My heart belongs to Poland…

 

Looking back from the perspective of our current social isolation, my meeting with Mr. Marian Bajda which occurred before the pandemic hijacked our lives, feels absolutely magical.

In itself, the meeting was not only very interesting, but uplifting as well. These days we look back with nostalgia to the good old days when one could go on a luncheon date in the company of others without overriding concerns about health and safety.

Actually, from the beginning to the end, the entire interview with Mr. Bajda evoked sentimentality for me because as I listened with fascination to his life story, basking in an aura of the calm that emanated from him, I came to realize, that yes, our generation is not like his… those were very different times, with different people and different needs… and there is so much we could learn from them. I listened intently. I took a lot of notes which now seem pallid and inadequate in comparison to the very vivid emotions and impressions I experienced as he spoke. 

We met for lunch at Sokolowski’s Inn of course; because it had to be Polish food, part of a tradition very important to Mr. Marian. The restaurant was bustling, noisy and filled to capacity with what seemed to be half of Cleveland’s population on lunch break enjoying delicious Polish cuisine. The food was very good. I grumbled about the noise, but now in our time of pandemic, I look back at the beautiful din of a crowd of happy people enjoying hearty food in the company of others and I wonder wistfully when will I be able to return for a future lunch date.

Marian Bajda is a distinctively warm, sincere, clear headed, energetic, neat and stylishly dressed elderly gentleman, who spent much of his teen years on a quest traversing across Europe to join the Anders’ Army.  He ultimately achieved that quest and went on to become an officer for this legendary Army.

“When was this?”

Mr. Bajda sighs, “it seems like it was just yesterday.”

Living in Elyria for many years, he was not engaged in the affairs and activities of our local Polonia, having busied himself with a “normal life” concentrating on his family, raising children and working.  He became active and visible in Polonia after his son, Andrew Bajda, published the book “Captured in Liberation” which tells the story of Marian and his family, a colorful story of the family and Poland’s quest for liberation. In the context of this history, Poland’s fight for liberty, lies the story of the Bajda family fighting for an independent Poland, and a better life and a safer future for themselves.

Upon publication, the book drew the attention of the Polish Ambassador to the USA, Peter ( Piotr) Wilczek who was fascinated by the story and invited both, father and son to the Polish Embassy in Washington D.C. having decided that he had to introduce them to General Anders’s daughter, Anna Maria Anders.  So began another adventure in the senior Mr. Bajda’s life, the opportunity to revisit well tread pathways from the past. From Washington D. C. to Warsaw and Monte Cassino, there were ceremonies and meetings to attend, the laying of flowers upon the graves of fallen fellow soldiers, beautiful speeches, so many moving experiences, emotions and memories of people and places, the battles — all vividly flooding back for him as he traveled back in place and time.  It’s impossible to describe those memories in words.  They live in his eyes and emanate from the heart. 

Our generation is not likely to understand or appreciate this kind of experience. We have not been ordered to shoot at the enemy, nor have we had to navigate around cannons on the battlefield, or be hunkered down in filthy trenches. Most of us have not had to say farewell to a dying friend and fellow soldier we held in our arms. We live in a country where hardships can mean a lack of electricity when there’s a windstorm. Nowadays, we feel beleaguered by the lack of toilet paper during the pandemic. For these soldiers the winds of war raged around them for years, but the desire to fight for an independent country and personal freedom gave the young soldiers angels’ wings which carried them on their mission with heroic courage. As I listened to Mr. Bajda, I could almost see those wings springing up from his uniform.    

Young Marian Bajda was only 15 years old when WWII broke out.  I asked what he remembered of the war before joining Anders Army and starting his military training in Italy.  Again, his eyes lit up as he began: “Actually it was very exciting.  I was always a curious fellow and I quickly saw everything that was happening was quite different from what I had known before war.  It seemed like a big adventure” (hmmm, war – an adventure?  I thought to myself).  He continued, “the journey excited me when we were told we had to evacuate from our village.  We had a large wagon, pulled by two horses which we rode in for twelve days and nights.  It felt like a mini-vacation for me, he adds with a smile.  We were running from the Germans, from Bochnia near Krakow to the border with Russia.  My father worked with the local ruling council and all those who were on that council were ordered to go east. My mother had such heart. It took her all afternoon to pack up the wagon with all the necessities we would need for our flight from the village.   She was determined we would have everything we needed to survive. I remember how caring she was,” he sighs.

(In my mind’s eye, I’m seeing a terrified woman, frantically packing her family’s worldly possessions, pots and pans, clothing, blankets and anything else she felt was necessary, while trying to appear strong and in charge of her emotions.   What am I hearing?  This was another world entirely – a time of life and  death decisions, of desperate flights from a real enemy, of evacuations, of smiling through the tears and outracing bullets flying overhead.)      

