I know, everyone scoffed at my strange pronouncements). However, in mid-August, 2015, I became a staunch opponent to Trump.
One of my many re-postings on Facebook
To understand my opposition to Trump, you need to be aware of our family history — you may remember that I told you that my Dad had been a Concentration Camp prisoner; and my Mom had been a Prisoner Of War; and Babcia Krysia’s Mom had been a Slave during World War II.
Because of our family history, I was always wary of personalities that can destroy other people’s lives. I became particularly sensitive to the concept of mob-rule; dictators; and fascists. When charismatic leaders stir-up the general public, danger may lie ahead. In our recent past, Adolf Hitler was elected by the German people to be their leader, and that lead to atrocities such as Kristeallnacht, and ultimately to concentration camps and extermination of “undesirables.” Italy suffered under Benito Mussolini; and Argentina suffered under Juan Peron — all of them started out very popular; and ultimately, turned out to be bad.
Once I became alarmed about Trump’s views and attitudes, I started a program of steady opposition. I started posting on Social Media what I perceived to be Trump’s bad signs — some examples from Facebook:
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My opposition to Trump was not universally shared in our family — e.g., my brother Tom was a strong Trump supporter, I think, because he disliked Clinton very much. I, on the other hand, did not like Clinton either, BUT, I considered Trump to be so BAD for us, that I became a Clinton supporter in opposition to Trump.
The election was held on Tuesday, November 9 — the Presidential election is held every four years, on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. That evening, by the time I fell asleep, the winner was not yet clear. Next morning, Babcia Krysia gave me the BAD NEWS, which was confirmed in various publications:
Except for my brother Tom, other friends and family posted their disappointment on Facebook:
Time will tell — I hope that my fears turn out to be unfulfilled.
Love,
Dziadziuś Paweł.
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Dear William, Daniel, Catherine, Michael, and Sarah, (and your parents), (and any future descendants and their parents),
Two weeks ago we all met to witness, participate in, and celebrate Sarah’s Baptism. It was GREAT to see all of you (and your parents too)!
4/10/2016: Babcia Krysia and I with Catherine, William, Sarah, Daniel and Michael
You can see all the photos from Sarah’s Baptism HERE.
Sarah’s Godparents are Mellisa Hampe and Anthony Guzman [Note: Tony is ALSO Kasia’s Godfather; and Mel participated in Kasia’s birth.]
So, let’s take a moment to talk about Sarah’s name — in Poland, her Imieniny are celebrated on July 13 [we already discussed William’s Imieniny HERE; Danile’s Imieniny HERE; Catherine’s Imieniny HERE; and Michael’s Imieniny HERE].
The name Sarah is a name originating from peoples known as the Hebrews. In Hebrew, the meaning of the name Sarah is Princess. In the Bible (Old Testament), Sarah was the wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac. Her name was originally Sarai, but God commanded that her name be changed to Sarah before the birth of her son Isaac.
So, Sarah, I call you a Princess; but, you, and other’s with your name have been called Princesses since ancient times.
Sarah Neumann
And, you are not the only Sarah in our family — I have a Niece called Sarah; she is Sarah Levine, daughter of Lee Levine and Ann Neumann, and Sister of Alina Levine.
Hania, Alina & Sarah
Sarah — a wonderful name, chosen by your Parents especially for YOU, a name known since ancient times, and a name with good company within our family.
Love,
Dziadziuś Paweł.
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Dear William, Daniel, Catherine, Michael (and Baby Girl Y) (and your parents), (and any future descendants and their parents),
Today is November 22, the anniversary of one of the three of the darkest and most somber days in recent American history — Pearl Harbor, the Assassination of President Kennedy, and 9-11.
I already spoke to you about Pearl Harbor and about 9-11; today, let me tell you about the Assassination of President Kennedy.
In the afternoon, on Friday, November 22, 1963, I was in Bookkeeping class, waiting for class to start — I was a 14-year-old Freshman in Mater Christi Diocesan High School, in Astoria, Queens, New York — you can see my Yearbook picture HERE [bottom left corner of page 84] (I was in the 1967 graduating class; Babcia Krysia was in the 1970 graduation class — you can see Babcia Krysia’s Yearbook picture HERE [middle of the page on page 111]).
Anyway — I was sitting at my desk in Bookkeeping class, waiting for our teacher to come in (although most of my teachers were De La Salle Christian Brothers, my Bookkeeping teacher was a lay male teacher). Class was already scheduled to start, and our teacher was not there yet — a few minutes later, he came in, very serious, and told us to sit in our places, and wait — and he left the room. When he returned a few minutes later, he told us that the President had been shot. A few minutes later, the whole school was summoned to the Auditorium, where we were officially told that there had been an assassination attempt on President Kennedy; and that the school would close early — we were told to go to our lockers, take our things, and go home.
