90 lat tradycji – historia i działalność Korpusu Pomocniczego Pań SWAP w Ameryce
90 years of tradition – history and activity of PAVA Ladies‘ Auxiliary Corps in America

Summary/Abstract: 1795–1918 Poland was partitioned by three invaders – Prussia (later German Empire), Russia and Austria and didn’t exist on political maps. The outbreak of the World War I woke hope for the rebirth of the Polish state among Poles, including those in the U.S.A. and Canada. During WWI over 20,000 volunteers of Polish origin went from North America to Europe to fight in the Polish Army in France (“Blue Army”) and in Polish-Bolshevik war (1919–1921). After Poland regained its statehood, over 14,000 soldiers re-turned to America. Most of them faced a dramatic situation – wounded, disabled, homeless and without their jobs, they didn’t receive any help from the state, because (according to law) they weren’t the U.S. veterans and therefore had no right to federal health care. Poland, considering them Americans, didn’t support them either. Consequently, the entire responsibility for helping the veterans took numerous Polish organizations in the USA. Some of them – like the Polish Army Veterans Association (PAVA, or in Polish Stowarzyszenie Weteranów Armii Polskiej w Ameryce, SWAP) – were founded just in this respect: to help the veterans. PAVA was established in 1921 in Cleveland, with many branches all around the country. It was a men’s organization whose main function was self-aid. Four years later, the PAVA Ladies’ Auxiliary Corps (Korpus Pomocniczy Pań SWAP), one of the most significant organizations, was created. The article presents the Corps’ activity, under Agnieszka Wisła. The organization has been focused on humanitarian and charity work and has distinguished itself enormously in this endeavor. Their tasks have been among others: caring for the disabled and the sick veterans; organizing help for the homeless and unemployed veterans – i.e. the establishing and maintaining the shelters and nursing homes; visiting the sick veterans in hospitals and nursing homes; raising money by organizing charity balls or exhibitions of their needlework; arranging various entertainment events in order to acquire funds for The Corps’ activities; participating in funerals and caring for the graves of Polish veterans; assisting in organization and taking part in patriotic events (like veterans’ parades, lectures and readings, organizing patriotic trips to Poland); organizing the “Cornflower Days” (Cornflower symbolizes the Blue Army), i.e. – raising funds not only among the Polonia but also among Americans of other origins. At some point of time (mainly in the 40. and in the 50.) there were few thousand members of the Corps working in America, for instance: in 1946 there were 4614 members, and in 1958 as many as 5079 members. Today Auxiliary Corps has about 250 members. Until today the Auxiliary Corps is one of the oldest, strongest and most dynamic Polish women's organizations in America. They have supported thousands of Polish veterans and their families with material as well as moral help for over 90 years now. Their history as well as history of the PAVA is commemorated at the Polish Military Heritage Museum in New York.

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