Polish Day Parade 2018

The annual Polish Day Parade organized by the Polish American Congress Michigan Division Polish Day Parade Committee took place on Labor Day, September 3, in downtown Hamtramck.

For more pictures visit our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/Polish-American-Congress-Michigan-Division-241433862578705/

 

PAC-MI QUARTERLY MEMBERSHIP MEETING – SEPTEMBER 10

The Polish American Congress Michigan Division invites all its members and delegates to a Quarterly Membership Meeting.  It will take place on Monday, September 10, at 7:00 pm, at the PAC-MI Headquarters in Hamtramck, MI (11333 Joseph Campau, Hamtramck, MI 48212).

“Polskie getta” to kłamstwo historyczne. Wezwij do jego usunięcia! Apel Reduty Dobrego Imienia – Polskiej Ligii przeciw Zniesławieniom

Szanowni Państwo!

“Polskie getto” to oczywisty błąd zarówno historyczny, jak i językowy, kojarzący Polaków ze zbrodniami niemieckimi. “Polskie getta” nigdy nie istniały, ponieważ Polacy nie mieszkali w wydzielonych, odizolowanych częściach miast. To również nie Polacy tworzyli getta dla obywateli innych narodowości czy wyznań, choć i tak właściwym atrybutem w tym przypadku jest narodowość ludności zamieszkującej getto. Spośród wielu portali, które wzywaliśmy do poprawienia tej błędnej i zniesławiającej frazy, kilka pozostało przy swoim stanowisku.

Oto one:
Amerykański portal timesrecordnews.com promuje książki o tematyce Holokaustu. Z artykułu nie dowiemy się o Niemcach.
Brytyjski magazyn unbound.com, opisuje powojenne losy zbrodniarza Auschwitz, Josefa Mengele.
Lokalny amerykańskie media marblehead.wickedlocal.com, relacjonują spotkanie uczniów szkoły w Marblehead z ocalałą z Holokaustu.
Portal francuskiej fundacji artystycznej blouinartinfo.com, przedstawia twórczość inspirowaną losem prześladowanych.

Poniżej publikujemy wzór listu w języku angielskim oraz jego robocze tłumaczenie na język polski. Prosimy użyć w korespondencji wersji w języku angielskim.

Szanowni Państwo!

W artykule na Państwa stronie internetowej po linkiem …………………………….. znalazło się zniesławiające, uderzające w dobre imię Polski i fałszujące historię sformułowanie „Polskie getto” w odniesieniu do żydowskiego getta w okupowanej Polsce.

Podobnie jak podczas II Wojny Światowej nie było „polskich obozów śmierci”, tak też nie było „polskich gett”. Getta, w których niemieccy okupanci przetrzymywali ludność żydowską, organizowane były na ziemiach polskich, gdyż w miejscowościach przedwojennej Rzeczpospolitej znajdowały się największe skupiska ludności żydowskiej w Europie.

Nie istnieje racjonalne uzasadnienie dla używania określenia „polskie getto”. Taki  skrót myślowy jest bardzo mylący,  gdyż ani mieszkańcami, ani twórcami osiedli, jakimi były getta, nie byli przedstawiciele narodowości polskiej. Byli wśród nich co prawda obywatele polscy (narodowości żydowskiej), jednak nie ze względu na polskie obywatelstwo, lecz na żydowską narodowość. Mało tego, Polska jako państwo podczas II Wojny Światowej nie istniała – część jej terytorium zostało  włączone do Rzeszy, a na pozostałym obszarze utworzono tzw. Generalne Gubernatorstwo, twór administracyjny całkowicie podporządkowany III Rzeszy, które nie było samodzielnym bytem politycznym uznawanym na arenie międzynarodowej. Stąd przymiotnik „polski” używany dla określenia gett przeznaczonych dla ludności żydowskiej całkowicie nie ma racji bytu.

Właściwe odniesienie do tworzonych przez Niemców gett żydowskich brzmi następująco:
– Żydowskie getto założone przez Niemców w okupowanej przez Niemców Polsce
– Żydowskie getto założone przez Niemców na okupowanych przez nazistów
– Żydowskie getto w okupowanej przez Niemców Polsce
– Żydowskie getto w okupowanej Polsce

W związku z powyższym przyłączam się do wezwania Polskiej Ligii Przeciw Zniesławieniom do usunięcia wyrażenia „Polish ghetto” ze strony będącej pod Państwa administracją.