From school, in Astoria, I would walk (green) a few blocks to the Ditmars Boulevard train station; take the elevated train (red) to Queensboro Plaza; switch to elevated express train (green) going to Flushing, change to the local train at Woodside, and get off in Jackson Heights; walk to the underground local train (red) to Forest Hills, and get off at my station, 67th Avenue; then walk (green) a few blocks to my apartment.
To go home required me to take the subway, from Astoria to Forrest Hills — this would involve several different trains, and the journey, normally lasted about an hour and a half each way. I remember the train was crowded, and I overheard people talking — the President had been killed.
My Dad purchased a 21 inch Zenith black & white television set when my Mom and my brother and sisters moved to America in June 1959
I think that I got home about 4 pm. My Mom was there, and I think that my brother and sisters were home also; my Dad joined us when he got home from work, later in the evening. We watched the news on television all weekend. Shortly after the assassination, Lee Harvey Oswald was captured and arrested for the murder; however, two days later, Lee Harvey Oswald was assassinated himself, on live television. These assassinations were followed by President Kennedy’s funeral, all of which we all watched on television.
I was ten years old when I came to America on June 2, 1959. At that time, Dwight Eisenhower was President. Democracy and free elections were new concepts for me — in January 1960, Senator John Kennedy initiated his campaign to be elected president.
In September and October, Kennedy appeared with Republican candidate Richard Nixon, then vice president, in the first televised U.S. presidential debates in U.S. history. Although I did not watch the debate, I remember my Dad watching; and in the days that followed, there was much discussion about the debate on radio, television, and the newspapers.
On Saturday, November 5, 1960, I went to see Senator Kennedy, who was going to give a speech in the vicinity of 62nd Drive and Queens Boulevard (in Rego Park, Queens, NYC). This was my first political rally — I saw him, and I heard him speak; I was impressed, and it was very exciting.
Senator Kennedy was very controversial; because, at age 43, he was considered by many to be too young to be President; AND, he was a Roman Catholic. Nevertheless, on November 8, Kennedy defeated Vice President and Republican candidate Richard Nixon in one of the closest presidential elections of the 20th century. Because I was only eleven years old, I did not vote for him; and my parents did not vote for him either, because they were not U.S. Citizens yet (we were Resident Aliens).
John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th president at noon on January 20, 1961. In his inaugural address he spoke of the need for all Americans to be active citizens, famously saying, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” He also asked the nations of the world to join together to fight what he called the “common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself”.
At the time that President Kennedy took office, in 1961, the US and the USSR were in a “Space Race.” At that time, the USSR was winning — on October 4, 1957 they achieved the orbiting of Sputnik 1; and later, they beat the US to the first human in space, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, on April 12, 1961. Eventually, the US won this Space Race, by landing the first man on the moon.
In addition to the Space Race, at the time that President Kennedy took office in 1961, there was much political tension between the US and Cuba — in 1958, Fidel Castro overthrew the US aligned government in Cuba, and let the country towards a Marxist-Leninist form of government.
As a consequence of this change in government, many people fled Cuba. Some of these people became my friends; and classmates at Our Lady of the Angelus grammar school. [You may want to read my letter to you about West Side Story; and also the bottom of Page 78 and top of Page 79 from my Book.]
In April 1961, some Cuban refugees attacked the Castro government in what became known as the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Those refugees had been led to believe by their CIA contacts that if they attacked Cuba, the US would support them militarily. In the midst of the Invasion, President Kennedy, however, decided NOT to provide military support — this betrayal made me very skeptical of US government “promises.”
In August 1961, tensions between the US and the USSR escalated when the Berlin Wall was built, completely cutting off (by land) West Berlin from surrounding East Germany, including East Berlin. This Wall generated a steady stream of news reports, on television and in the newspapers, about people trying to escape to freedom, and sometimes dying in the process. [Some day I will have to tell you the story of my cousin Lilka, and how she and her husband escaped from Poland.]
The tensions between the US and the USSR reached a fever-pitch during a 13-day (October 16–28, 1962) confrontation over Soviet ballistic missiles deployed in Cuba — this became known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. In anticipation of a nuclear war, in school and in society in general, we practiced going to Fallout Shelters, and otherwise hiding from nuclear blasts.
So, this was the political and social climate [all part of the Cold War] during President Kennedy’s tenure as President of the United States, from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963.
Politically, those were not fun times; and yet, I survived, and I did have fun — I grew up; I finished high school, and went to college; I was involved with Polish Scouting — through which I got to know your Babcia Krysia, which eventually made all of YOU possible.
Love,
Dziadziuś Paweł.
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Dear William, Daniel, Catherine, (and Michael & Baby Girl Y) (and your parents), (and any future descendants and their parents),
Today, June 6, became known, on June 6, 1944, as “The Longest Day” [attributed to a comment made by Erwin Rommel to his aide on 22 April 1944: “…the first 24 hours of the invasion will be decisive…the fate of Germany depends on the outcome…for the Allies, as well as Germany, it will be the longest day”], the day the Allied Forces invaded Nazi occupied Europe.
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