Much More - Summer of Tanks = page 5.

How did I get on outside of the barricade is beyond me. All I can remember from that time is that I was in deep psychological shock.
I can also remember well that I did told my self to join the resistance where ever I could.
I did not know where to go or what to do. On one corner of the W Square I did run in to several people who were standing beyond two tanks. One of young guys among them was holding newspaper in under his arm. In the minute or two guy with the newspaper and another young guy did approached one of the tanks from behind.
Every tank had on it's back strapped two barrels of diesel and then on one side strapped long chain pick and shovel.
Young guy without the papar did unstrap the pick and with sharp point made hole in to the barrel with diesel. As did liquid begun to leak out other guy did lit his paper and throwed it on to the escaping diesel.
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Shortly after whole tank wascovered with flames.
BANG.
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Next as soon as the high flames did go down top cover on the tanks did open up and to death terrified Russian soldiers did begun to climbing in out of the tank shooting with their machine guns at anything that moved.
IT WAS FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT DAY WHEN I HAD TO BE DIVING TO THE GROUND IN FRONT OF BULLETS.
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Because I did noticed that those soldiers were shooting also at people on other side of the square I did scream on the two young guys. WE ARE KILLING OUR OWN PEOPLE.
But guys did not pay anny attention to me and were off to select for them new target.

Much More - Summer of Tanks = page 4.

One thing. Since we were in under the occupation there was not any public transportation and so I had no other choice but to get to down town on my two feet. Well I was young only 22 years old and so few kilometers here and there did not mean too much for me.
I did found my barricade off the Vaclavak ( Wenceslaw Square ) in front of Radio Prague building. I was anticipating brick barricade as I have seen resistance building in 2nd world war plus people with machine guns and so on.
But instead I did found a wall of tracks and street cars blocking a evtrance to the radio station.
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In Memory of Frantisek Novak.
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On the outside of the barricade were all ready standing Russian tanks and armored transporters. Still I did found me a passage on to inside by the building where was a walk way for the pedestrians.
When I did made it on the inside I did found my self among several hundred Prague citizens. I did ask guy next to me what were we doing and what was our mission. He told me that Russians were trying to take over our Radio Station and by it silence the voice of our nation.
This was the good enough reason for me to join the cause. And so I became to be an part of the human barricade.
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And so as everyone else I did just begun standing and waiting for what is going to happen next.
Looking around for if I will see any familiar face in the crowd I did noticed one young man who was  dressed in brown leather motor bike outfit. He had on him leather jacket exactly as my father did buy from somebody brand new in the pub. And I did manage to bum that jacket from my father so I had at home exactly one like that.
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Next we all begun to hear increase of motor rumble on other side of the barricade. And then on my side one of the Russian tanks did made a attempt to get over our barricade.
We all were cheering when he did not make it.
Next thing how ever one tank further for me did. Then tank on our side made another attempt and after that he was among us.
There had been increasing panic among us growing as everyone was trying to get away from the steel monster rumbling toward the gate to the Radio Station Building.
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Looking at this scene I did noticed as young man in leather jacket did fail on to the ground and did begun to be disappearing in under the tank.
I did froze who knows for how long. I did want to jump to the tank and free that man from under neath of it but I knew that it was not humanly possible.
Then when I did begun to see that this tank did begun to steering in to my direction I did begun to thing about saving my own skin.

Much More - Summer of Tanks = page 3.

By being still very tired I did found my self quiet seat on the train and dosed off again. I did tried to pay my attention to the train stations so I would get off on mine. We were still in outskirts of the city when I did hear announcements made by our ticket man that our train was not allowed to go any further or won't be returning.
This on the order of the commander of Soviet occupational forces.
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What commander ? What occupational forces ?
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In no time that ticket man was in face to face with me and did ask me to leave thae train as everybody else.
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And so like in my dream I did walk through train station on to the street and froze in disbelief.
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AM I ON SOME MOVIE SET AGAIN ?
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Where ever I did look were tanks soldiers and Prague civilians in argument with those soldiers.
To my right not far away from the steps to train station on what I was standing I did notice soldier what I could recognize as Russian who was holding a traffic sign. He was surrounded by Prague civilians. I did decide to go investigate there for me on what was going on ?
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We are in under the invasion. Then one man in our group said something about that in downtown people were making a barricades.
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This was good enough for me.

