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    Of Cowards and Heroes
    Of Cowards and Heroes
    Of Cowards and Heroes
    Ebook106 pages1 hour

    Of Cowards and Heroes

    By John A. Lang

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    About this ebook

    Augustin Kalivota, a 19-year-old man from Czechoslovakia, who is living with
    his paternal uncle and aunt, is looking for a job in America, but cannot because he
    has not a birth certifi cate for a fi re destroyed it in 1950. Additionally, he is curious
    as to whether or not his parents were involved in the resistance movement during
    World War 2.
    He must now return to Czechoslovakia not only to obtain a copy of his birth
    certifi cate, but also to fi nd out the truth about his parents whom his uncle and
    aunt despise.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherXlibris US
    Release dateJan 13, 2014
    ISBN9781483687438
    Of Cowards and Heroes
    Author

    John A. Lang

    Born in 1963, Intermediate historian, John A. Lang, author of "The Epic of Will Lang Jr.", returns to his passion for history in his new book, "Of Cowards and Heroes". An in-depth look into the resistance movement during Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia during World War II. John has studied world history for the past ten years and decided to choose this subject for the contents of this book. Enjoy!

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      Book preview

      Of Cowards and Heroes - John A. Lang

      CONTENTS

      1.  Dead End And An Old Friend

      2.  Reunion, Realization And Resolution

      3.  The Quest For Yesteryear

      4.  The Village That Was Not There

      5.  The Lost Children

      6.  The Consequences Of Apathy

      7.  Enemy Mine

      8.  Investigation And Interrogation

      9.  Revelation, Regret, And Repentance

      All tyranny needs to gain a foothold, is for people of good conscience to remain silent.—Thomas Jefferson (1821)

      CHAPTER ONE

      DEAD END AND AN OLD FRIEND

      The golden leaves fell from their trees as autumn paid its annual September visit to the metropolitan city of Chicago.

      The sun shone vibrantly and a slight zephyr from Lake Michigan kept the surrounding atmosphere cooler.

      As the sound of traffic echoed down the streets, a taxicab pulled up to the curb near the IBM building at 330 North Wabash.

      Exiting the taxi was Augustin Kalivota, a nineteen-year-old young man from Czechoslovakia, and a recent graduate of J. Sterling Morton High School in Cicero.

      Augustin could not help but notice the friendliness of the driver as he drove away. Normally, they were quite rude to him due to his foreign accent.

      Augustin lived with his paternal uncle and aunt, Alois and Linda Kalivota at 2326 South 60th Court.

      They also were from Czechoslovakia and rarely talked about Augustin’s parents, Stepan and Adela Kalivota, and every time Augustin asked his uncle or aunt about his parents, or what they did during World War 2, they would politely ask him to change the subject.

      The only memories Augustin had of his parents was a fire-scorched photograph of their wedding taken back in 1940.

      Occasionally, Augustin would look at the photo whenever he would think about them. His other memories of his parents were of songs they sung either in church or at their home in Czechoslovakia.

      Seeing a nearby newspaper kiosk, Augustin looked at the recent headline: Chicago Sun Times: September 26, 1960: First televised presidential debate tonight.

      The article then continued: Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy will debate on the candidacy for President of the United States on television tonight.

      Augustin thought, I hope uncle Alois and aunt Linda will let me watch that, even though I am not registered to vote yet. It will be interesting to see who wins the debate.

      With high anticipation for a job application and the upcoming debate on television, Augustin entered the well-furnished IBM building and approached the wooden desk of the brown-haired receptionist, Wanda Meyer.

      Augustin really wanted this job, his qualifications were superior than most, for he could solve complex mathematical equations in his head in a matter of seconds.

      Looking upwards with her hazel-colored eyes, Wanda queried, May I help you?

      Augustin replied, My name is Augustin Kalivota, I am here to apply for a job… you had an advertisement for employment listed in the Cicero Vindicator.

      Wanda looked suspiciously into Augustin’s brown eyes and politely responded, Oh, yes. We ran that advertisement in the county newspapers last week. Moreover, yes, there are still jobs available. Please have a seat and fill out this application.

      After saying that, Wanda handed an application for employment along with a pen to Augustin and told him, Please answer all the questions and then provide some proof of your identity.

      With hesitation in his voice, Augustin asked curiously, What forms of identity do I need to provide?

      Wanda inquisitively replied, A birth certificate is usually what we ask from our applicants. Why do you ask?

      Augustin set down the pen and the application with distraught and said, Because I have a problem. A house fire destroyed my birth certificate back in 1950 when we lived on South 50th Avenue. The last time I saw my birth certificate is when my uncle and aunt applied me for school at Cicero West Elementary. All I have left is my baptismal certificate and my passport.

      Wanda queried, How did those other papers survive the fire and your birth certificate did not?

      Augustin answered, They almost didn’t. They barely escaped the fire.

      With that, he removed from his back pocket the two fire-scorched documents.

      Sadly, Wanda replied, I am sorry to hear about the tragedy that struck your home. I hope everyone made it out alright.

      Augustin replied, My uncle Alois was slightly burned trying to retrieve our valued possessions, nothing serious, though. My aunt was slightly shaken up though.

      Suspiciously, Wanda then asked, How did you enter into high school without a birth certificate?

      Augustin replied, The principal of my high school called the Embassy of Czechoslovakia and obtained a copy of my birth certificate, however, my aunt called my alma mater and they said that they destroyed it after my graduation.

      Wanda rudely asked, Czechoslovakia is a Communist country, therefore, I must ask, are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?

      Startled by Wanda’s questioning, Augustin sadly answered, I was only one year old when I lived in Czechoslovakia, moreover, my parents were killed in 1942 during World War Two in Czechoslovakia by the Nazis in the same year. My aunt and uncle brought me to America by boat and raised me as their own son. Therefore, I was too young at the time to be associated with any political parties.

      Wanda interrogated Augustin further, Why didn’t your uncle and aunt keep those documents in a safe place, like a metal box?

      Augustin replied, I do not know. I never asked.

      With irritation in her voice, Wanda asked, What made you think that you could get a job here or anywhere else without having a birth certificate?

      With desperation, Augustin replied, Well, my baptismal certificate has my date and place of birth on it, can’t you accept that?

      Wanda sadly replied, Regretfully I cannot accept that document, and I cannot bend or change the rules.

      Changing the subject, Wanda continued, So, you are from Czechoslovakia, that is interesting. You know, I thought I heard a European accent in your voice; many of my neighbors have European accents. They are mostly German or Austrian. Now, back to your problem… I understand your misfortune. However, I regret that we cannot hire you at this time. A birth certificate is a mandatory document for hiring. You can either write the Embassy in Czechoslovakia or ask them to provide you a duplicate birth certificate or you could go over to Czechoslovakia yourself and obtain a copy and then come back here and reapply for a job. However, I would not recommend that, seeing how an ‘Iron Curtain’ fell in the 1940’s.

      Augustin responded, I appreciate your concern. However, I feel it is a risk I would be willing to take. I have always wanted to see my parents’ graves and pay my respects. I’m old enough to make my own decisions and travel on my own now.

      Wanda replied, "Whatever decision you make, be careful. America and the Communist countries are not exactly friendly right now. There is a lot of unwarranted suspicion in America, and the government is blacklisting many good people nowadays. That is why when I heard your accent and heard you mention ‘Czechoslovakia’ I became suspicious of you and began asking

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