European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 15, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday april 15, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 9 Over Here czechs never forgot Wii go liberators Sas Randy Pruitt Wii vets Walter Stern left and Edward Kuczka hold a poster in Frankfurt West Germany marking Bohemian liberation. By Randy Pruitt staff writer a Page torn from a 1961 Issue of National geographic symbolizes a Friendship that unlike paper and Ink never faded. The Page carries an advertisement featuring an unnamed american airline Captain. A czech recently mailed it to the american embassy in Prague. In a letter he explained that he knew the american when they were both 45 ears younger. Now he Hopes to find is Friend again. A a it a a Good example of How people Are grasping a said col. Richard Buckner an army attache with the embassy. Since the Iron curtain was ripped open last year czechs and americans have been making a special Effort to link up again. The Bonds of Friendship Are deep. The czechs never have forgotten that the americans liberated a part of Bohemia in the final Days of world War ii. The americans still remember How warmly they were received by the czechs. A now with the Freedom they have we at the embassy Are being besieged by Calls from people who want to Contact gis they befriended and lost Contact with a Buckner said. Buckner said the embassy receives letters every Day seeking information on someone a whereabouts. A but few and far Between we get a connection a he explained. Buckner recently accompanied a Veteran from the 2nd inf div to the Village of Roky Cany. A it was very impressive to see this Guy come Back and look with a kind of mind set of reconstructing the entire situation that was before him in 1945. He remembered the farmhouse where he stayed where he was fed Good food a Buckner said. A the tried to look up one person he was in Contact with for a Long time but we found out she had died about three years  Over the years Many czechs took great personal risks to Honor the americans by attending special ceremonies at about a dozen locations Buckner said. Since the War ended the soviets a who liberated most of Czechoslovakia a have attempted to rewrite history by claiming credit for fighting done by the americans. Many monuments and plaques honouring . Soldiers were destroyed during the cold War Buckner said. A but during the last 10 or 12 years we the . Embassy have always gone Down to these places to Lay wreaths at Sites where the monuments had been a he said. So have the secret police visited the Sites. A people were questioned after their attendance at these ceremonies a Buckner said. A they put their Public life on the line. They knew the  now ripped Down plaques Are being put Back up on City Halls and new monuments Are being erected with classic fanfare. Buckner said about 9,000 people turned out for a december dedication of a plaque at Jato by a Community South of Pilsen. A it was their tremendous desire to have Contact with americans a he said. A a it a amazing to see the outpouring for the americans in Pilsen a Buckner said. The americans will be feted at a weekend Celebration in Pilsen during May 5 and 6. Czech president Vaclav Havel and . Ambassador Shirley Temple Black Are scheduled to attend the sunday festivities when a memorial will be dedicated to the 2nd inf and 16th army divisions. The two divisions which were under the command of Gen. George s. Patton jr., drove the germans from the City. The 686th air Force band and v corps 8th inf div band Are scheduled to play. About 75 army veterans from across the United states have made arrangements to Fly to Czechoslovakia for the event. Vaclav Vlasak chairman of the . Army memorial in Pilsen a los gatos. Calif., organization set up specifically for the occasion said that he expects it to be an emotional reunion for Many. In two cases Vlasak said he has managed to help reunite two americans and two czechs. A we will try to have those people meet each other during the Celebration a he said. Vietnam says soviets to leave ex-. Base by 92 Bangkok Thailand apr rep. Patricia Schroeder said saturday that Vietnam assured her All soviet forces will be out of the former . Base at Cam Ranh Bay by 1992, but a reported offer to allow . Forces Back was taken out of context. Schroeder d-colo., is heading a seven member delegation from the House armed services committee on a tour of Southeast Asia. Schroeder interviewed in Bangkok said the delegation had been interested in seeing soviet facilities at Cam Ranh Bay but Vietnam a foreign minister Nguyen co Thach told them he was not authorized to permit the visit. The congresswoman said she was assured by Thach however that All soviet forces would be withdrawn from the base by 1992. Vietnamese officials told the Delega-i0" that remarks they reportedly made to . Congressmen about the pos Sibili a a wars is being allowed to use Lam Ranh Bay in the future were taken out of context Schroeder said. Rep. Thomas Ridge r-pa., recently said senior vietnamese officials told him in Bali Indonesia that they could foresee a Day when . Warships would be allowed to use the base again. A state department official said last week the department had received no offer from Vietnam about Cam Ranh Bay. The soviet Union moved into the .-built base in 1975 when communist forces triumphed in the Vietnam War. Moscow says it now maintains no More Schroeder than a Token presence there. A a Thach said the soviet Union would definitely be out by 1992. We thought it interesting that they said that so emphatically a Schroeder said. A no one had even heard that specific Date  she said vietnamese officials had said the withdrawal was not tied to a . Pullout from the Philippines. . Leases expire next year on Clark a and on the Subic Bay naval facilities in the Philippines a the two largest . Military bases overseas a and on four smaller bases. Negotiations on renewing the leases will begin May 14 amid rising anti american sentiment in the Philippines. American officials have said they would like to retain the bases but arc prepared to abandon them if the opposition is overwhelming or the Price for new leases is too High. Schroeder said the United states is committed to scaling Down its military presence in the Asia Pacific Region but is not considering a total withdrawal. Quot the people we have talked to obviously think the soviet presence is much less but they Are also worried about what would happen if the . Were to leave a she said noting that Many stressed regional tensions. A it is some of the capitalist countries who arc looking Over their shoulders at each other  she said. She said the delegation is assessing the military threat in the Asia Pacific Region and looking for alternative Sites for military bases should the United states have to withdraw from the Philippines. Before visiting Vietnam Schroeder travelled to Singapore in response to prime minister Lee Kwan yews offer to allow the United states to expand its facilities there. The delegation was to travel sunday to the indonesian capital of Jakarta. The delegation also travelled to phenom penh on Friday and held talks with Hun sen Premier of the Hanoi installed government in Cambodia. In addition to Schroeder the members of the delegation Are rep. David Martin . Ben Blaz a Guam rep. James Courter . Rep. James Hansen a Utah rep. Larry j. Hopkins Ray. And rep. Norman Sisisky a a