Cows can smell the scent of death

My ongoing project is about a special operation carried out in July 1945 when the Soviets murdered 600-2000 people in the Podlasie region in Poland. The Red Army – NKVD special troops “Smersh” in collaboration with UB, Polish People’s Army, and KBW carried out armed actions against civilians. Communists combed villages, hamlets, and forests in search of “bandits” who may have had a connection with the underground resistance. Those arrested were taken into an unknown direction and most likely murdered as they were never seen ever after. During 40 years of communism in Poland, it was forbidden to speak about this event and the story was a deeply hidden secret which little was said about. It lived as a word of mouth passed down from one generation to the next. Throughout the period of the communist regime families of victims tried unsuccessfully to obtain information about their lost loved ones. My grand grandfather, Michal Wołąsewicz, was arrested and went missing during this time. I have been named after him to commemorate. My work anticipates historical reckoning and aims for an exploration of collective memory. The study shall present how the local community transmits the remembering of important incidents and traumas, as well as cope with a crushing terror for three generations already to achieve a more conscious society.