Memories of Husband and Homeland: Eva Kalymon of Jawornyk

by Corinna Caudill

Eva Kalymon Bridal Photo

Eva Kalymon, originally from the village of Yavirnyk (Jawornyk) in Sanok County, Lemko region (southeastern Poland) was once married to my grandmother's younger brother Petro Volians'kyi.  The young couple lived happily with Petro's parents Fedor and Maria in their nearby village of Vola Petrova (Wola Piotrowa), a typical situation for young newlyweds at that time.  Soon after their marriage, they were blessed with an infant daughter named Slava, whom Petro adored.  Life was difficult during the Second World War, but as the Germans retreated in 1944, it seemed that life would only get better for the young family.

It was not to be.  In the late summer/early autumn, Petro was forcibly conscripted by the Soviets as the Red Army made its onslaught through Poland in the final months of World War II.  Employing a strategy of "Total War"- and considering that the Soviets viewed Poland's Ukrainians as their "brethren" -  Soviet "recruiters" went to the church records and town mayors (vijt/wojt) to discover which men were of eligible age.  Petro was of age, and therefore received notice to report to a nearby training area for what would ultimately total only about a week of military training.  Eva begged him not to go, but the Soviets had threatened him: if he evaded, they would certainly punish his family.  (The typical threat was to send family members to Siberia.)  As he kissed his daughter, Petro told Eva to pray for him, because he could not bear to take such a risk.  

Petro Volian'skyi had never before carried a gun.  In the treacherous battleground of the Dukla Pass, near the border of Poland and Czechoslovakia, Soviet soldiers were easily targeted by experienced German snipers who awaited their advance.  Many were wounded or killed easily and not every soldier was even assigned a gun.  Troops who tried to abandon or run would be shot by Soviet officers, so there was no way out of the death trap.

Three weeks after Petro had left for the front, Eva still waited hopefully for her beloved to return to her.  One afternoon, Eva received a letter and certificate informing her that her husband had been killed "near Czechoslovakia."  

"The whole family went into mourning," she recounted many years later.  "It was as if a darkness had come over us.  We didn't want to live, but we had to go on.  I had to go on for my daughter."

Me with Pani Eva in 2009.

After the mourning period was over, Eva and Slava said their goodbyes to Fedor and Maria.  She left Wola Piotrowa to return to her native Yavirnyk, where she and Slava would live with Eva's parents.  Eva eventually remarried and tried to rebuild her life, but tragedy struck again in only a few years.  In 1946, the Volian'skyi family of Vola Petrova was forcibly deported to the Ternopil oblast in Soviet Ukraine, although in the chaos of the postwar period, Eva would not discover this until many years later.  In 1947, Eva, her parents, and young Slava were deported to western Poland during Operation Vistula (Akcja Wisla), the final operation to "cleanse" Poland of its Ukrainian minority.  Her village and many others were completely destroyed.  She and her new husband Petro Kalymon eventually immigrated to the United States, where she and her family settled in the Pittsburgh area.

On Thursday, May 14, 2015, Pani Eva passed away at the age of 91.  Vichnaya Pam'yat to a beautiful lady with a beautiful heart and soul.  May she rest in eternal peace. +