[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 20847-20848]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO HALINA GRABOWSKI

 Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I rise today to honor and remember 
the life of an extraordinary woman--a woman who experienced events that 
exist to most of us merely as stories in our history textbooks. I am 
proud to call this woman a fellow Ohioan--one who, as a teenager, 
fought in the Warsaw Uprising against the invading Germans.
  This woman, Halina Grabowski, lived her life with a rare courage and 
loyalty, and her level of service to humanity is something to which we 
all should aspire. Halina recently passed away in Cleveland at the age 
of 75. I would like to share her amazing story with my colleagues in 
the Senate.
  Halina was born in 1928 to a homebuilder and his wife in Warsaw, 
Poland. She grew up as one of 12 children living comfortably in the 
city. However, the outbreak of World War II changed forever the kind of 
life she and her family knew.
  The German army swept through Poland in September 1939. As we know 
all too well, the atrocities the Nazis inflicted on the Polish people 
were truly horrific. Halina and her family were unable to escape the 
occupiers. Her house was burned to the ground and her brother died in 
her arms following a brutal beating by German soldiers. Halina's mother 
was killed when German planes bombed the church in which she was 
seeking refuge. At this point, most of us would give up--but not 
Halina. In the midst of this devastation, she decided to join the 
resistance movement in Warsaw.
  The Warsaw Uprising erupted out of the city's ghettoes on August 1, 
1944. After the Jews resisted early efforts to quell the rebellion, 
masses of German reinforcements entered the city with an order to kill 
all of its inhabitants. Despite the threat, Halina joined the Armia 
Krajowa, or Home Army.
  Even though the Home Army was greatly disadvantaged, they fought 
fiercely and bravely. Halina was assigned to duties as a messenger, 
nurse, and guard. During the resistance, her foot and arm were severely 
injured by German shells. However, rather than succumbing to her 
injuries, Halina bandaged herself and returned to her unit. Several 
times, she and her comrades escaped enemy troops by crawling through 
sewers and fighting off rats.
  Despite their courageous efforts, the Home Army eventually ran out of 
food, medicine, and ammunition. The Germans captured Halina and her 
unit and sent them to concentration camps in Germany.
  The resistance engaged the German occupiers for 63 days of intense 
fighting--the longest Polish resistance battle fought during World War 
II. In addition to its length, the Warsaw Uprising was the greatest 
military operation undertaken by any resistance movement in Europe at 
the time. It was an amazing act of courage and overwhelming valor. When 
it was over, more than 200,000 Polish people had lost their lives 
fighting for their freedom.
  Halina survived the War. She survived the ghetto, the resistance, and 
a

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German concentration camp. Throughout this, she also managed to find 
the love of her life--George Grabowski. They married in England in 1948 
after they left Germany. In 1952, Halina and George moved to Cleveland, 
and although she lived as an American for the next 50 years, her ties 
to her home country were never severed.
  Halina served as an officer in the Polish American Congress, PAC, an 
umbrella organization of 3,000 Polish-American organizations and clubs. 
The PAC promotes civic, educational, and cultural programs designed to 
further not only the knowledge of Polish history, language, and 
culture, but also to stimulate Polish-American involvement in the 
United States. Additionally, Halina served as a member of the 
organization of Polish Veterans Combatants and the SPK Polish service 
organization.
  While much of her new American life was dedicated to Polish causes, 
Halina was also a devoted mother and wife. She had a daughter and a 
son, who she raised while working for twenty years in the payroll 
department of Society National Bank.
  Halina lived through one of the most harrowing events the world has 
ever seen. However, she did not let it overwhelm her. Rather, she 
courageously fought for her freedom and never gave up. Halina was 
awarded Poland's A.K. Cross and four other medals for her service in 
the Home Army. I offer my condolences to her entire family--especially 
to her husband George; their two children, Theresa and John; and their 
seven grandchildren.
  Halina Grabowski was an amazing woman--we will never forget 
her.

                          ____________________