European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 06, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday May 6, 1990 the stars and stripes Page 3 warm demonstration of friendships a Gus Schuelter the firefighters from Coleman Barracks to visiting West German firefighters and if s part of a German american present at the Coleman Barracks air in Mannheim Are displaying their skill it s All for practice and demonstration Friendship event. The 150 visitors were Field for the spectacular demonstration. Vet returns to a special Homecoming new czech family invites him to stay in his old room by Randy Pruitt staff writer Pilsen Czechoslovakia ear Lovelace of Santa Barbara Calif., spent Friday night with a czech family. Nothing too unusual about that. Other american world War ii Veter ans being honoured saturday and Sun Day for their role in the liberation of this Section of Bohemia 45 years ago Are staying with czechs too. But Lovelace s situation is  s sleeping in the same room that he occupied As a 19-year-old i. Only the people have changed. The House is about the same on the outside but inside it has improved said the former medic with the m co,38th regt 2nd in div. Last year Lovelace returned to Czechoslovakia for the first time carrying photos of the people he live with during that War torn time. No one in the neighbourhood knew anything about these people he said. Instead he was greeted by a Youn couple with a boy and girl. They insisted he stay with them if he Ever re turned again. Ironically it was a Young couple with two children who were his hosts in 1945. A grandmother also lived wit the family. She would get up Early and ride off on her bicycle and come Back with sweets for us he recalled. Three other gis were also billeted inthe two Story dwelling. Lovelace said he spent some time guarding German prisoners kept in a compound in a Village outside Pilsen but he does t recall the location. I was too Young to be interested. My main interest was getting Home he said. Lovelace said one year and a peace Ful overthrow of the communist government has made a big difference inthe country he has never forgotten. Last year they the people were afraid to Greet us. Nobody would talk to us he said. Now All that has changed. Lovelace and the rest of the Ameri cans who came Here have discovered that the czechs who have open Dup their hearts and their Homes Haven t forgotten either. Liberators from Page 1 with the 38th regt 2nd in div when the unit became the first group to free Pilsen on May 6, 1945. Herres and retired col. Bob Gilbert recalled a Small czechoslovak girl who would ride her bicycle into each Village and return to inform the americans if there were any germans ahead. Soldiers stayed with czechoslovak families during the War. We were treated wonderfully Gilbert said. We had a strict Rule. We could not fraternize wit people in an enemy country. So this was the first time anywhere we could let our hair Down and live with the  in an Impromptu speech Herres told a group of czechoslovak Czechoslovakia was a Beautiful coun try then and it had Beautiful girls. Today it s still Beautiful and so Are the  no one disagreed especially Don Cole of Vista Calif. Cole was a 24-year-old Corporal when he arrived in Pilsen a few months after the liberation. He met czechoslovak girl on a Blind Date and married her on Pearl Harbor Day in 1945. The czechoslovak have their own stories. Jerry Jara Rezac said he was 24 years old and doing nothing at the time. I taught English. But at the end of 1944, All classes were closed he said. He spent his time hiding from the germans. It was dangerous he said. Everyone had to be  he has never forgotten when the first american tank of Gen. George Patton s 3rd army arrived. May 6th, at 8 05 in the morning he said. The end of the War was one of the most Beautiful Days in my life Rezac said. Several Young czechoslovak came to the Continental hotel to visit with the veterans. Sobol Marek a 27-year-old mechanical Engineer finally got to meet Steve Chylinski of Broadview Heights Ohio. They had been corresponding irregularly since 1987 after Marek read an article about Czechoslovakia in National geographic that had Bee written by Chylinski. I decided i would like to have a Friend in an English speaking country to better understand English Marek said adding that he owed Chylinski an apology for his infrequent letters. I think Many of my letters were destroyed by theold regime he said. Pilsen resident Olga Fernova stood patiently outside the hotel on saturday morning. In her hands she cradled a Book she has kept for 45 years. The Book is a Young girl s diary containing the names of 14 american soldiers. Today i want to say thank you because i was 17 and one half and now i am a 63-year-old grandmother she said