On the recordDecember 8, 2010
On April 10, 2010, as word spread of the tragic plane crash that killed President Lech Kaczynski, First Lady Maria Kaczynski, and scores of other Polish patriots, Poles gathered by the thousands outside St. John's Church in Warsaw, grieving for their terrible loss. That loss was also felt around the world. On that unspeakably sad day, I visited the Polish Consulate in Chicago to pay my respects. People were streaming to the consulate from all over Chicago and throughout the Midwest. They drove with Polish flags proudly displayed on their cars and waited in long lines to sign the condolence book, leave flowers, or simply whisper a prayer. Days later, the U.S. Senate observed a moment of silence for all those who lost their lives in the Katyn Forest in Smolensk and for the heartbroken people of Poland. Some asked then: How will Poland survive such a devastating loss? The people of Poland did so by relying, as they always have, on faith, family and freedom.
