European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 29, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse Continued from Page 11 to see us. One offers to Lead us to the order on a motorcycle. The offer is gently turned Down. But we Are carry ing mail out for them. June is getting anxious and wants to leave. She sees Emil struggling with the Tarp to cover the five suitcases and Chris s bicycle atop the car and tells him to forget it. We have been warned to hand Over the Little bit of food we have packed if we Are stopped. The resistance network had reported that troops were hungry and were stealing from Farmers store Sand stopping motorists and demanding phone rings. It is the Hruska s son in the country. He is All right. All we Klong when we had inquired of him Marina would smile and say i do no permit myself to an amazing woman hop into the car after a warm round of goodbyes. The twins lie Downin the third seat. Chris Loretta and i Are sitting Indian fashion on a mattress in the Middle seat unable to lie Down among the dozens of toys and gear the lunch and thermos Jug and the bad Minton and table Tennis sets. We take Back roads up Over the mountains and it is foggy. Emil quietly gives instructions in Ger Man As he sits by Jane s Side if you meet a tank you must look quickly and if possible pull off into a Side is very dangerous because the tanks Are not driven straight. They Zig Zag and destroy All in their i had called the american embassy in Prague and told them of our route. I was assured there were no troops atthe Border Crossings our car is flagged Down by a boy distributing paper czech Tri colors red White and Blue Svith a Black Stripe of mourning added. Emil reaches out and takes a handful of them. He puts them into the Glove compartment after hand ing a couple of them to us. Jane nervously demands that the children keep them Low so that they cannot be seen outside the by this time Emil is looking around for some help on directions. He orders Jane to Stop in front of a drugstore and he goes in. The Grapevine is working. He comes out with the information he wanted. We emerge from the fog to a Sunn Day. The land is getting flatter and we can see for greater distances across the Lovely Countryside. The towns Are deserted except for the squares where people Are assembled to of children lie Down and Don t move.9 mum listen to the resistance radio and to exhortations by local communist officials opposing the several towns funeral cortege arc running for citizens shot Down by the invaders. We see our first moving tank. It Isa Small one. But the Road is narrow and Jane pulls Over and stops. In a moment we Are moving flags Down another pedestrian who is quite excited and tells us not Togo into this town. The troops there Are harassing the motorists. We turn pass a group of soldiers who peer closely at us. Several Mure soldiers Aru Page 12 there were tanks in the Square she told us and we thought our dash to safety was off. She said she did t see the tank an american family s epic flight from czech a someone had told a a t tanks were running Over everything in their paths. We pass a group of soldiers or closely at us. A patrolling Back and Forth across the Road. Emil sensing Jane s four places hand on her gently and says softly drive quickly and Jane raises her voice saying Edgely Over her Shoul Der children lie Down and Don soon three armoured vehicles each carrying about a dozen soldiers come Over a Hill headed toward us. As the pass Chris Points out the two men Manning machine guns on each tank moves toward us. It is a asks Emil what must i do i cannot pull into the again he touches her and calmly repeats his Cau Tion proceed quickly and quietly. Donot fortunately the Road is wider an permits double passage. The fearsome noise of steel on pave ment has unnerved Jane and for the first time our Friend looks straight Ather. It s All right he says. It s All of the people we pass Are going about their jobs. To go by u farm co operative and see hundreds of people including Many children picking hops. Now enl is beginning to get some misinformation from people in the streets. He reacts to this by asking Sev eral people before accepting is stopping motorcyclists boys on bikes pedestrians. And there Are the drugstores where the Grapevine oper is a Good thing he is guiding us. During the night the resistance has re moved or painted Over All Road signs House numbers Street markers an nameplates to confuse the invaders. 1 begin to wonder about the people who steered us to wrong places. Were they too lost because of the disappear Ance of directional signs or were they angry because to were heading for Freedom and safety and they had to stay behind for a new period of darkness this i think 1 can understand. We have passed thousands of signs All with one ultimate idea Ivan go Home a sign which we see in russian and English and 1 suppose czech. Moscow 4000 appears. We Aro about 40 Miles East of Karlsbad. Tho geography is wrong but Tho though comes through loud and Clear. One sign has a list of numbers on it.1 ask Emil what it says. The numbers Are License plates he Sas. Tin Citi ensure being urged to Stop t ease cars. They the stars Anc stripes belong to collaborators people who tried to arrest protesters of the occupation. We Are lost again and Franca cries from the rear seat Well never sehome. We should t have come. 1 warn to play with Jensen her favorite i a mate. I think that Tho tra Nymha a is id Ning to lose its effect but no. Han is Good after that. We pass a Convoy of truck.