Cleveland, OH – The Polish Roman Catholic Union of America congratulates PRCUA National
President Joseph A. Drobot, Jr. who was awarded the Haller Swords Medal by PAVA Post 152 on May 16, 2015. The award ceremony took place at the Polish American Cultural Center in Cleveland, OH, during the 80th Anniversary Celebration of the Polish Army Veterans Association (PAVA) Tadeusz Kosciuszko Post 152, Inc. Other recipients of the Haller Swords Medal that evening were: Frank Czerwony, U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D9), Raymond Pianka, Taras Zacharyj, and Ted Zameskie.
A number of other medals were also awarded during the celebration: Rev. Jerzy Kusy, Rev. Eric Orzech, Eugeniusz Bak, and Eugenia Stolarczyk received the Krzyż Czynu Zbrojnego Polonii Amerykańskiej; Rev. Lucjan Stokowski was awarded the I. J. Paderewski Medal; Krystyna Gol, Jacek Chalasinski, Urszula Kowalik, Jozef Kubicki, Daniel Lecznar, Jozef A. Lecznar, David Milcinovic, Maria Pilipczuk, Stanisław Rejnis, and Czeslaw Stachowicz were presented with the PAVA 75th Anniversary Medal. Many of the recipients are also PRCUA members.
Commander of PAVA Post 152, Joseph A. Lecznar, was the Master of Ceremonies. The American and Polish National Anthems were sung by Caryl M. Lecznar. Rev. Lucjan Stokowski offered the Invocation, and the Closing Hymn was sung by Mike Jankowski. Medals were presented to the Honorees by Commander Joseph A. Lecznar, Czesław Stachowiak and Mieczysław Garncarek.
The Haller Swords medal was originally awarded to World War I soldiers from America and Canada, who joined the Polish Army in France and fought under the command of General Jozef Haller. Later the PAVA (SWAP – Stowarzyszenie Weteranów Armii Polskiej) conferred this decoration upon civilians who work closely with PAVA and Polonia.
Congratulations and best wishes to all the honorees.
