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<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nDuring the meeting, participants had the opportunity to hear Colonel Lipi\u0144ski tell the story behind the creation of Biography Written by History:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe history of my diary began in the 1960s. I wanted to leave behind something that future generations could hold in their hands and learn from \u2014 something that would convey what their grandparents experienced during World War II. I began writing my memories as a letter to my children \u2014 our children. By 1965, I had compiled them into a book, and each of our children received it as a Christmas Eve gift. Many years later, Marcin Zwolski, PhD reached out and asked whether I could contribute something from my life to the Sybir Memorial Museum. I donated my memoirs. He also asked if I could add something about my arrival in the United States. So, in 2023, at the age of 98, I wrote an additional chapter, America, America \u2014 the final chapter of my diary,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Colonel Lipi\u0144ski is a fellow countryman \u2014 born in Myszyniec and raised in Brest on the Bug River. His mother came from Kramk\u00f3wka Ma\u0142a near Osowiec, and his father was from \u0141om\u017ca. \u201cMy childhood was relatively happy,\u201d he recalled. That peace ended with the outbreak of World War II. His brother\u2019s involvement in a youth resistance group sealed the family’s fate. On June 20, 1941, Romuald, together with his mother and father, was deported to Siberia. They were sent to a kolkhoz near Barnaul, on the banks of the Ob River. The river became a lifeline \u2014 Romuald\u2019s fishing helped the family survive: \u201cWe ate fish in every possible form \u2014 fried, boiled, dried for winter.\u201d Without that, surviving on the daily bread ration would have been nearly impossible. When an amnesty was announced, the family was allowed to leave. Romuald wanted to join the Polish Army but was too young. The Lipi\u0144skis were temporarily relocated to Soviet-occupied Kyrgyzstan. Thanks to his father\u2019s profession and his mother\u2019s work as a nurse, the family eventually came under the protection of Anders\u2019 Army and managed to evacuate the Soviet Union \u2014 though Romuald\u2019s bout with typhus delayed their journey. After undergoing military training, he was deployed to the Italian Front as a mortar platoon soldier. His interactions with soldiers from other countries made him realize just how little the world knew about the ordeal of Polish deportees and the forced relocations to Siberia. He has dedicated his entire life to raising international awareness about this tragic chapter of Polish history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe world must know about the crime committed by the Soviets during World War II,\u201d he emphasized during the meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The event was deeply moving and filled with heartfelt words and mutual expressions of gratitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am very pleased that, of all the places and institutions in the world that could have published your memoirs \u2014 and many would have gladly done so \u2014 you chose to place your trust in us and handed over this precious legacy,\u201d concluded Marcin Zwolski, PhD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We thank everyone who participated in this special evening and invite all to read “Biography Written by History”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The book is available for purchase at the Sybir Memorial Museum and at the following link:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n