Magyar News, 1996. szeptember-1997. augusztus (7. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1997-01-01 / 5. szám
As a young captain of Hungarian cavalry, the Huszárs, Ernő Tövisházy Ferjentsik fought valiantly against the invading Red Army hordes on the Eastern Front. He took, and saved, the lives of many during those surreal years of World War II, finally being captured by the Soviets in “the ring” they formed around Budapest in 1944. He spent the next three years in prisoner-of-war camps in the Ukraine, and still he fought: fought against freezing, against starvation, against deadly depression, and against fatal disease, which nearly claimed him on several occasions. His only weapons were courage, willpower, and a strong spirituality. At the end of those years, he returned to his homeland to find a new Communist government that stripped him of his military rank, refused him the decorations for valor he had earned in combat, labeled him an enemy of the state, and restricted him to hard, physical labor. Three years later, in an act of classic Stalinist paranoia, they interned him, his wife and baby, and his elderly parents in a tiny farming village in southeastern Hungary. He worked hard from sunup till sundown in the fields, on the roads, laying bricks for houses, and he won the respect and trust of the peasants, the local farming folk. They sill addressed him “Kapitány Ur,” Captain-Sir. And they took good care of him and his family; they defended him against the local commisars. Here he also buried his father, digging the grave with his own-hands. The father, Ottó Tövisházy-Ferjentsik had been a Hungarian General and Chief of Staff of the Army under Miklós Horthy in the 1920-s. Even in his midseventies, with severe heart ailments, the retired general was a threat to Rákosi’s insane Communist regime. It wasn’t surprising, then, yet hardly an easy decision for Ernő as a patriot, that during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 he and his young family fled to the United States. Here he lived and prospered for the next 33 years. Still he retained and fostered a high degree of loyalty to his homeland, with the emphasis on Hungarian-American. In his homes in New York and later in Connecticut, he was a quiet, law-abiding citizen. He never joined or led any radical anti-Communist organizations, he never delivered public speeches or wrote articles against Communism. Instead, he conveyed the fruits of his unpretentious intellect to all those who would listen, one-on-one. And he raised his only son in the ideology of the Haza, the Homeland. And he waited patiently. In 1989, when it seemed clear that the Communist system was being ousted from Hungary, Ernő and his wife Ernő's induction into the Order of Vitéz in Budapest returned to live in the Homeland. He was then 78 years old and had suffered a major heart attack, hardly a candidate to aid the new government in its struggle to get off the ground. And yet, I firmly believe that is precisely what he did—he and the thousands of other Hungarian - Americans like him, who migrated back to Hungary between 1989 and 1992, to help get that nation started up again.. It was two years later, in 1991, that the first of Ernő’s much belated rewards were bestowed on him by the new Homeland attempting to set things right. They reinstated his military rank and his combat decorations, and they even promoted him to the rank of Colonel (retired), with limited privileges attached, such as wearing of the new Hungarian Army uniform for ceremonial occasions. A detailed interview with him appeared in the Honvéd, Armed Forces publication. It was now fifty years after the Captain had gone off to war! Another two years passed, and the Hungarian military, now diligently searching for its pre-Communist roots, reopened the Hadiakadémia or War College, the post-graduate school for military officers. Ernő’s father, General Ottó T. Ferjentsik had founded the school in the 1920’s and was its first commander. His son, the now eighty-two year-old retired Colonel, sat on the stage in dress uniform beside generals and ministers of state during the televised dedication ceremonies. He listened to the words honoring his father, then he himself spoke a few words. It speaks highly of his character that these words weren’t ones of bitterness or admonishment. They were words of humble gratitude. Shortly thereafter, Ernő’s rank was boosted further to “Staff Colonel.” It was an honorary title, since staff rank is restricted to graduates of the war College, and he ironically never had the opportunity to attend—he was too busy fighting a war.. The next and perhaps greatest honor for Ernő came not long ago. He was inducted into the Order of Vitéz, the ancient title of knighthood bestowed upon him for uncommon valor in defense of and devotion to the Homeland. It wasn’t accompanied with cash or annuities, prizes or material rewards of any sort. It was just a little metal badge on his uniform jacket. But it was more than that for him. For the Old Soldier, it was vindication. It was justice. Most recently, in July, 1996, the entire Tövisházy-Ferjentsik family was honored by the Hungarian government on the 45th anniversary of the great General’s death. The commander and officers of the War College turned out in force for a ceremony at the family tomb in Budapest, and they placed a wreath of red roses, my grandfather’s favorite flower, there for him. Sir Ernő, my mother and most of the remaining family came out for the occasion. If the reader has detected some bias, or perhaps prider in this article, it is because I am unable to—or don’t wish to—hide it. I certainly do feel that my father and grandfather are only now getting their just desserts. But just as my most patient father is, another Ernő is also grateful that people and governments can retrace their steps and say, “I’m sorry,” and “Thank you.” In addition to my strong sense of family pride, then, a well-worn axiom comes to mind: “Better late than never.” The Ferjentsik family was well known in our area, they were members of our Hungarian community. Dr. Ernest Ferjentsik, a dentist, after retiring from the Navy settled down in Fairfield and opened his office here. Now he resides in Arizona where he continues his practice. Page 5 by Dr. Ernest S. Ferjentsik
