Rozmaryn Wisniewska

A redacted image of Rozmaryn, during operations in Ghazni Province, 2013.

Rozmaryn 'Ross' Wisniewska was a postulant and student at Our Lady of Częstochowa Catholic Academy, and also an enlisted soldier in the Land Forces of the Reichswehr before her death in 2014, during an ambush in Afghanistan's Ghazni Province.

## Childhood and Postulancy at Our Lady of Częstochowa Catholic Academy

Rozmaryn Wisniewska was, like many of the pupils at Our Lady of Częstochowa Catholic Academy, an orphan. From her youth she was, out of all her peers, the most serious and devoted to the Roman Catholic Church. She was also a bright and quick-thinking, though combative student, and as a result had a close relationship with many of her teachers, especially Sister Anastazja Modrzewska, and under her influence she entered into postulancy for the Felician Sisters.

However, her relationship with other students was more strained and was marked chiefly by classroom discussions that turned into heated arguments, with her only close friend being Marie Ernst Gluck.

The two were inseperable, though Rozmaryn's unusual intrest in the military always worried Marie, and by extension, Sister Modrzewska. As Rozmaryn's postulancy began to run out as she approached 17, their worry turned to alarm. Rozmaryn's thoughts began to turn towards serving in the Reichswehr prior to formally joining the Felician Sisters -- and in particular, the Land Forces, with the hope of becoming a medic. This alarm resulted in a string of heated arguments, with both sides saying things that they would regret later.

These arguments severely strained her relationship with both Marie and Sister Modrzewska, though it did not break it.

## Service in the Reichswehr

After a brief basic training course, Rozmaryn was given 3 week's leave, which she used to return to Ochjno and try to mend relations with Marie. Although their friendship would remain strained for the rest of their lives, they both resolved to put their arguments behind them. She likewise mended relations with Sister Modrzewska, promising to join the Felician Sisters once she returned from service.

As a memento and a symbol of their friendship, Rozmaryn left Marie her cross necklace before returning to service.

### Afghanistan

After her leave, Rozmaryn returned to the Reichswehr and underwent further specialized training as a medic, before being deployed along with her unit, Battalion A, 1st Carpathian Rifle Brigade, to Afghanistan. The 1st Carpathian Rifle Brigade was primarily engaged in counterinsurgency work at the time, and served a secondary role as logistical support for the local government. On it's spare time, the Brigade's troops found themselves aiding in humanitarian and civil engineering projects, including latrines, wells, and the construction of public buildings such as small schools, libraries, and aid clinics. Rozmaryn herself was heavily involved in humanitarian operations and helped at various aid clinics as her battalion was shifted from combat outpost to combat outpost.

### Death

On December 9th, 2019, an element from Battalion A of the 1st Carpathian Rifle Brigade operating in Ghazni Provience as part of Task Force White Eagle was ambushed by a group of Taliban militants. Rozmaryn was among the casulties, though she was initally reported as missing in action. Her body was later returned by the Taliban in poor condition.