Z wyrazami szacunku,
(prosimy podać własne imię i nazwisko)

DO WKLEJENIA DO WIADOMOŚCI –timesrecordnews.com

Odbiorca:tedbuss@hotmail.com
Tytuł wiadomości (jeden do wyboru):
A request to remove defamatory content
Historical error in your article
I don’t agree!
Request for correction on your website
Please, delete the error
There was no Polish ghettos in occupied Poland
lub inny, stworzony przez Państwa

Treść wiadomości:Dear Sir,

I do inform you that despite a previous appeal by the Polish League Against Defamation regarding your statement “Polish ghetto”, it apears in the following article: https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/opinion/2018/06/28/books-give-us-pause-thankful/741945002/. Such phrases are libellous, harmful to the good name of Poland, and historically false.

Just as there were no “Polish death camps” during World War 2, “Polish ghetto” is a misnomer as well. The ghettos in which the German occupiers forcefully detained the Jewish population were set up on Polish territory because the pre-War Poland was Europe’s largest Jewish Diaspora.

There are no reasonable grounds to use the phrase “Polish ghetto”. Even if considered a sort of verbal shortcut, it is very misleading, as neither the population of the ghettos, nor their creators, were of Polish nationality. While we could find some Polish citizens (of Jewish origin) among them, they were confined within the ghetto walls because of their Jewish roots, not because of their citizenship. But that is not all. Poland did not exist as an independent state during World War 2, as some of its territory had been annexed to Germany, and the remaining part came under the so-called General Government, an administrative entity completely subject to the German Reich. Therefore, the adjective “Polish” used with reference to WW2 Jewish ghettos is absolutely unfounded.

The proper reference to the Jewish ghettos set up by Germans therefore is as follows:
– Jewish ghetto set up by Germans in German-occupied Poland
– Jewish ghetto set up by Germans in Nazi-occupied
– Jewish ghetto in German-occupied Poland
– Jewish ghetto in Nazi-occupied Poland

I therefore wish to endorse the request by the Polish League Against Defamation and urge you to remove the defamatory expression “Polish ghetto” from the website under your administration.

Faithfully

DO WKLEJENIA DO WIADOMOŚCI – unbound.com

Odbiorca:arifa@unbound.com
Tytuł wiadomości (jeden do wyboru):
A request to remove defamatory content
Historical error in your article
I don’t agree!
Request for correction on your website
Please, delete the error
There was no Polish ghettos in occupied Poland
lub inny, stworzony przez Państwa

Treść wiadomości:Dear Sir of Madam,

I do inform you that despite a previous appeal by the Polish League Against Defamation regarding your statement “Polish ghetto”, it apears in the following article: https://unbound.com/boundless/2018/07/06/jo-glanville-on-josep-mengele/. Such phrases are libellous, harmful to the good name of Poland, and historically false.

Just as there were no “Polish death camps” during World War 2, “Polish ghetto” is a misnomer as well. The ghettos in which the German occupiers forcefully detained the Jewish population were set up on Polish territory because the pre-War Poland was Europe’s largest Jewish Diaspora.

There are no reasonable grounds to use the phrase “Polish ghetto”. Even if considered a sort of verbal shortcut, it is very misleading, as neither the population of the ghettos, nor their creators, were of Polish nationality. While we could find some Polish citizens (of Jewish origin) among them, they were confined within the ghetto walls because of their Jewish roots, not because of their citizenship. But that is not all. Poland did not exist as an independent state during World War 2, as some of its territory had been annexed to Germany, and the remaining part came under the so-called General Government, an administrative entity completely subject to the German Reich. Therefore, the adjective “Polish” used with reference to WW2 Jewish ghettos is absolutely unfounded.

