Warsaw Uprising Flag over Greenpoint

For the eighth time, in front of its headquarters on McGuinness Avenue in New York, the Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union organized a ceremony to raise the flag of Polish Resistance during World War II. Representatives of many organizations and the Polish community in New York paid tribute to the heroes of the Warsaw Uprising. Our Credit Union was represented by Chairman of the Board of Directors Krzysztof Matyszczyk, President/CEO Bogdan Chmielewski, Secretary of the Board of Directors Dr. Iwona Korga, Chairman of the Supervisory Committee Artur Dolega and employees of the PSFCU branch at 100 McGuinness Blvd.

The so-called „W” hour was an extremely important moment in Polish history. Exactly at 5:00 PM Polish time (11:AM EDT) Mr. Matyszczyk, together with Anita Polczynska-Zadrozna, daughter of Miroslaw Polczynski, code name Painter, a soldier of the “Parasol” Battalion and member of the Kedyw unit of the Home Army Headquarters, raised the white and red flag with the symbol of Polish Resistance.

This year’s festivities were attended by distinguished guests, including wartime deportee to Siberia Helena Knapczyk, Consul General Adrian Kubicki, Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Army Veterans Association in America Tadeusz Antoniak, son of the commander of the “Wildcat” unit Janusz Romanski and representatives of Polish organizations, clubs and businesses. Mr. Chmielewski thanked the attendees for their presence and commitment to the Polish community: “I am glad that you came here to jointly remind the people of New York and the people of America in general about what an important date today is in Polish history. About what the Warsaw Uprising was, when it happened and how important it was for our nation.” He also stressed the special significance of the Uprising in the context of current events beyond Poland’s eastern border.

Consul Adrian Kubicki referred in his speech to the sacrifice and devotion to the homeland: “We meet here to honor the memory of the ‘victors’ of the Warsaw Uprising... if it weren’t for their sacrifice, we probably wouldn’t be here today. They showed the world that the Polish nation cannot be erased.”

Celebrations commemorating the 79th anniversary of the Uprising were also held in Chicago. The raising of the flag took place in front of our branch in Bridgeview, IL, which was mentioned in
the speech by Mr. Krzysztof Matyszczyk: “Today we honor the memory, heroism and sacrifice of the entire nation. History plays a very big role. Especially the memory of the Warsaw Uprising, whose stature and importance is difficult to underestimate. I am glad that we honor this memory both here and in Chicago, as well as in Poland and abroad, wherever Poles reside.”

The commemoration of the Warsaw Uprising Heroes, celebrated for nearly eighty years from generation to generation, is a fixture on the calendar of Poles at home and abroad. The Polish-American community has always shown respect and remembered the heroes, and we are proud that our Credit Union is the organizer of such important ceremonies. The symbol of our remembrance, the flag of Polish Resistance will be flown until October 2, that is for 63 days, exactly as long as the heroic struggles of the insurgents lasted.

By organizing events such as the anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, the Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union yet again shows that it cares about Polish traditions and the memory of Polish heroes, thus proving that “our Credit Union is more than a bank.”