Deported to Siberia at age 9: an NKVD officer's advice saved her life

Zofia Bocian, née Raczyńska, was 9 years old when Soviet NKVD officers entered her home during the night of February 9-10, 1940, and ordered the deportation of her entire family to Siberia. One of the officers — a Ukrainian whose own family had also been deported in the 1930s — whispered to her mother: "Dress the children warmly, because they're taking you to the white bear." That advice proved invaluable for survival. Zofia's story is described in Agnieszka Osiak's book "Children from Siberia Station."

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