Recognizing a Local Hero

However in Stalingrad, they had faced a professional army with air support whereas in Warsaw, they were confronted by some 40,000 irregular volunteers led by a handful of professional soldiers, supported by children and civilians.
Without proper arms and manpower, they were resolved to fight even though the Nazi’s had a tremendous advantage of soldiers, air power, tanks and weapons. The Warsaw Uprising came to an end in 63 valiant and determined days.

Cleveland resident Halina Junak knows the story of this struggle first hand. In 1943, a teenage Junak felt compelled to join the Underground Resistance in response to the occupation and oppression of Warsaw by the German Army. For her efforts she was arrested in 1948, tortured, taken to a prison camp by the Russian Army and sentenced to death. She was treated like a criminal and her captors tried to break her spirit, but she persevered and was released 10 years later. Finally, Junak received her freedom when she immigrated to the United States in 1960. Her story became the subject of the book Null and Void in 2008. She is a true hero and her life experiences, an inspiration to all Polonia. (Learn more of her story in the attached biographical data sheet.)

In honor of her bravery during the Warsaw Uprising to defend her homeland, her suffering in prison, her struggles to rebuild her life, and her dedication to promoting the causes of Polonia, Halina Junak has been named the Grand Marshal
of the 63rd Polish Constitution Day Parade, sponsored by the Polish American Congress Ohio Division. The octogenarian will lead the parade on Sunday, May 1, 2011 in Parma down Ridge Road in the area recently named "Polish Village." Information on the complete weekend of activities is available here.

"We are proud to honor one of our most dedicated, and most decorated members," says Francis Rutkowski, PAC-OH first vice president and parade chairman, noting she is most deserving of this honor. "She serves as a model of patriotism
and bravery for today’s youth, especially during these times of political turmoil."

When asked how was it that she felt such patriotism and bravery to defend her homeland, Junak replied: "I drank it with my mother’s milk. To this day, I do not regret what I did."


A Timeline of Helen Junak’s Service

In the Underground Army
Junak joined the Polish Underground Army, known in Polish as Armia Krajowa (AK) at the tender age of 19. Poland was under siege, and Warsaw was occupied by Nazi forces. Junak gave up her youth to defend her country.

Work as a Courier
She was assigned to a unit as a courier. It was her duty to deliver messages to AK commanders throughout the city of Warsaw. Sometimes the routes were very dangerous, with Nazi soldiers shooting any Polish citizen at will. The sewers of Warsaw also became routes of travel because the Nazis could not see the couriers running underground.

Work to Free Poland
Junak narrowly avoided being sent to a Nazi work camp in Germany near the end of the war. When the war ended, Junak and her family returned to live in Warsaw, now under the Russian sphere of influence. Junak gained employment in an office of the Ministry of Security, but she still worked to free Poland from the oppressive Russians. She was arrested and tried for high treason, a crime punishable by death.

Show-Trial
Her show-trial was held in the auditorium where she worked, and 500 employees were compelled to attend, to see what punishment is meted out to traitors. When she first entered the courtroom, Junak saw a sealed envelope on the judge’s desk – her fate had already been determined before the trial.

Death Sentence
The judge, in Polish military uniform, spoke with a heavy Russian accent. "Guilty, as charged." Sentence: DEATH. For a short time Junak sat on death row, until there was a change in government, when her death sentence was commuted to life in prison.
For 10 years Junak sat in prison, being transferred from one location to another, and she was tortured frequently. Finally, Junak was declared "rehabilitated" and was released from prison. However, being an ex-convict, it was difficult for her to obtain employment. And it was even possible that she could be re-arrested, if the authorities decided to do so.

To America
To save her from such a terrible fate, her American widowed uncle, who had been married to the sister of Junak’s mother, agreed to marry her and take her to America where she could rebuild her life. The marriage took place in Poland, but Junak was twice refused a Polish passport to come to the USA. Her uncle, now her new husband, had to leave her in Poland while he returned to the USA.
Finally she was granted her passport and a US visa, and made plans to fly to Cleveland, Ohio. She sent a telegram to her uncle to inform him when to pick her up at Cleveland Hopkins Airport. But when she arrived, no one was there to meet her. Having her uncle’s telephone number with her, Junak called him to ask where he was. One of his adult daughters answered the phone and asked, "Didn’t you get our telegram? Our father died and has just been buried."

Marriage
And so began the new life of Halina Junak in American. Her uncle’s daughters permitted Junak to live in one of their apartments while she looked for a job and became independent. Later she remarried and had one son, Andrew. "On a sunny Friday in early May of 1999," Junak remembers, "there was a knock on my door. A stranger brought news from the Polish Consulate in New York that I was to be presented with the Home Army Medal for bravery during the Warsaw Uprising. The order was personally signed by Lech Walesa, Poland’s first freely-elected president, following the collapse of communism in Poland."

Polonia Activist
Junak is extremely involved with Polonia activities to this very day. She is especially motivated to educate young people about the Warsaw Uprising. In 2008 a book titled "Null and Void" was written about her life during and after the war.

MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELASE
CONTACT: Dr. Mitchell Benia
216-268-9960
mitchbienia@aol.com