By: Mark Vest | West Bloomfield Beacon | Published October 13, 2022
ORCHARD LAKE — The Polish Institute of Culture and Research at Orchard Lake Schools recently held an official dedication of the General Józef Haller Monument in front of the galleria on the campus of Orchard Lake Schools, according to a press release from Orchard Lake Schools.
The dedication took place Oct. 2.
“The monument commemorates General Haller, a Polish general and political activist who commanded the Polish Army, known as ‘the Blue Army,’ from the color of their uniforms,” Polish Institute of Culture and Research Director John Radzilowski stated in the release. “It was sponsored by the Instytut Pamięci Narodowej of the Republic of Poland, also known as the Institute for National Remembrance, an arm of the Polish parliament tasked with commemorating and documenting Poland’s struggle for existence in the 20th century against the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.”
The release further stated that, “We are honored to host the newly appointed Consul General of Poland from Chicago who will give the keynote address and mark his first visit to the Orchard Lake Schools campus.”
The release went on to share more historical details.
“The Dedication is a special time to pause and reflect on the efforts of General Józef Haller and his men, including over 23,000 Polish Americans who joined the Blue Army and served with General Haller, many of whom were from Michigan.”
According to the release, some of the Michigan residents who enlisted did so on the campus of Orchard Lake Schools.
In 1918, Haller, who lived from 1873 to 1960, took command of a newly organized Polish Army in France to fight alongside the Entente Powers.
“Recruited from Poles in North America, they wore blue-colored French uniforms,” the release states.
At the end of World War I, as Poland regained independence after 123 years of foreign subjugation, Haller and his men were transferred to Poland from France.
“They fought with distinction in defense of Polish independence,” Radzilowski stated. “Haller commanded the Polish Fourth Army during the Battle of Warsaw in August 1920 where the Polish Army defeated a massive Bolshevik invasion designed to crush Poland and spread communism across Europe.”
Many of these veterans returned to Michigan after the war. They served their parishes and communities, raised their families, and helped form a national veterans organization called Stowarzyszenie Weteranów Armii Polskiej w Ameryce, or the Polish Army Veterans Association in America, according to the release.
There were many chapters in metro Detroit, and many of the veterans and their descendants have been active supporters of the Orchard Lake Schools, the release states.
Haller visited Michigan and spent time with his veteran soldiers, who remained strong supporters of “their leader,” according to the release.
The release also states that their descendants still share stories of Blue Army veterans, which can help assure that they are not forgotten.
“Local activist Henrietta Nowakowski’s father was a highly decorated Blue Army veteran,” Polish Institute of Culture and Research Chairman Richard A. Walawender stated via the release. “She’s shared many of these memories with others, including the Orchard Lake Schools campus community and Polonia.”
The Dedication of the General Józef Haller Monument is a symbol of the fight for Poland’s freedom and the efforts of the Blue Army, according to the release.