The proper reference to the Jewish ghettos set up by Germans therefore is as follows:
– Jewish ghetto set up by Germans in German-occupied Poland
– Jewish ghetto set up by Germans in Nazi-occupied
– Jewish ghetto in German-occupied Poland
– Jewish ghetto in Nazi-occupied Poland

I therefore wish to endorse the request by the Polish League Against Defamation and urge you to remove the defamatory expression “Polish ghetto” from the website under your administration.

Faithfully

DO WKLEJENIA DO WIADOMOŚCI –marblehead.wickedlocal.com

Odbiorca:marblehead@wickedlocal.comcstevens@wickedlocal.com
Tytuł wiadomości (jeden do wyboru):
A request to remove defamatory content
Historical error in your article
I don’t agree!
Request for correction on your website
Please, delete the error
There was no Polish ghettos in occupied Poland
lub inny, stworzony przez Państwa

Treść wiadomości:Dear Sir or Madam,

I do inform you that despite a previous appeal by the Polish League Against Defamation regarding your statement “Polish ghetto”, it apears in the following article: http://marblehead.wickedlocal.com/news/20180619/schindlers-list-survivor-passes-memory-torch-to-marblehead-studentsSuch phrases are libellous, harmful to the good name of Poland, and historically false.

Just as there were no “Polish death camps” during World War 2, “Polish ghetto” is a misnomer as well. The ghettos in which the German occupiers forcefully detained the Jewish population were set up on Polish territory because the pre-War Poland was Europe’s largest Jewish Diaspora.

There are no reasonable grounds to use the phrase “Polish ghetto”. Even if considered a sort of verbal shortcut, it is very misleading, as neither the population of the ghettos, nor their creators, were of Polish nationality. While we could find some Polish citizens (of Jewish origin) among them, they were confined within the ghetto walls because of their Jewish roots, not because of their citizenship. But that is not all. Poland did not exist as an independent state during World War 2, as some of its territory had been annexed to Germany, and the remaining part came under the so-called General Government, an administrative entity completely subject to the German Reich. Therefore, the adjective “Polish” used with reference to WW2 Jewish ghettos is absolutely unfounded.

The proper reference to the Jewish ghettos set up by Germans therefore is as follows:
– Jewish ghetto set up by Germans in German-occupied Poland
– Jewish ghetto set up by Germans in Nazi-occupied
– Jewish ghetto in German-occupied Poland
– Jewish ghetto in Nazi-occupied Poland

I therefore wish to endorse the request by the Polish League Against Defamation and urge you to remove the defamatory expression “Polish ghetto” from the website under your administration.

Faithfully

DO WKLEJENIA DO WIADOMOŚCI –
blouinartinfo.com

Odbiorca:support@artinfo.com; generalinfo@artinfo.com
Tytuł wiadomości (jeden do wyboru):
A request to remove defamatory content
Historical error in your article
I don’t agree!
Request for correction on your website
Please, delete the error
There was no Polish ghettos in occupied Poland
lub inny, stworzony przez Państwa

Treść wiadomości:Dear Sir or Madam,

I do inform you that despite a previous appeal by the Polish League Against Defamation regarding your statement “Polish ghetto”, it apears in the following article: http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/3086367/the-evolution-of-michal-rovnerSuch phrases are libellous, harmful to the good name of Poland, and historically false.

Just as there were no “Polish death camps” during World War 2, “Polish ghetto” is a misnomer as well. The ghettos in which the German occupiers forcefully detained the Jewish population were set up on Polish territory because the pre-War Poland was Europe’s largest Jewish Diaspora.

There are no reasonable grounds to use the phrase “Polish ghetto”. Even if considered a sort of verbal shortcut, it is very misleading, as neither the population of the ghettos, nor their creators, were of Polish nationality. While we could find some Polish citizens (of Jewish origin) among them, they were confined within the ghetto walls because of their Jewish roots, not because of their citizenship. But that is not all. Poland did not exist as an independent state during World War 2, as some of its territory had been annexed to Germany, and the remaining part came under the so-called General Government, an administrative entity completely subject to the German Reich. Therefore, the adjective “Polish” used with reference to WW2 Jewish ghettos is absolutely unfounded.

