Warsaw Rising veteran turns 105

Klimczak is the oldest living veteran of the 1944 Warsaw Rising against Nazi German occupiers in World War II. Among the well-wishers were high-ranking parliamentarians, representatives of the city authorities, as well as officials of the US Embassy, who presented the former insurgent with an American flag which was hoisted at the Capitol.

In his remarks, the Colonel said that freedom is the greatest value that has to be nurtured, adding that as long as his condition allows him he would continue to visit schools to share his war-time recollections with the youngest generation. Asked by Polish Radio about the secrets of his longevity, he pointed to frequent but modest meals and physical exercise.

Kazimierz Klimczak, nom de guerre ‘Szron’ (Frost), was born on 15 February 1914. He fought in the Polish Army during the September Campaign in 1939. Heavily wounded in the battle on the Bzura River, he was evacuated to Warsaw and joined the Home Army. After the fall of the Warsaw Rising in October 1944, he was taken to a German POW camp, from which he managed to escape.

He has received numerous distinctions, including the Knight’s and Officer’s Crosses of the Order of Reborn Poland. (mk)