My Name is Władysław Sikorski: General, Statesman, and Poland Prime Minister I was a soldier before I became a statesman, believing that a nation survives only when its people possess both courage and discipline. My homeland stood at the crossroads of powerful empires, and from an early age I understood that freedom was never guaranteed. It had to be protected by men and women willing to sacrifice everything for it. Growing Up Under Foreign Rule I was born on May 20, 1881,