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A holy mass for several hundred Compatriots who came from Poland and Lviv and surrounding towns was celebrated by four priests from Przemysl, Janow Lubelski, Busk and Przemysl (led by prelate Stanislaw Czenczek, chaplain of the Przemysl scouts).<\/p>\n
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After the service, Marshal Kuchci\u0144ski emphasized in his speech, among other things: \"The young defenders of Lw\u00f3w sacrificed their lives defending not only the newly regained independence of our Homeland, but also the freedom of the whole Europe, which was then being conquered by the armies of Bolshevik Russia. And that is why Zadw\u00f3r, next to Oss\u00f3w and Radzymin, will forever remain a monument of unlimited devotion and heroism of Polish soldier, but also a monument of glory of the whole Polish society of those days, which in such a great effort, almost on all borders, fought for the independence of our Homeland under the leadership of Marshal Jozef Pilsudski\".<\/p>\n
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Marshal Kuchci\u0144ski thanked all those present for continuing the multi-generational memory of the heroism of the Polish defenders and for passing it on to the Polish youth, who always so numerously participate in the successive anniversaries of the Battle of Zadw\u00f3r. Unfortunately, in Zadw\u00f3r were missing not only the representative of the Ukrainian state administration from Lviv, but also the head of the Council for the Protection of Struggle and Martyrdom Sites from Warsaw, min. Andrzej Kunert (a letter from him was read by Consul Marian Orlikowski). Indeed, it is difficult to consider the presence of Jacek Dziuba, a lower-ranking representative of the Office for War Veterans and Victims of Repression, as an adequate representation of the Polish government.<\/p>\n
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As every year, there were many young people, borderlanders and local government officials from the Podkarpackie Province. There was a large delegation from Le\u017cajsk, including middle and high school students and riflemen, who distributed meals (bigos, sandwiches and tea) sponsored traditionally by the County Office and the Le\u017cajsk Kresowian Club. There was a notable presence (brought as every year by Stanis\u0142aw Szarzy\u0144ski, a Kresowian) from Przemy\u015bl, with the singing \"Black Thirteen\" scout troop.<\/p>\n
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Everyone was impressed by the beautifully uniformed company of honor of the South-Eastern District of the Riflemen's Association \"Strzelec\" from Rzeszow and several surrounding towns. Young sportsmen from \"Gryf\" Sports Club from Mielec also came with their flag. More than 40 representatives of the Cultural Center \"Sokol\" from Nizk arrived (a chamber orchestra, a male choir and a vocal group). Representatives of several Polish organizations from Lviv and the Lviv region were also present.<\/p>\n
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As is well known, the battle of Zadw\u00f3r is like Polish Thermopylae. Almost all 300 members of the Volunteer Battalion of Lviv Youth died there while defending the railroad line to Lviv against Budionny's 6 thousand strong Soviet mounted army. Polish soldiers under the command of Captain Zajaczkowski repulsed six Soviet charges and twice recaptured the railroad station captured by the Russians, and when they ran out of bullets they fought to the end with bayonets. It was in fact their victory, as they delayed the enemy's advance deep into the country, giving them valuable time to organize a defense.<\/p>\n
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Marshal Kuchcinski, when asked by local journalists why he annually participates in the commemoration of the Battle of Zadw\u00f3r, replied: \"The problems of everyday life are admittedly very important, but activities in the public sphere cannot be limited only to the issue of our wallets. For the environment of my party, for 'PiS', patriotism and historical memory are also very important - especially drawing wise conclusions from the history of the Republic of Poland and passing them on to young generations of Poles. This is first of all. And secondly, I also have very personal ties with the former borderlands of the Republic of Poland, because my family originates from the Lviv region. So all the more eagerly, whenever I have the opportunity, I visit this area and I do not forget about Zadw\u00f3r.\" <\/p>\n
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