Portage County polish Army recruits Jacob and Stanislaw Mizera. PCHS photo.

By Kris Leonhardt

STEVENS POINT – At the beginning of World War I, in 1914, Poland was divided between three empires. Three years later, the Polish National Committee began organizing a regiment of Polish-American men to fight in Europe under the Polish flag to gain back the country’s independence.

“The Russian, the Hungarian, and the German, they had carved up Poland, so there was no Poland,” said Portage County Historical Society President Tim Siebert. “So, what these guys were doing is trying to recruit an army and eventually they would fight within the French army, as a Polish contingent within the French Army during the war. And, their goal was the independence of Poland.”

Polish immigrant men who had not completed the lengthy citizenship process and were outside of the age group eligible for the United States Selective Service could volunteer to fight under the Polish flag.

Portage County was one of 48 recruiting centers in the country. Nearly 300 men from Portage County, northern Wisconsin and Michigan were recruited through the two Portage County offices located at St. Peter’s Parish in Stevens Point and Sacred Heart Parish in Polonia. The effort here was led by S.H. Worzalla, Joseph Worzalla, J.W. Przewlocki, and Jacob Woyak.

Siebert and Susan Koehl spent a total of four years researching World War I, as well as Portage County’s involvement in the efforts, gathering information on those who served in the Polish Army.

“What got really confusing for Sue and I as we began to research all of this, they would refer to such-and-such a guy joining the Blue Army, and then such-and-such a guy joined Haller’s Army, and then such-and-such a guy joined the Polish Army,” Siebert recalled. “Well, they are all the same thing. It’s just the uniforms were blue, hence the Blue Army. Haller was the overall general, hence Haller’s Army… The official name was the Polish Army.”

With the Polish Army restricted from training inside the United States, they trained just north of the border in Canada and were eventually shipped to Europe.

“They trained at a place called Niagara on the Lake, which is just across the (United States) border in Ontario,” Siebert explained.

“There was so much stuff in researching this World War I thing, just Portage County’s role in World War I. The stuff was so unbelievably surprising. Portage County was so involved in World War I. For a tiny county, population-wise, and a relatively not-wealthy county, the involvement of this county is just amazing… The war did not, not touch everybody, whether it was money for war bonds, victory gardens. Obviously having someone in the military…”

To kick off the Dozynski weekend, Sept. 14-15, a community gathering was held to commemorate these local Polish veterans of World War I. A presentation led by Leon Ostrowski, Tim Siebert, Don Slusarski, Gayle Phillip, Gene Numsen, Rita Kurzynski, Ray Raflik and the Portage County Historical Society was held at the Pulaski Fountain Monument, where a plaque was dedicated.

The Portage County Historical Society and community gathered to commemorate local Polish veterans in World War I to kick off the Dozynki weekend celebrations in Stevens Point at the Pulaski Fountain Monument. Francene Gollon photo