WARSAW, Poland - Illinois National Guard Soldiers celebrated Polish Armed Forces Day in Poland on Aug. 15 with Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski, Polish military members and international military leaders.
"This was an especially important year to honor the Polish military because it marks 20 years since we started our State Partnership Program with Poland," said Brig. Gen. Daniel M. Krumrei of Springfield, the Illinois National Guard adjutant general. "Over the past 20 years Illinois Soldiers have established enduring relationships with Polish Soldiers and Airmen, working together and sharing expertise to strengthen our military capabilities."
Polish Armed Forces Day was first celebrated Aug. 15, 1923. The day commemorates the victory of Polish forces in the Battle of Warsaw during the Polish-Soviet War in 1920 and celebrates Poland's past and present-day armed forces.
To celebrate, Illinois Soldiers joined Komorowski in a morning mass at Warsaw's Church of Our Lady Queen of the Polish Crown, the field cathedral of the Polish Army.
Komorowski then lead a ceremony and parade. Following the memorial ceremony, Illinois National Guard members joined multi-national military and diplomatic leaders in a reception at the Presidential Palace.
"While our mandate as the Illinois National Guard is to help our neighbor, protect our state, and defend our nation, these experiences help us to understand we do none of those things in a vacuum," Krumrei said. "These international events, and particularly our abiding relationship with Poland, better enables our Soldiers and Airmen to succeed and excel in any environment. We continue to challenge and be challenged, making us all better service members and citizens of our state and our world."
The day prior was the culmination of a time-honored pilgrimage, which has been celebrated by Catholics for centuries in Poland. Seven Illinois Soldiers walked 137 miles from Warsaw to Czestochowa in 10 days. They joined approximately 770 other military members who included Polish, German, Lithuanian and Latvian Soldiers.
Many of the Illinois National Guard Soldiers who participated in the pilgrimage represented the Illinois National Guard's chaplain corps.
The Polish Land Forces chaplain was also present to ensure the spiritual well-being of the Soldiers along the pilgrimage.
"This is a priceless opportunity for both sides," said Col. Marek Karczewski, Polish Land Forces chaplain. "Our partnership is a very needed cooperation, but most importantly we share experiences with each other and continue to learn from each other."
Karczewski plans to visit Illinois next month for a chaplain exchange with Illinois National Guard chaplains. They will exchange best practices and lessons learned regarding resilience, reintegration and family programs.
The Illinois National Guard State Partnership with Poland began in 1993. Over the past 20 years thousands of Illinois National Guard members have participated in exchanges with Polish military and civilian organizations.
Beginning in 2003, Illinois service members have deployed with Polish Armed Forces in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. There have been numerous military exchanges highlighting C-130 maintenance program exchanges, reserve force information exchanges, pre-deployment activity, as well as many other leadership building events. The program averages more than 25 bilateral events annually with Poland.