European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 16, 1962, Darmstadt, Hesse It i Flash Perez left and sp4 Lazar Peter Freedom fighters in Cuba and Hungary Point to their new both Are in Europe now however. Soldiers who fought the reds before hungarian and cuban in the . Army have seen their homelands lost to communism Morton p. Gud mod Paris Bureau soldiers at the army s Bra general depot have seen Corn Lake Over their native countries Nave fought it with guns members of Brave but Over bands of Freedom fighters in his Ive Homeland escaped to the free wound up in the 17.s. Armed elder he is Only 23is sp4 Lazar formally of Budapest a slight Young Man who Speaks Good col English studded with i jargon Only a slight accent he s a Supply is pvt Pedro Perez or at least be called that Here. He uses Oisin the army but his Mother brother still live in Havana Are their stories Tomt of the hungarian uprising Peter was a Mechanic to a Loco works in Budapest. He was a of one of the Small Detofe cell the resistance movement was hungarian factories after the fighting started said our group we were about 15 men Rotten cot word that the soviet re going to take Over a whole and throw the working people out of their Homes to make room for billets. We got the weapons we had hidden stolen most of them and went to fight the hungarian secret police who were guarding the workers Stock. Be fought but it was hopeless. One of the women and four of the men in our group were killed. There was nothing the rest of us could do but Retreat. Soon after that the whole revolt was crushed and we split on dec. 6, 1956, along with four Theryoung hungarians Peter managed to slip Over the austrian Border by night crawling stealthily through the barbed wire and hugging the Earth motionless when the soviet Border patrols sent up flares. He does t remember the name of the place where he entered the free world on his belly but within a Day he was in a refugee Camp near Vienna with some 50,000other countrymen who had fled the soviet Yoke. He was later moved to Rimini Italy to a Camp run by the italian red he was signed up by n . Army recruiting team and taken to Frankfurt where he was sworn in As an american Soldier in May 1957. Sent to it Jackson s.c., for Basic Peter started learning English. In january 1958he began a year s tour in Augsburg Ger Many with the 24th inf div. Then went Back to it Benning a where he was stationed until he came to France a year ago. His family father Stepmother two Brothers and two Sisters Are still in Buda pest and Peter hears from them in frequently and through devious channels. He says they have not been prosecuted because of his escape. He adds he would like to go Back someday and see them if everything Ever gets straightened out but not to stay. Hell make Athens ga., his Home when he gets his discharge this May. And is granted his american citizen ship. America is my Peter says firmly. Perez was attending school in Havana when Castro s regime took Over an began to show its True nature. They took away almost everything my father owned and in May of 1959 us killed himself in despair Perez said. A american vice Consul who was a Friend of mine made it possible for me to get Tonew York and i went in he fell in with other anti Castro refugees and within a year he was Back to Cuba Ona Mission of subversion. The group he was with bid out in the mountains near Pinar Del Rio. About 100 Miles from Havana engaging in sabotage and fighting bloody skirmishes with the Castro militia. After four months i got wounded and could t fight any More and hid five Days in a Cave with five others who were Hurt Perez said. We managed to get to Havana where i used a false name and worked with another underground group a Small one. Stole Small weapons and hid them away. We distributed anti communist pamphlets. Then some new members came into the group and i did t Trust them. 1 hid out and 1 was right they were Castro spies. Three of my blends were executed and two thrown in prison.". Of Perez got out of Cuba again. He worked first As a bus boy in a Miami restaurant then a to to new York where he got Job As electrician s Helper at Idlewild air port he enlisted at it Dix n.j., in july 1961, and came to France m january. My. Brother my twin is in the Castro says Perez. But Only because tie has to be. He hates Castro. They took his year old daughter away along with thousands of other cuban children to Besent to soviet Russia to be brought up As a Good communist when i was in Havana after coming Down from the mountains my brother knew what was doing but he did t report Mev y or r like other american soldiers overseas Peter and Perez attend troop information sessions were they Are told Why Ameri can forces Are Here arid what the free world stands to lose if its guard i dropped. They already know at first hand. March 16, 1962 the stars and stapes
