Editor, Gazette-Journal:

I was born Tomasz Adamcewicz in February 1937 in pre-World War II Poland. From 1939, I lived under the Soviet rule of Joseph Stalin. Then my home was invaded in 1941 and I lived under Adolph Hitler. In 1943, my family was deported to Nazi Germany where we were slave labor for the duration of the war. I then lived in displaced persons camps until 1951. My childhood stories are not fairytales.

As a child, my personal hero was General Tadeusz Kosciuszko. He fought for freedom in Poland as well as in America in 1776 at the birth of this nation. So, at 14 years old, I chose to come to the U.S.A. in lieu of returning to my home and living under communism. I arrived in America on July 30, 1951 to live under a constitution that guaranteed me liberty and the chance to be free.

This was a different world than the one I left behind. There was so much individual freedom. I came legally and joined the Air Force as soon as I finished high school. Then I became a citi...