Oh, who is she?
A misty memory
A haunting face
Is she a lost embrace?
RO
Am trecut de cateva ori pe langa acest parc -- iar mica statuie a Ecaterinei Teodoroiu mi-a atras privirea de fiecare data. Am invatat despre ea in scoala primara, la ora de istorie. Majoritatea personalitatilor istorice despre care am invatat erau barbati: regi, voievozi, sultani, imparati. Teodoroiu, care a luptat in Primul Razboi Mondial, ma fascineaza tocmai datorita figurii sale neimpunatoare: femeie tanara, ochelarista, nu foarte inalta. Statuia din Parcul Gazelei ii surprinde aspectul fizic, dar si ceva mai greu de identificat, si anume marea putere interioara care a ajutat-o sa continue sa lupte si demnitatea tacuta a unui om care a fost martor la ororile razboiului.
Nu vreau sa facem aici lectia de istorie, dar, de dragul vremurilor bune din clasa a III-a, o sa mentionez cateva lucruri interesante despre Ecaterina Teodoroiu:
- visul ei era sa fie invatatoare
- a fost cercetas! A luat contact cu primii cercetasi din Romania in timpul studiilor la Bucuresti
- a activat pe front de la intrarea Romaniei in Primul Razboi Mondial, in 1916, intai ca asistenta medicala. Moartea fratelui sau, Nicolae, a motivat-o sa se transfere la o unitate de combatanti
- a fost luata prizonier la Carbunesti si a evadat cu ajutorul unui revolver, cu care l-a impuscat pe soldatul care ii pazea pe ea si pe comandantul sau de pluton
- dupa intoarcerea pe campul de lupta, a suferit fracturi ale tibiei si femurului stang, motiv pentru care a fost spitalizata
- a primit gradul de sublocotenent ca urmare a faptelor sale de arme -- ceea ce o marcheaza ca fiind prima romanca cu acest grad in armata
- a murit pe data de 22 august 1917, pe campul de lupta, in fruntea plutonului pe care il comanda
Mai multe monumente din Romania au fost ridicate in onoarea sa, dar eu pe asta il stiu, si asta imi place. Va invit sa va asezati pe o banca, sa hraniti porumbeii si sa pastrati vie amintirea unei femei badass, care si-a luat inima in dinti si a luptat pentru lucrurile in care a crezut.
EN
I've passed by this park a few times -- and the small statue of Ecaterina Teodoroiu caught my eye every time. I learned about her in elementary school, in history class. Most of the historical figures I learned about were men: kings, voivodes, sultans, emperors. Teodoroiu, who was the first female second lieutenant in the Romanian army, fascinates me precisely because of her unassuming figure: a young, not very tall, bespectacled woman. The statue in Gazelle Park captures her physical appearance, but also something more difficult to identify, namely the great inner strength that helped her continue to fight as well as the silent dignity of someone who witnessed the horrors of war.
I don't want to play teacher here, but, for the sake of the old good times in third grade history class, I will mention a few interesting things about Ecaterina Teodoroiu:
- her dream was to become a teacher
- she was a scout! She made contact with the first scouts in Romania during her studies in Bucharest
- she worked on the front line since Romania entered the First World War in 1916, at first as a nurse. The death of her brother, Nicolae, motivated her to transfer to a combat unit
- she was taken prisoner at Carbunesti and escaped with a revolver, which enabled her to shoot the soldier guarding her and her platoon commander
- after returning to the battlefield, she suffered fractures of her left tibia and femur, which is why she was hospitalized
- she received the rank of second lieutenant as a result of her deeds of arms -- which marks her as the first Romanian woman to receive this rank
- she died on August 22, 1917, on the battlefield, at the head of the platoon she commanded
Several monuments in Romania have been erected in her honor, but this is the one I know, and this is the one I like. I invite you to sit on a bench, feed the pigeons, and keep alive the memory of a badass woman who took her courage in both hands and fought for the things she believed in.