BELLA VISTA, Ark. — Basia Berner was nine years old when Adolf Hitler and the Nazis invaded her home country of Poland.
“I saw Hitler, it was my eyes, my own eyes,” Berner said. “He came to Warsaw after they destroyed a part of Warsaw and came over to take it.”
In the years following the invasion, Berner said she spent time as part of the Polish underground resistance when she was barely a teenager, delivering secret messages, providing food and water to soldiers, and serving as a nurse.
During this time, Berner said she recalls having very little food or warm clothes during the winter months under occupation.
“I'm just one of many and we did what we had to do,” Berner said. “I fight to survive.”
A resident of Bella Vista for 15 years, Berner returned to Poland in late July for the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, which is commemorated every year on Aug. 1. The uprising was an attempt by the Polish army to rid the nation of German occupation.
Berner said one of her brothers, who was 18 at the time, was killed during the events of the Warsaw Uprising.
During the commemoration events, Berner received a medal from Polish President Andrzej Duda for her service and work during the uprising.
“I'm very proud, I'm really very proud,” Berner said. “It was done in such an open area with many people and my beloved president. That was really special, especially that I didn't expect it. It was a very emotional, proud moment for me."
When Berner returned to Northwest Arkansas, she was greeted with a warm welcome from the Bella Vista Patriots. There, Jim Parsons handed Berner a signed certificate from Senator John Boozman, thanking Berner for her service.
At 94 years old, Berner said she still lives her days out to the fullest. In Northwest Arkansas, Berner takes part in acting and directing classes, swims every day on Beaver Lake, and enjoys reading. She said she wants to remind people to never take such tasks for granted.
“In the winter I didn't have any shoes, my legs were completely frost,” Berner said. "I was deprived of all this. So enjoy it, appreciate it, and fight for freedom. There's no price for freedom.”
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