-, dose together with a guard posted every 100 feet or so a stretching Over about two Miles of Road. A czech family is Riding abut 30 tee ahead of us. The czech f a briskly from a Holder in the pc r Tjing Tho trucks. A child m he " so. A is also waving n Small . L am j minded once More that Plum pop i have not yielded an work in the factories and Stop has stopped. It is Between. General strike has brought. T l Nolc in to the streets Ali v � s Many wave to us and i Oil. I us with the Black Stripe on it. Of hundreds of fruit la s "., flow them quite Large i us along the Side of the Road Fields of crops Are in l up. This is the work of tanks too. Thursday inc past a czech army Camp. I pet and the soldiers Are walking a. Our czech friends Are proud Feir army has not lifted a Finger in the soviets. Not an ounce of f of a single Generator has been to them says Emil. A Peers around a big truck Ini of us and shouts a russian on a farm tractor Hoves into Chris mocks boy i m f. Loretta by that russian trac Hjorpe Sij n All along Tho Way is b Anlu Wuh a Swastika in thou Anu there was a sign in in " pathetic a Thant help n some places to see towns n t a Lily i Lottier out 8�8"sfcvrt and Walls to wonder Iso in ii ave talk y by tm1 ordered pin 1sn1uil co m own dts that ? shut czech tourists Aref "r0 the country to be t1 0? is Ven having had Duni they Rush Back. " to of something Marina 1968 said the previous evening this is my land. I cannot run Uway. I must Al ways search for new ways for new things for my Emil a quiet Man is quieter than Ever. He just looks for familiar Mark Ings or for people to direct our journey Loretta says if the soldiers talk to would too 11 them t0 a Home " she Jane and i keep thinking How will Emil get Back Home he stops a Pedes Trian. This time he asks for the latest news from the resistance radio. He does not share the news with us. We infer that it is not encouraging. We approach Karlsbad through a thick Forest on a logger s Road meeting a motorcyclist going the other Way. Jan stops the car and Emil bolts out to Flag him Down. Just in time. The cyclist needs a couple of Hundred Yards to Stop but he comes Back. We Trade inform lion on Road conditions. Emil advises Jane to slow Down be cause Karlsbad is the most Beautiful City in Czechoslovakia. He want us Tosee it. You have seen so Little of our country he says sadly. He Points out the Sanatorium in castles and Man Sions and explains the medicinal water bubbling out of the ground Here. From Karlsbad to Cheb it is like another country in another time. There is Little sign of occupation. All is rolling Hills and neatly kept Fields. At Cheb though the scene is much the same As in the other towns. The people Mill about in the Square. The slogans Here however Are in polish and German rather than in it s All Down Hill unless there is a reception at the Border. The embassy had told us that there were no troops there. Soon we Are at the Border pome i and Jane obeys the order to Stop. We Are surprised to see a russian armoured vehicle. We could have expected East germans i thought but not rus sians. Two armed soviet soldiers Are lean ing against a Post nonchalantly talking. Loretta. Irrepressible Waves. The smile and wave Back. Chris scolds her and she protests that she was waving to a czech Border policeman. Her Story r Friendship is forever,9 she says to him in German. is plausible one was standing in Herline of vision Emil swiftly pops Cut swivels a n Days rather formally auf w i e d e r he reaches for hands in tieback seats. I grab both of his hands and squeeze affectionately. Ill see you again i say lamely in English knowing the words will not be under stood. The kids shake his hands kiss him and Tell him goodbye in smiles for the first tin e. He pulls Back and looks squarely Njane for Only the Sec Oju time since Tho trip began six hours before. J a n plunges stiffly from the Driver s seat and throws her arms around him and kisses his Cheek. Our Friendship is forever she says to him in German. Yes yes he an Swers bashful Man he gently hugs Lane Back. He Steps away from the car , and our attention is diverted by a czech Border Jui aril. Kmil slips quietly away. We did t even see him of. A few minutes later i spot him stand ing off to the smile observing us. 1 give hidden notes hubcaps offered Cataldo place to Stow Avay private papers. A Start then wave. That was the Las time 1 saw him. I stay in the car making the scene look More Domestic for the Border guards. Some of my notes Are hidden in a toy stove. I shuffle it up with the other toys heaped in the car. Jane and son Chris talk with the Bor Der policeman. Obviously business has been reduced to a Mere formality. Have Jane ask the policeman if he can accept a Carton of camels that i had kept Handy to bribe any soldiers. He laughs and she gives him the asks the Border policeman How Long the russian armoured vehicle had been sitting there with its guns pointing at them. Since the first Day he smiles. Jane says i am so sad and smiles again and shrugs and takes notice of the children. Much Luck Jane says. few words spoken by manna a few nights before pop into my mind. Shews speaking about her family and said of Kmil lie is the Best Man in if she had not said it. The expression would have been ours. East Ger Hof West Ger. Mlada Boreslav ague Czechoslovakia Poland Austria co co 5-x-in&if% a a i Nuit Hungary the stars and stripes Page 13
