The Partisans in Gulag - article

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=135 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="985" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 75 ><NOBR><div> <B> </B><I><B>Witaj !</B></I><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> </B></I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Polonia in Boston</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://www.polboston.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.polboston.com"><I><IMG SRC="0086e400.png" border=0 width="110" height="64" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><bR> <div> <I><B>PolBoston.</B></I><I><B>c</B></I><I><B>om</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="1b72b450.gif" border=0 width="299" height="69" 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TARGET="_top" TITLE="Plaque">Plaque</A> |  <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Polonias Protest:">Poster</A> | <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Partisans Trail">Photos</A> | <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Boston Sculpture of Partisans ">Updates</A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.viapolonia.net/alert/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.viapolonia.net/alert/"><B><IMG SRC="0122d290.png" border=0 width="45" height="41" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >Alerts of 2005</FONT></div> <div> <B>January 2006 Alert!</B></div> <div> <B>"</B><A HREF="index_4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Boston Sculpture of Partisans "><B>Partisans</B></A><B>" by Andrzej Pitynski</B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index_1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Boston Sculpture of Partisans "><B><IMG SRC="0166a460.jpg" border=0 width="106" height="70" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index_2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Boston Sculpture of Partisans "><B><IMG SRC="01839410.jpg" border=0 width="57" height="65" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></A><B> </B><A HREF="index_3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Boston Sculpture of Partisans "><B><IMG SRC="01a2f410.jpg" border=0 width="47" height="65" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></A></div> <div> <B> in the Boston Common</B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id12.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Partisans Detention Camp in Boston"><IMG SRC="0eb513c0.jpg" border=0 width="81" height="60" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A> <A HREF="id12.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Partisans Detention Camp in Boston"><IMG SRC="0ea3b3c0.jpg" border=0 width="59" height="60" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id12.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Partisans Detention Camp in Boston"><B>"Detention Camp" in Boston</B></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=345 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <I>The Partisans in Gulag - article</I><I> </I></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0e94b640.jpg" border=0 width="75" height="100" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>S. Dzierzewski</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>“PARTISAN” SCUPTURE IN GULAG</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>     </B></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>     </B></FONT><B>T</B>he mayor has not responded to meeting with the Polish Committee request regarding an appropriate placement for the “Partisan” sculpture.</div> <bR> <div> Pitynski's ….Partisans is intended as a tribute to partisan guerilla freedom fighters everywhere: the artist, in other words, had no war, no names, nobody specific in mind.  Therefore it is generic.  In so doing, it satisfies the idea of memorializing partisan guerilla freedom fighters everywhere. </div> <div> The idea of fighting for freedom is important for Bostonians, Americans, Poles and even Italians.  Boston was the birth of our own revolution brought about by resistance of Minutemen as depicted along Boston's Freedom Trail.  Coincidentally, at the same period in history of the American Revolution, Poland was fighting for its freedom.  Unfortunately, Poland lost out to partitions by German, Austrian and Russian monarchs for over 150 years. During the Second World War Poland was invaded by two Totalitarian ruled nations, German Fascists and Soviet Communists.  Polish partisans fought back for “your freedom and ours” with enormous losses to partisans and their peoples.  Poland once more was lost to the Soviet Communist in which a totalitarian state followed.  In 1989, Solidarity along with help from President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II won Poland's freedom.  Finally, a triumph for the Partisans of the Solidarity movement which in turn rescued all of Eastern Europe from totalitarianisms   This is the reason that the Polish Community requests a prominent place on the Freedom Trail in Boston as a symbol of Freedom over oppressive thinking of Totalitarianisms, Communism, Fascism, etc.  Mayor Menino is of Italian descent.  Let us review Italian History of World War II.  Mousollini a Fascist join with Hitler and fought against the Americans.  Many Italians fighting the American Army in North Africa and Sicily were taken prisoners and surprisingly the Italian POW's were camped in So. Boston not very far from where the Partisan statue is jailed.  Nonetheless, the Italian's in September 1943 capitulated and surrendered to the Allies.  It must be noted according to the book “The Other Italy --- The Italian Resistance in World War II” by Maria de Blasio Wilhelm that traces the Italian wartime partisans from their birth in 1943 against overwhelming odds to their dramatic triumph two years later. There were approximately 224,000 militant Italian partisans at war's end. Of these, some 63,000 were killed and over 33,000 badly wounded.  Included were also many women who fought alongside the partisans.  Of these 35,000 Italian women, some 5,000 were imprisoned, 650 were executed or died in combat and 17 were awarded the gold medal for valor.  For the first time in Italian history large numbers of women were partners with their men fighting for a democratic cause.  Partisan is an Italian word meaning to fight for a cause.</div> <div>     </div> <div>     Perhaps the greatest contribution was that of the staffettas, the messengers who became the vital link fusing all aspects of the partisan movement.  A typical recruit for this task was a local resident Danilo Missio who was responsible to carry large sums of lire to pay partisans and peasants.  After a few months as a staffettas he asked for a more active role and took up the tasks of sabotage.    The Italian partisans had an impact in saving many fighting American and Polish military lives.  The Polish Army fought valiantly at Monte Cassino up the Italian booth concluding with the battle for Bolognia.</div> <div>      </div> <div>    Does Mayor Menino understand this historical perspective?  Is he taking the side of Fascist or will he with the minority of the former WWII Italian partisans and have the “Partisan” sculpture placed along the Freedom Trail in Boston as a remembrance that symbolizes freedom.  If not we are in the hands of a dictator.  Mayor Menino do the right thing-Put That sculpture along the Freedom Trail.    Consider the words by President Ronald Reagan to Gobachev --- “Take Down That Wall”. </div> <bR> <div> <I>by Stanley Dzierzewski</I></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>