The proper reference to the Jewish ghettos set up by Germans therefore is as follows:
– Jewish ghetto set up by Germans in German-occupied Poland
– Jewish ghetto set up by Germans in Nazi-occupied
– Jewish ghetto in German-occupied Poland
– Jewish ghetto in Nazi-occupied Poland

I therefore wish to endorse the request by the Polish League Against Defamation and urge you to remove the defamatory expression “Polish ghetto” from the website under your administration.

Faithfully

 

PIAST INSTITUTE MOURNS THE PASSING OF DR. THADDEUS RADZILOWSKI

Today, Piast Institute, our Polish-American family, and our Hamtramck community lost a great leader in the passing of Dr. Thaddeus C. Radzilowski. Earlier today, July 20th, he passed away surrounded by loved ones.

Dr. Radzilowski was a highly accomplished historian and academic studying Poland and Central and Eastern Europe, producing countless manuscripts on these important topics. Over the course of his rich academic career he has taught at University of Michigan, Madonna University, Heidelberg College, and Southwest Minnesota State University. He also served as the President of St. Mary College. Over the years, he not only educated thousands of American students about Polish and Central European history, he also mentored many of them and fostered countless community leaders.

In 2003, Dr. Radzilowski co-founded the Piast Institute with Virginia Skrzyniarz. It quickly became the largest Polish-American think tank in the United States. As President of Piast, Dr. Radzilowski has focused the organization as a major research center, one of U.S. Census Information Centers, and as a representative of Poland and Polish-Americans in the United States, with worldwide network of accomplished fellows. Under his leadership, the Institute produced position papers, school curricula, research reports, conducted surveys, organized conferences and exhibits, and was very involved in the life of American Polonia. He also cultivated many relationships with Polish universities and institutions.

Over the years, Dr. Radzilowski received many awards for his academic work, community involvement, and leadership. He was a corresponding member of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN). He served as an advisor and consultant to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the U.S. Bureau of the Census and was a member of the Ford Foundation Commission on Ethnicity on American Life. In 1999, the President of Poland presented Dr. Radzilowski with the Cavaliers Cross of the Polish Order of Merit for distinguished contributions to the dissemination of Polish culture in the world.

In addition to his contributions to preserving Polish heritage in the U.S., Dr. Radzilowski was an American patriot, a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces who served his country in Vietnam.

Those who knew Dr. Radzilowski well will miss him for his charm, his sense of humor, his countless stories, his sharp mind, and his infectious cheerfulness.

Dr. Radzilowski is survived by his wife, Kathleen, three sons, John, Paul and Stefan, grandchildren Radek and Diana, sisters Fran and Cynthia, and brothers, Norbert and Fred.

Details on a celebration of Dr. Thaddeus Radzilowski’s life will be announced shortly. Please direct any questions to the Executive Vice President of the Piast Institute Virginia Skrzyniarz,Skrzyniarz@piastinstitute.org or (313) 733-4535.

PACMI to Present Scholarship Recipients

HAMTRAMCK, MI – On Wednesday, August 1, 2018, the Polish American Congress of Michigan (PACMI) Scholarship Fund will host its annual Fund Raiser / Dinner, during which 2018 PACMI Scholarship Recipients will be presented.  The event will take place at Krakus Restaurant in Detroit (12900 Joseph Campau).  Doors open at 5:30 pm; dinner served at 6:00 pm.  Suggested contributions: $30.00 per person (contributions in excess of $20.00 are tax deductible).  For a contribution of $250.00 or more towards the Scholarship Fund, each donor will receive a document of their contribution.  Reservations can be made by July 25, by calling 313-365-9400 or 586-751-8168.

POLISH AMERICAN CONGRESS MICHIGAN DIVISION INVITES TO POLISH NOVENA AT STE. ANNE DE DETROIT

HAMTRAMCK, MI – St. Anne De Detroit Church, located near Ambassador’s Bridge in Detroit, dates back to Cadillac’s settling of Detroit in 1701, and it’s considered the second-oldest continuously operating Roman Catholic parish in the U.S.  The current Neo-Gothic structure, the parish’s 8th church building, dates to 1886 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

What was once Detroit’s signature French-language parish – the old school building has the name “Ecole Ste. Anne” carved into it – now has a growing, vibrant, primarily Hispanic congregation.

