Depending on her mental state, she may like to talk about her past. Unfortunately people normally only volunteer those stories where they shine as heroes, or other exceptional events. If we actively ask them about everyday life, political ideas, feelings towards other ethnic groups and about the wars, etc., we can learn a lot, and ideally both sides will benefit. Life in Polish-speaking areas in the first half of 20th century was not only full of violence and hardship, but also as "exotic" from the US point of view as, say, Indonesia. Learning more about it can help you understand your wife and the state of the world alike (- some find the latter easier to understand ...).

Just an idea, fueled from my own experience particularly with my grandmothers. A lot more questions only came into my mind when they and my parents had passed away.