Dr. Krzysztof Flizak (born 19 August 1932 in Poland) a captain of the U.S. Army, 101st Airborne, who in 1940 was deported with his family by the Russians.

 

His father, Tadeusz Flizak, was a soldier who fought in the September Campaign in Poland, was then captured by the Russians and sent to the prisoner-of-war camp near Smolensk. The family was later deported to the labour camp in in the vicinity of Chelyabinsk.

 

Krzysztof and his mother and his sister, two years younger, were hiding in their cousin’s house. There, on 29 June 1940, they were detained by the Soviets and transported in cattle wagons to a small Asian town in the Sverdlov region, behind the Urals. Several times displaced, they finally went to a deep taiga in the vicinity of Novosibirsk, where they experienced hunger, minus 40 degree frosts, and hard work beyond strength.

 

When they heard the news of the formation of the Polish army under the command of General Władysław Anders, then ten-year-old Krzysztof decided to find his father. It was a dangerous trip – riding on freight trains, without permission from the Soviet authorities to travel, and without a ticket. He was heading to the south of the Soviet Union, knowing that this is where the auxiliary army created from the Polish prisoners and exiles released under the "amnesty" was to support Soviet Russia fighting with Germany.

 

Krzysztof reached his destination and managed to find his father, who came to Kermine (today Nawoi — a city in Uzbekistan, 150 kilometers northwest of Samarkand). The meeting was short, because Tadeusz Flizak had to quickly return to his unit. Meanwhile, Krzysztof began to pursue his dreams of joining the army.

 

He joined the cadet school created by the Polish Army. To be admitted, he gave a two-year earlier date of birth. He was accepted and thus became the youngest soldier of General Anders’ army.

 

This is how he remembered those years: "There was freedom before us, there was hope of survival, hope of a better tomorrow, hope that this may be the beginning of the journey back to Poland... We couldn’t dream of anything else at the time. And we went further: through Pahlevi, Tehran, through Habbaniyah and the sandstorms, through Syria, the Black Desert, and Transjordania. From the “inhuman earth” to the “promised land.”

 

All schools organized by the army had Polish names are junackie schools for boys and junior volunteers (SMO) schools for girls. Krzysztof recalls the words that General Anders addressed to the junaks (cadets) during one of his visits: "You are my last military reserve, and I hope that soon we will all see a free and independent Poland."

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Krzysztof gratefully speaks of the role of this great commander in his life: "I owe everything to General Anders. He saved me from the Siberian hell, he took care of my failing health, gave everything to his family: the Polish army."

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When Krzysztof found himself with the Polish army in Iraq in April 1942, his photo with the following caption was soon placed in the field newspaper: "The youngest soldier of General Anders, Krzysztof Flizak, reports to his head of the company, Sergeant Bronisław Dereni, in the Polish Army camp on Lake Haba Nija." In another photograph, Krzysztof, standing in the company of two cadets, holds flowers intended for General Kazimierz Sosnkowski, who took command of the Polish Armed Forces in the West after the tragic death of General Władysław Sikorski.

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The path to freedom, which led through Palestine and Egypt, was a school of youthful solidarity. The army was a substitute for his homeland. The Cadet School Corps (JSK) was created on the model of the pre-war Cadet Corps of the Second Republic of Poland. The cadets wore British uniforms, but in addition to the shoulder pads from JSK on their sleeves, they had a badge "Poland" and a Christmas tree on a white and red shield. It was a badge of the 3rd Carpathian Rifle Division. In the summer, the cadets wore British tropical uniforms, but with Polish emblems.

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In August 1947, the Cadet School was transported from Palestine to Port Said in Egypt, after which, on the ship "Chitral," along with British troops, reached Southampton. After a year in the Bodney camp near Cambridge and graduation, the Corps was demobilized. The cadets ended up settling around the world. Many of them emigrated to America, Canada, Australia, Argentina and Brazil. Few returned to their homeland. In communist Poland, the "Anders's soldiers were not welcome.

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When the war was over and the time of demobilization came, the military made sure that the cadets could get an education and find civilian positions. Krzysztof completed two years of engineering at Chelsea University of Technology, but in England, but his parents did not think he had prospects for promotion in England. He decided to go to America. When he left Europe by ship Queen Mary in 1951, he was not quite 19 years old. On American soil, the customs officer checked his pockets and ordered him to open his luggage. These were two heavy suitcases, and in them were books. The official nodded and commented ironically: "Son! Do you think you can conquer America with these books and seven dollars in your pocket?” The young man with a confident face said, "You will see, sir!"

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In America, he didn't know anyone who could help him. At times, he was close to giving up. He was rescued by the United States Army. He felt in his element again. He graduated from the Officer's School at Fort Benning, Georgia, and the School of Parachute Jumpers. He was assigned to the 187th Airborne Regiment in the 101st Parachute Division "Screaming Eagles," with which he was sent to Korea.

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A new chapter in the life of Krzysztof had begun. He recalls this time: "I served in the United States Army with great pride. I took an active part in the armed action in Korea, where the aggressor was supported by Soviet Russia and red China. My participation in this war was a struggle “for our and your freedom”. On 25 May 1953, two months before the end of military action, he was seriously wounded. The recuperation took many months. He was in hospitals in Korea, Japan, and eventually at the U.S. Army Hospital in Fort McClellan, Alabama. He then got a referral for five years of rehabilitation. During this time, he studied at the Wisconsin state university, which was paid by the military.

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When he reported to the military commission after five years, he was told he could return to active service, in the rank of captain. The boy's dream of becoming a general was ruined. In this situation, Krzysztof decided to pursue a scientific career. He became a junior professor at Wayne State University in Detroit. His work included developing specialized textbooks (and training programs) for U.S. military aviation. He also taught at universities in the United States, Canada, and Sweden.

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"When I was building my career in the United States Army and later in the scientific world in America and Sweden, I felt like a beacon of Sienkiewicz, thirsty for a Polish word," he recalls. "In order not to lose fluency in the Anglo-Saxon environment, I read a lot in Polish."

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For 30 years he had no contact with the Polish language, not counting books. A great change occurred when he met his current wife, Mariola Matuszewska. "I was deeply touched when my beloved mother tongue came into my life again."

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Krzysztof, due to his young age, did not take direct part in the fighting in Italy. But twelve senior cadet schoolmates were killed in the battles of Monte Cassino, Loreto, Ancona and Bologna. He always remembers them with regret and deep respect.

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“Every year I come to Monte Cassino in my U.S. uniform, which I am very proud of - but underneath it beats a Polish heart. I come here to salute my colleagues that are buried here - including one of my dearest friends who was barely 18 years old when he died.”
 

Source: Several Facebook posts​​​

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