The World Association of Home Army Soldiers ( pl, Światowy Związek Żołnierzy Armii Krajowej; abbreviated ŚZŻAK) is an

international non-governmental organization An international non-governmental organization (INGO) is an organization which is independent of government involvement and extends the concept of a non-governmental organization (NGO) to an international scope. NGOs are independent of government ...

gathering former

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

s of the

Home Army The Home Army ( pl, Armia Krajowa, abbreviated AK; ) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) esta ...

. ŚZŻAK brings together members of the Army and other armed organizations subordinate in time of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

to the

Polish government-in-exile The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile ( pl, Rząd Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej na uchodźstwie), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Pola ...

who fought for Polish independence. Those who continued the fight for independence after the dissolution of the Home Army and persons who adhere to the ideals of the Home Army and act to stabilize them in Polish society are also considered for membership. In the early 1990s the organization had over 80,000 members, in the year 2008 about 35,000 members, and in 2010 about 12,000 members. The highest authority of the World Association of Home Army Soldiers is the Congress of Delegates, and in the periods between meetings the ŚZŻAK is managed by the Governing Council, the Executive Board, Chief Audit Commission, and General Court of Arbitration. Members of these bodies are elected by the Assembly of Delegates for three-year terms. On 10 April 2010, the

Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash On 10 April 2010, a Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft operating Polish Air Force Flight 101 crashed near the Russian city of Smolensk, killing all 96 people on board. Among the victims were the president of Poland, Lech Kaczyński, and his wife, Maria, ...

Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest c ...

killed Czeslaw Cywinski, President of the ŚZŻAK. On 15 May 2010, by the decision of the IX Congress of Delegates, Stanislaus Oleksiak was elected president.

Office holders

Presidents

* Stanislaw Wojciech Borzobohaty – in 1989–1991 * Alexander Tyszkiewicz – in 1991–1995 *

Stanislaw Karolkiewicz Stanislav and variants may refer to: People * Stanislav (given name), a Slavic given name with many spelling variations (Stanislaus, Stanislas, Stanisław, etc.) Places * Stanislav, a coastal village in Kherson, Ukraine * Stanislaus County, C ...

– in 1995–2005 * Czesław Cywiński – in 2005–2010 * Stanislaw Oleksiak – in 2010–2013 * Leszek Zukowski – in 2013–2020 * Hanna Stadnik – in 2020–2020

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Polish veterans' organisations 1989 establishments in Poland Home Army