Mokytojas, šaulys, partizanų vadas Juozas Šibaila (1905-1953)

ENJuozas Šibaila was born on March 18 in 1905 in Vilnius province, Trakai county, Nedzingė parish, Vadėnai village (now – Varėna district), and was baptized in Nedzingė parish church on March 20 in 1905. His father was Tomas (Tamošius) Šibaila, mother Ona Bingelytė. There were five children growing up in the family. Šibailai children and other children of the Nedzingė area developed their love and sacrifice for the homeland and hatred for their enemies in the 20th century because of the arising of the national understanding of the Nedzingė people in defending the Lithuanian language and their parents’ struggles for the independence of the state. The patriotism formed in his childhood for Juozas Šibaila persisted throughout his life, therefore, defending the freedom of the Homeland from the Soviet occupiers, he even decided to sacrifice his life. Juozas Šibaila worked in Jieznas, Ryliškiai, Pasoda, Panoteriai, Staškūniškiai and Balninkai primary schools. Juozas Šibaila was a member of the Aušrininkai organization (1920 – 1926), the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union (he joined the Jieznas Rifle Squad of the 19th Alytus Riflemen’s Team in 1922), and the Lithuanian National Youth Young Lithuania (since 1933; in 1937 he was appointed Commander of the Kurkliai District), he was an active member of the Lithuanian Nationalists’ Union (since 1938). He was the commander of the VI Ukmergė Rifle Squad, Kurkliai Rifle Squad, and later the Deputy Commander of the Chief Commander Jonas Steikūnas of the VI Ukmergė Rifle Squad, Balninkai Rifle Squad. He also belonged to the Teachers’ and Educators’ Trade Union and the Lithuanian Teachers’ Union. O. Šibailienė was an active teacher at Balninkai School and raised three sons: Vytautas (b. 1930), Rimvydas (b. 1931), and Jonas Kęstutis (b. 1935).Juozas Šibaila was awarded the 10th Anniversary Medal of Lithuanian Independence (May 15, 1928), the Order of the Three Flames of the 3rd Degree (June 13, 1937), the Vytautas the Great 2nd Degree Medal (September 8, 1938). In the summer of 1938, he visited Czechoslovakia with a tour of the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union, in a meeting of the organization Sakalai. In the spring of 1944 Juozas Šibaila joined the Lithuanian Local Team led by General Povilas Plechavičius. He was a partisan since the summer of 1944, he was the Chief of Staff of Team B of the Great Combat District, and edited the team’s publication Tėvynė šaukia (The Call of Homeland). Since February 1948 he worked at the Eastern Lithuania (King Mindaugas) partisan headquarters. A year later, as a representative of this area, he was delegated to the emerging partisan top leadership. Since February 1949 he was a Member of the Presidium of the LLKS Council, Head of the Public Department of LLKS, editor of the publication Prie rymančio Rūpintojėlio. On May 30, 1950 by the decision of the Presidium of the LLKS Council, he was awarded the rank of a Partisan Colonel of the Freedom Fighter, and was awarded the Cross of Freedom Fight of all three degrees. He was betrayed and died on February 11 in 1953 in Aukštadvaris village, Ramygala County. On May 13, 1998 by the order of the Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Lithuania, Juozas Šibaila was awarded the rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the Mission (after his death). On May 19, 1988 he was awarded the Order of the Vytis Cross of the 1st degree (after his death) by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Lithuania. [From the publication]