January 19, 2007-- Central Connecticut State University‘s Stanislaus A. Blejwas Endowed Chair in Polish and Polish American Studies is leading a state and national effort to honor the Kosciuszko Squadron that was formed after World War I and later distinguished itself during World War II. The air unit helped to defend the fledgling nation from early Soviet enemies and, as U.S. veterans of World War I served with the unit, it was named in honor of American Revolutionary War hero from Poland Tadeusz Kosciuszko.

Dr. M.B. Biskupski, holder of the Stanislaus A. Blejwas Endowed Chair in Polish and Polish American Studies at CCSU, noted: “The Kosciuszko Squadron Commemorative Committee has arranged to have a permanent exhibit dedicated to the Kosciuszko Squadron mounted at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. The committee will also undertake fundraising activities.

“The display is important to Polish-American relations for a number of reasons. First, after World War I, seasoned American combat pilots volunteered for service with Poland out of a sense of debt to Poland as the homeland of Tadeusz Kosciuszko. During the American Revolution, Kosciuszko was a well-trained professional officer whose experience and talent as a military leader was of inestimable value in helping to mold the fledgling American armed force that ultimately defeated the British.

“Second, there is an interesting Kosciuszko connection to Connecticut, the state in which such aviation pioneering companies as the Pratt & Whitney aircraft engine company and the Sikorsky Aircraft Company flourished. In 1776, General Kosciuszko was recruited in France by Benjamin Franklin and Connecticut native Silas Deane, a delegate to the American Continental Congress.

“Hence, there is a real sense of closing the circle of history by having this valiant Pole, General Tadeusz Kosciuszko, honored by members of American Polonia in the Nutmeg State. And, of course, giving long overdue recognition to the air unit that helped secure Polish independence following World War I and played a crucial role in defending Great Britain during World War II,” Biskupski said.

Professor Biskupski noted that the Honorary Patron of the Committee is Joseph E. Gore, Esq., President of the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York. Other members of the committee are: Professor Biskupski, noted Polish aviation historian Dr. Michael A. Peszke, Polish Air Force Veterans Association President S.K. Rasiej, P.E., Igor I. Sikorsky, Jr., Esq., and Harvey Hubbell, IV. Close liaison with the Museum will be maintained by an Executive Committee of the Polish Studies Program chaired by Biskupski and including Peszke, CCSU Vice President Nicholas Pettinico, Waldemar Kostrzewa, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Program, and Mary M. Heslin, who is creating a Community Advisory Council to assist the effort.

The project envisions the Kosciuszko Squadron display as comprising aviation elements that track the squadron during the 20^th century, including photographs and replicas of aircraft that flew with the Kosciuszko Squadron during its illustrious history, and an assortment of Kosciuszko Squadron memorabilia and ephemera that can be acquired or obtained on long-term loan.

In addition, the committee is creating a special research collection to be housed at CCSU’s Elihu Burritt Library; it will be devoted to the history of Polish aviation and will be the only collection of its kind in the U.S.

“This ambitious project will create a permanent living memorial to little-known Polish achievements in a state that enjoys a significant Polish and Polish-American presence.