But once a year, for 10 days, the church becomes a site for Ethnic Novena, catered to the diverse community of Metro Detroit.

On Wednesday, July 25, a Polish Novena will be held, with Bishop Robert Fisher as Presider, and featuring award-winning Filarets Choir.  Knights of Columbus, Polish dance groups will also be featured.  We encourage all Polish American local organizations to come with their banners to be represented in the Novena opening procession.  The Polish American Congress Michigan Division acts as the coordinator of the Polish Novena.

Refreshments will be served after the Novena at the Parish Hall.

St. Anne De Detroit Church: 1000 St Anne St, Detroit, MI 48216.  Visit www.ste-anne.org for more information.

2018 “Invest in the Future” Make a Difference Scholarship Appeal

Dear Member and Friend of the Polish American Congress,

It is that time of the year for the Polish American annual Scholarship appeal “Invest in the Future and Make a Difference”.  With the cost of college education increasing each year, more and more students are applying for scholarships.  The Dinner Fundraiser that is held each year at Krakus Restaurant is not sufficient to award each student at least a one thousand dollar scholarship.

We are requesting contributions from you or your organization or from your family estates that can also be donated “in memory of” or “in honor of” an individual.  Donations of any amount will be greatly appreciated.  Those who give $100.00 or more will have their name placed on a Donor Board that will on display at the PAC office in Hamtramck for the entire year.

We have also enclosed our Scholarship Dinner flyer which is our major fundraiser.  It will be held at Krakus Restaurant on Wednesday, August 1, 2018.  This is a time to have a good meal, socialize, meet and talk with the scholarship recipients and donate towards a worthy cause.

Today, higher education is very expensive and for those young adults who continue their education to a higher degree, it is difficult for them to attend and at the same time, hold down a job to pay their expenses.  Your generous investment, whether large or small, is greatly appreciated and will make a difference for our youth who attend college and who are the future leaders of Polonia.

Polish American Congress of Michigan Scholarship Fund has given scholarships since 1972.  We hope that we can continue through your generosity.  Checks are to be made payable to: PAC of Michigan Scholarship Fund, Inc. and send to: PAC of Michigan Scholarship Fund, Inc. c/o 30214 Woodhouse Dr., Warren, MI 48092.  Deadline for this appeal is July 25, 2018.

 

With deep gratitude,

 

Wallace M. Ozog, President

PAC of Michigan Scholarship Fund, Inc.

 

Ann Bankowski, Chairman

PAC of Michigan Board

 

A Too Little Known Story: The Polish Army from America and Poland’s Rebirth

By Donald Pienkos

On November 11, 1918, the very day World War I ended on the Western Front, General Józef Pilsudski proclaimed Poland’s independence in Warsaw. Countless thousands of patriotic men and women played a part in Poland’s rebirth. Among them were the young men who volunteered to join a unique army from the United States serving under Polish colors – in France and then in Poland itself from 1918. Their story goes back to the early 1900s.

It was a time when enthusiasm for a partitioned Poland restored to independence was rising within the rapidly growing Polish immigrant community in America, four million strong in 1914, when the World War began. One of the ideas that generated enthusiasm was the creation of trained military units whose members would actually be prepared to return to Poland when the day for independence came.

Leading this initiative were members of the Polish Falcons Alliance, which had originated with a focus on promoting both patriotic feeling and physical fitness among its mainly young members.

But when the War broke out, the United States’ decision to remain neutral prevented any such organized action. However, by 1916, the situation had changed.

The Falcons began sending young men to train in Canada as officers in a future Polish Army once America did enter the conflict. Then on April 3, 1917 Ignacy Paderewski electrified the Falcons with his speech at their extraordinary convention in Pittsburgh. There he called for the creation of a Falcons’ led “Kosciuszko Army” of 100,000 men – fighting under Polish colors.

Just three days later the U.S. Congress declared War on Germany and Austria-Hungary. This decision had an enormous impact on the Polish community. First of all, the U.S. War Department immediately focused on raising an American army to fight in Europe, a decision that made it extremely reluctant to allow Polish Americans to join a separate fighting force under independent, although allied command. (Indeed, over 200,000 Polish Americans did enlist in the U.S. army).

