THUNDER BAY - For many veterans who served in the Second World War, memories of the battlefield are never very far away, and as difficult as remembering can be, it’s important that nothing is forgotten.
Robert Gondek, who fought in one of the fiercest battles of the Second World War, said he still remembers the cold February mornings in Italy and how soldiers tried to stay warm.
”In the mornings, we used to get a shot of rum,” he said. “Biggest battle I fought was Monte Cassino in Italy. I was 20-years-old. I lost my arm when I was 20.”
On Sunday, Gondek was one of more than a dozen members of the local Polish Combatants Association of Canada to participate in a wreath laying ceremony at Polish Combatants' Branch No. 1.
The ceremony is meant to commemorate the Battle of Monte Cassino, where more than 1,000 Polish soldiers were killed while participating in the Allied assault in Italy.
“It was one of the fiercest battles in the Second World War but also one of the greatest Allied victories,” said Andrzej Ruta, the national president of the Polish Combatant Association of Canada. “This association was formed by the soldiers of the Second Corp. We remember them and we remember the 1,015 that are buried at Monte Cassino and that is why we pay tribute to them today.”
The Battle of Monte Cassino began in January 1944 and raged until May 18, 1944. As part of the Italian Campaign, the series of assaults along several fortified enemy lines was meant to serve as a breakthrough toward the liberation of Rome.
The nearly five month battle saw soldiers from Great Britain, India, the U.S., France, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, and Poland fighting to overthrow a determined enemy.
“I go to see Monte Cassino whenever I can do it,” Gondek said. “The battle was very hard fought.”
Gondek was born in Poland in 1924 and he witnessed his country invaded by Nazi Germany in the west and Communist Russia in the east. Gondek joined the Polish Army and served as a captain for seven years. He participated in the Battle of Monte Cassino where he lost his left arm and he was awarded the War Order of Virtuti Militari, Poland’s highest military honour.
“What we have done is helped other people, youngers and olders,” he said. “I’m the oldest in here. I’m 93-years old. I’m still doing the best to help other younger people. That is what we are and what we were and what we fought for.”
Following the war, Gondek travelled to Canada where he continued to help people by serving on the National Board of Directors with The War Amps.
“We do it because we couldn’t get back to Poland,” he said. “Luckily Canada offered to take us here. I’ve been here since 1954.”
According to Ruta, Canada accepted more than 4,500 Polish soldiers following the war. Part of the commemoration ceremonies held this week is to honour those who first arrived and established the association to assist those soldiers starting a new life in a new country.
“Our main purpose is to remember our founders and continue with our goals of support for our veterans and their families,” Ruta said. “The majority are over 90-years-old and we have a few over 100-years-old. We also gather to thank them for our way of life. If it wasn’t for our soldiers, we don’t know what kind of a world we would be living in.”
For Gondek, ceremonies like the one on Sunday are important to keep the memories alive for himself, his fellow veterans, and for generations to come.
“You never forget,” he said. “Every day. Too many lives lost to forget it. Never forget it.”
