Wigilia in a bullet-proof vest

A POL-AM CHRISTMAS STORY

By Robert Strybel, Polish/Polonian Affairs Writer

Last year, Chicagoland’s Lt. Gary Witkowski, a career officer in the US Army, experienced one of his strangest Christmases ever when sharing opłatek in a bullet-proof vest. That was in Afghanistan, where he was stationed as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. But let’s go back to the beginning.

Raised in southwest Chicago’s Brighton park area by Polish DP grandparents, while his parents were busy setting up a catering business, he ended up speaking better Polish than his folks. He was also steeped in Polish traditions including all the beautiful old Wigilia customs. That early contact with two languages had inspired Gary to major in foreign languages at college. The growing importance of Chicago’s Hispanic presence made him to major in Spanish, and he readily picked up Portuguese, French and Italian. He also read Polish novels and history books on his own. His classmates raised in English-only families couldn’t understand how Gary doesn’t get them all mixed up.

But he recalled Dziadek Zbyszek telling him that speaking another language was like seeing the world with an additional pair of eyes. Because of his linguistic skills and interests, when Gary decided on a military career he was sent to the US Army’s Language School in Monterey, California. There he honed up on his Romance languages, enhanced his near-native Polish with military terminology and, somewhat on a whim, decided to study Pashto, the main language of Afghanistan.

That was years before the NATO operation in that country, so little did he know how his languages would come in handy. In Afghanistan he was assigned to liaise with the French, Italian and Polish forces stationed in that country, and his basic knowledge of Pashto enabled him to communicate with Afghan natives. That liaison role also gave him more privileges including permission to spend Christmas Eve at the Polish base. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without Wigilia!

The Polish troops had a priest to bless the opłatek which they all shared, and there was the traditional Wigilia supper including red beetroot barszcz, herring, stewed sauerkraut and mushrooms, pierogi and poppyseed cake. There was also singing of the favorite old kolędy. But before that could happen, the Polish base was fired upon by Taliban terrorists. Everybody took up their pre-assigned positions and visitors were ordered to take cover. The mortar attack had temporarily disrupted the holiday festivities but had caused no damage. Helicopters soon took off after the attackers and returned the fire. All in all, nobody was hurt and the Christmas preparations soon resumed.

In addition to the typical “wszystkiego najlepszego” (all the best) many of the soldiers wished one another “szybkiego powrotu do kraju” (a speedy return home). Later Gary was able to make contact by satellite phone with his Polish-born wife Krysia and their two children in Glenview, Illinois. “It was Wigilia as usual!” he replied, when had asked what his Christmas was like. “Why make the poor gal and kids worry?” he thought to himself.

Photos source: PHOTOS: Christmas with the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan – Los Angeles Times