In a tragic accident near the foggy airport of Smolensk, the top tier of Warsaw's political elite perished when a government Tupolev aircraft crashed.
On board were Poland's President, Lech Kaczynski, some of the country's highest military commanders and the top echelon of its civilian leadership.
For now, politics has been put aside as a nation counts the cost of the tragedy and comes to grips with the stunning loss.
Ironically, the political and military leaders were on their way to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the massacre of Katyn forest, where Soviet troops gunned down about 20,000 Polish officers, burying them in a mass grave. For years, the Soviet atrocities had been a blemish in the ties between Moscow and Warsaw. Only with the passing of time and generations had the massacre become bearable — forgiven but not forgotten.
Free-market reforms introduced since the fall of the Berlin Wall have brought Poland into Europe, looking to the West for growth. But its long ties with the East have also earned the nation a special place in creating understanding and lasting peace between Cold War foes.
East and West mourn alike today. Tears know no boundaries.