The rules it established for a “Kosciuszko Army” placed severe limitations on who the Falcons and their allies could recruitment and how they could operate. Most significant, only young men who were not then U.S. citizens could join. Despite these many limitations, the Polish organizations had already set up 11 recruitment offices by September 1918 and established a training center at Fort Niagara on the Lake, Canada for the recruits. By December 1917 39 recruitment offices in 11 states were in operation. That same month the first 600 soldiers were on their way to France.

In all, 38,108 young men volunteered for duty in the United States; 22,395 were accepted. And 20, 721 were eventually dispatched for service in France. (Health considerations and family obligations were the main reasons for rejection.)

There they became part of a much larger force established by the French government in concert with Roman Dmowski’s Polish National Committee in Paris.

This Polish Army, which eventually numbered nearly 100,000 men, was composed of Poles from France and Belgium, volunteers from the prisoner of war camps who had been soldiers required to fight under Germany and Austria, along with other contingents from Canada and Brazil. Some units saw action already in Spring 1918.

In October, the Army gained its very own commander in chief, General Józef Haller,who had arrived in France just months before. At War’s end the Polish Army joined in celebration with the forces of the other victorious allies by marching through the Arch of Triumph. This was another sign of international recognition of Poland’s restoration to independence.

In April 1919 General Haller’s army, by then some 68,000 well provisioned and well-trained troops, was at last allowed to travel to Poland. There its members were welcomed with great fervor by Marshall Józef Pilsudski as soldierly brothers in arms. They were soon integrated into the Polish army, which was fighting on all fronts to establish its borders to the north, south, east and west.

In these engagements the Poles from America played a valued role.

By mid-1920, the Poles from America began making their way back to the United States, aided by U.S. Congressman John Kleczka of Milwaukee who won his colleagues’ approval to have U.S. transport ships bring them home. By 1921, some 12,546 men had returned to the United States.

In all, 42 officers and 1,792 enlisted men gave their lives to the cause of Poland’s independence, with many others wounded and incapacitated. They served in France, in Ukraine, on the Baltic coast and elsewhere. Back in the United States their leaders organized the Polish Army Veterans Association in America (Stowarzyszenie Weteranów Armii Polskiej w Ameryce) to provide fellowship and financial assistance to comrades who were in need. This organization has played a vital role in the Polish American community, with new members from World War II entering its ranks after 1945.

In 1957 it published a great volume on its story, Czyn Zbrojny Wychództwa Polskiego w Ameryce. This work has been translated and reissued in 2017, the centennial anniversary of Ignacy Paderewski’s great speech. It is Sons of in One Nation: The War Effort of the Polish Emigration in America, 1914-1920.

The beautiful medal of the Polish Army Veterans Association says it all about its members’ patriotic courage. On one side are the battles they fought – Champagne, Wołyń, Lwów, Pomorze. On the obverse side is the face of Paderewski.

 

Contributing Authors:

Dr. Patrice M. Dabrowski is an historian with degrees from Harvard University (A.B., A.M. and PhD) and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (M.A.L.D.). She has taught at Harvard, Brown, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and recently completed a three-year stint at the Doktoratskolleg Galizien at the University of Vienna. Dabrowski is currently an Associate of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute and editor of H-Poland. Dabrowski is the author of two books: Poland: The First Thousand Years and Commemorations and The Shaping of Modern Poland. In 2014, she was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.

Dr. John Radzilowski is an historian with degrees from Arizona State University specializing in Modern U.S. History, Public History, Russia/East. Currently, Dr. Radzilowski is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Alaska Southeast. Among his many activities, Dr. Radzilowski is a fellow at the Piast Institute: A National Center for Polish and Polish-American Affairs and past president of the Polish American Cultural Institute of Minnesota. He is also a contributing editor for the Encyclopedia of American Immigration (second edition), plus the author or co-author of 13 books.

