Miloslav Chráska

"In August 1968, I travelled all over the country. Already after arriving in the north, in Trutnov, on my way through Mladá Boleslav, I saw how the barracks there were guarded by armoured personnel carriers and tanks. On them sat military snipers or young boys, just as young boys were looking at them from the windows of the barracks. It was obvious from their looks why. In Turnov they asked us what we had seen on the way. We drove through streets where there were broken telegraph poles with telephone lines, on them some clever Czech hand had written in paint August 22, August 24 - just when the poles had broken. But sadder was the sight of a pile of crosses with framed funeral notice, or the shot-out windows and facades of the houses."

"I used to train and with Sokol Rokycany I got to go to a holiday camp in Mariánské Lázně. It was in these wooden log cabins near the airport, but there was also beautiful nature. One evening during the daily orders, I learned that the next morning, with Brother Mrzena, who was the head of the camp, we were going to welcome the government delegation that was coming to Mariánské Lázně for a meeting. That government delegation was led by Foreign Minister Jan Masaryk. It didn't mean anything to me as a six-year-old boy, but when my parents came to visit, my father was surprised when I said, 'Dad, I shook this hand to Mr Masaryk'. He didn't believe it, but my brother Mrzena confirmed to him that we were indeed welcoming Jan Masaryk. He then gave us a personal tour and invited us to see the government plane, the Dakota. You know, I was the envy of a lot of the guys."