Utica, New York April 30
On Friday, April 30 the City of Utica and The Royal Order Kingdom of
Poland sponsored an event to honor WWII Polish veterans of the battle
of Monte Casino. This type of recognition is exactly what the WWII
Polish LHG wants to support. We were initially contacted by a local
representative of the Polish American Congress to see if we could help
out with the ceremony and subsequent public display at City Hall
showing artifacts from the battle. The day began with a special mass held at the Holy Trinity RC church in Utica. Polish WWII vets act as the honor guard before mass.
Here Utical Mayor the Hon. M. Roefaro begins the ceremony with appropriate remarks on behalf of the city.
A large crowd of Utica residents attended the outdoor portion of the ceremony. The city's population historicaly was composed of a very large percentage of Polish and Italian Americans. A great cross section of the city was represented.
As part of the ceremony each veteran was awarded a medal especially designed for the occasion by the Royal Order Kingdom of Poland. Here 3rd Carpathian veteran Joseph Biega is decorated by HRH Diana Lenska.
Utica resident and veteran of the 3rd Carpathian Division, Henry Jaworski receives his medal. On right Rich Noga assists.
Our friend John Nieduzak from Buffalo receives his medal. You can read more about John and Joe Biega's wartime experiences under the "veteran advisors" section of our website.