Another fascinating aspect of Mr. Marian’s history is his British – Polish marriage.  He and his wife Iris, each maintained their side in the family and instilled in their children a bicultural background enriched with the traditions they each brought from their cultures.   It’s important to remember that the Polish army at this time was part of the British army and when Anders’s Army was quartered in Great Britain the young corporal Bajda met a lovely Brit named Iris, who along with her cousin, liked to slip out in the evening to go to dances where she was able to mingle with Polish soldiers.  Iris and Marian were soon married and the decision was made that they would emigrate to America.  She had never considered such a move previously and frankly, at first, Iris was not at all thrilled about the idea of emigrating to the U.S. As their ship entered New York harbor and sailed past the Statue of Liberty, Iris didn’t even glance in that direction, recounts her husband, who so many years later, remains amused by the “British character” of his wife.  Once they found a home in which to settle, Iris went out into the street, looked about and declared with British dignity and in her British accent “this is America?”. It was then Marian knew that it would not be easy for her to adapt to her new life.  When she went shopping Iris would return indignant that Americans didn’t understand her British accent nor her particular needs.  Her frustrations as recounted by her husband reminded me of my own struggles upon arriving in America . . . (Oh it was not easy!)  Mr. and Mrs. Bajda were married for 68 years and at the end of life, she became sick and Mr. Bajda lovingly cared for her in their home that be built.     

 

I asked what the secret for a successful marriage was:

“You have to work through the differences.  Iris was initially afraid to become a Catholic, but having the same faith makes marriage a little easier for a couple.  Whenever a problem arises, you have to spend time on resolving it with discussion.  You have to constantly communicate with each other to prevent a gulf from forming between yourselves and you must never hold grudges.”

Sitting at the table with us, his son Andrew adds “Mom had opinions on many things and she often made the decisions.  Dad would go along with it because they respected each other.” (At this moment Andrew and I exchange knowing smiles — there was a time when people lived together in traditional marriages, didn’t blame each other and maintained mutual respect.  How did they do it?  Yes, we both shake our heads in agreement, things were definitely different at that time.)

Returning to the adventures that ensued once Andrew’s book, “Captured in Liberation” was published in 2016, we learn Andrew spent 6 weeks in Europe visiting 6 countries in 2015 before its publication, doing research and gathering material. The book’s publication not only brought father and son closer, but opened up more opportunities to travel to Europe.  They visited Poland and Italy in 2019 and warmly recall Andrew’s trip in 2017 to Bochnia, Mr. Marian’s birthplace. Andrew was a guest speaker at the library, where over 100 people, including many local family members, attended.  Visible on a large screen behind Andrew was Marian, Iris, and their daughters, proudly watching via Skype.  It was a memorable evening that family and townsfolk still recall fondly.

Mr. Marian is very pleased that he is able to visit the Polish American Cultural Center in Cleveland, and enthusiastically praises the differences he sees here in comparison with other Polish clubs in the area. He explains that although he enjoys American football, he is not a fan of sitting at a bar drinking beers and discussing sports.  “That has never really appealed to me.   I prefer stimulating conversation over a glass of wine and I have found that at the Polish Cultural Center.   At the other clubs, if you’re not up on what’s happening in American sports, there’s really nothing much else to talk about.  The PACC is different and I feel most comfortable there.”  

“And Forum?  I ask. “Forum has lately come under fire.  Any advice for our Forum?”

“Forum is a very interesting publication and I enjoy reading it. I really don’t know why you would need to change anything.  Continue to do the excellent work that is being done” he replied.

So, what’s it like to be 96? I wonder aloud – how does he see himself and the world at that amazing age?

“It’s like being 46 or 56, there is no difference. All I would change is getting a new pair of eyes.  You must work at keeping a good attitude, avoid stress, shun negativity, refrain from keeping grudges, learn from others and before you know it, you’re in your 80’s! “claims my interviewee with a smile  that suggested  “listen to what I’m telling you, listen to your elder because I know what I’m talking about”.

This gentleman truly fascinates me.  A normal day for him as a 96 year-old is quite intense but highly structured.  He arrives at his local gym for a workout at 6:30 a.m. every day.  Afterwards he goes to his church. Once back at home, he tidies up the house (he loves to clean!) using an effective routine he established with his wife long ago. He cooks for himself and spends most of his afternoons reading books (which is why he wishes for a pair of new eyes). He reads Pan Tadeusz, usually twice a year, each time from the beginning, enthralled by the poetry. Among precious memories from his childhood home, he mentions the tomes of Mickiewicz’s as well as all of Slowacki’s poetry that they possessed; literature that he cherishes deeply today.

“Do you have any regrets?”  I close with this standard interview question.

“Perhaps only that I did not continue my education. There were the obligations of maintaining the household, tending to the family, going to work. If I had pursued more education I could have done so much more in life”.

When people learn that Mr. Marian is an American, there is a moment of silence on his part as he reflects for a few seconds and replies, always the same way: “My heart is like the heart of Pilsudski and Chopin

. . . My heart belongs to Poland.”