Dr. Donald Pienkos is Professor Emeritus (Political Science) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He earned his Doctorate (in Russian and East European politics) from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. His many publications include the histories of the Polish National Alliance (1984, 2007), the Polish Falcons (1987, 2012) and the Polish American Congress (1991). He is an associate editor of The Polish American Encyclopedia (2012). In 2010, he was awarded the Officers Cross of service by the President of Poland.

 

 

Pictured below: Gen. Jozef Haller (photo: Wikipedia)

 

Retired Master Chief Special Warfare Operator Britt Slabinski was awarded the nation’s highest military honor

PHOTO: COURTESY OF NY TIMES

Click on the link below to read a fascinating story about Ret. Master Chief Special Warfare Operator Britt Slabinski receiving the U.S. highest military honor.

Retired Master Chief Special Warfare Operator Britt Slabinski was awarded the nation’s highest military honor

48th Annual Polish-American Night Hosted by Detroit Baseball Club

BY RAYMOND ROLAK

DETROIT – Ethnic promotions are very popular and Polish-American Night is no exception. The evening has been a highlighted tradition of the Major League Baseball season going on its 48th year.  The game and festivities did not disappoint the home crowd.

The Detroit Tigers eked out a 5 – 4 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park.

The pre-game festivities were coordinated by Polish Roman Catholic Union of America (PRCUA).  The special ticket package included a red and white Detroit Tigers / Polish American Night hat.

The Polish Roman Catholic Union of America (PRCUA) is the oldest Polish American insurance fraternal in America.  It was founded in 1873 in the spirit of brotherhood to unite and help Polish immigrants and to promote Polish culture.

Highlights before the game included the participation of 350 dancers on the field, 12 folk dance groups, the Polish Scouts and pre-game polka band entertainment.

Included in the program besides the affiliated PRCUA dance troupes, were folk dance teams sponsored by the Polish National Alliance.

This year’s co-chairmen are Wally Ozog and Chris Ozog.

Returning for an encore performance to sing the Republic of Poland National Anthem was Robert Szczublewski of Toledo. David Pozondek, longtime PRCUA member involved in coordinating several national sports tournaments threw out the ceremonial first pitch.  Also introduced as part of the pre-game ceremony was Rev. Miroslaw Krol, the new Chancellor of the Orchard Lake Schools and St. Mary’s Preparatory along with Ken Chmelko of the Polish- American Federal Credit Union.

National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame announced their 2018 honored inductees.  They include Former All-Pro football guard Conrad Dobler, gold medal winning swimmer Rachel Komisarz-Baugh, retired NBA basketball player and current University of Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak and national golf long drive champion Evan “Big Cat” Williams.

Joseph Drobot Jr. has been selected to receive 2018 NPASHF Special Recognition Award for dedication and service to sports.  The 46th annual induction banquet will be Thursday June 21, 2018 at the NPASHA Hall of Fame Museum at the American-Polish Cultural Center in Troy, Michigan.

The NPASHF had an information booth at Comerica Park during Polish Heritage Night and passed out beverage cozy’s and keepsake informational programs.

The game activities were  concluded by post-game fireworks.

 

Honored Baseball Inductees into the National Polish – American Sports Hall of Fame:

Oscar Bielaski

Stan Coveleski

Art “Pinky” Deras                 Native Detroiter

Moe Drabowsky

Mark Fidrych   *

Steve Gromek   *                 Native Detroiter

Ryan Klesko

Ted Kluszewski

Casimir (Jim) Konstanty

Whitey Kurowski

Tony Kubek

Bob Kuzava            Native Detroiter

Eddie Lopat

Stan Lopata           Native Detroiter

Greg Luzinski

Bill Mazeroski

Barney McCosky   *

Stan Musial   ***                  – Charter Inductee in 1973

Joe Niekro   *

Phil N iekro

Danny Ozark

Tom Paciorek        Native Detroiter

Ron Perranoski   *

Johnny Podres   *

Jack Quinn

Ron Reed   **

Jenny Romatowski

Ray Sadecki

Al Simmons

Bill Skowron

Frank Tanana   *                   Native Detroiter

Alan Trammell   *

Carl Yastrzemski

Richie Zisk

 

Played for the Detroit Tiger’s            – *

Also played for the Detroit Pistons   – **

First honored member to be inducted into the NPASHF       – ***