Wasyl Andreievych Kushnir was born in Ukraine in 1923, and was
witness to the tragedies and horrors of the early years of
collectivization under the Soviet regime in his homeland. His
father fought in the Ukrainian National Army against the Russian
Bolshevik invasion and ultimate occupation of Ukraine, and his
grandfather was murdered by Chekist Bolsheviks. Early in Wasyl's
life, his family's home and all personal possessions were
confiscated by the communist authorities, and both parents were
exiled, his father to Siberia, and mother to a prison in Mariopol.
His uncle Danylo was also arrested and exiled to forced labor in
Siberia, and then to Komi SSR. During this period, Ukraine
experienced genocidal famine, and Wasyl himself suffered hunger
during the Ukrainian Holodomor, in which millions perished. Upon
the escape of his parents from prison camps, the family reunited,
only to be torn apart again during World War II when Wasyl was
taken by the Nazis as a slave laborer to Germany. At the war's
conclusion, Wasyl drove trucks for the American Army in Germany,
and married his wife, Maria, also a forced labor survivor, who bore
him two sons. The family ultimately emigrated to Mississippi, and
then Chicago, Illinois where two other children were born. Wasyl
pursued the American dream, sought an education, and was ultimately
successful in business, retiring in Florida where he spent his last
years. The story of Wasyl's life, which extended almost a century,
is told by his son Andrei in his father's voice. Andrei combined
his father's memories, written longhand in Ukrainian, with
translated documents and additional narrative. This non-fiction
work attests to the struggle for survival under the harsh Soviet
regime in Ukraine, the courage and persistence of one remarkable
man, the importance of family, and the strength and endurance of
the human spirit.
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