Much More - Summer of Tanks= page 2.

crrrrr =  My alarm clock did begun to ring. I did drag my self in out of my bed half way dead. If I had two hours of sleep that night then it was way too much. I did manage to get to the city bus station to get a bus to the Kladno train station.
When the bus did arrive I became to be slightly surprised about that was empty except for a single passenger who was sitting close to the driver and talking to him in quiet voice who knows what about.
Morning bus to the train station had usually quiet few people in it. But that day I was happy that it did not.
This give me a chance to climb to the end of the bus to get me bit snooze till our arrival.
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AM I ON THE MOVIE SET ?
======================
Gate to the train station was open as usual because we early morning riders were buying our train tickets to Prague on the train.
And so I did walk directly to the platform. Where I begun to stare in shock to my surroundings.
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I don't know if you did ever see the exodus of Jews in outbrake of WW2 in Europe ?
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There in my hometown Kladno on platform was standing group of Orthodox Jews. There were no Orthodox Jews in my hometown. They were in Prague but not in Kladno.
Then I did noticed on the bench bye the train station group of Slovak women who were usually selling their ( ostepky ) smoked sheep cheeses on the streets of Prague.
In Prague yes but in Kladno never.
What were they all doing here >
I did begun to look around for the movie crew and cameras but they were not there also,
What is going on ???
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This surreal scene did wanish when 5am train to Prague did arrive.

Much more then = The Summer of Tanks - Page 1.

To this day I truly wish that Spring of 68 would never end. And so one day I was sleeping in my bed at Kladno's my parents apartment waiting forward to next morning when I will catch a morning train to Prague. It all did begun just as any other ordinary night. I went to bed in about 11pm because I had to get up in around 4am so I could be at work at 6am in Protetika Praha.
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I was sleeping in around the midnight what very low above our rooftop did flew some kind of large airplane. All my mother's vine glasses and dishes did begun to rattle in the kitchen.It wake me up. Very shortly after that another large without the doubt military airplane did flue low above our rooftop.
WHAT THE HELL ?
I did scream over the kitchen to my parents bedroom.
Go back to sleep it may be just a military fly above replied my mother to me.
Not long time after that I could hear someone from the street screaming something from their full lungs. But I could not understand what.
I did had to get up early in the morning so most important to me was to catch as many minutes of sleep that was able to.

Much more then - page 5,= Prague Spring of 68.

When did Prague Spring did arrive I was on top of my world. As much as before most of my friends were bad guys now most of my close friends became to be university students.
I did became to have my first song lyrics played in Kladno by one Kladno Student Rock band.
After that when I finished my evening school I did quit my job in forests realizing that I was not born to be logger and prospects for getting higher were slim.
So I did go to Prague where I did my self ordinary job. And in the evening I did start to study Songwriting and Music Business.
I became to have girlfriend in Prague.
And to this day I belief that 1968 was a best year of my life.

Much more then - page 4.

And so before I knew I was 19 years old and having my draft orders in hand I did board the train to East Slovakia where in city of Kosice I did begun my military carrier.
From the day one army did teach me one thing. I did learn that I was much more physically stronger then I thought of my self.
Also that from woods I was able to endure walking or marching better then majority of my booth camp fellow soldiers.
I was still in the booth cam when I did learn that our army base had a Dog Squad. And it is in the booth camp when majority of new soldiers are trying to stash them selves in to some position with in. Cooks Drivers what have you?
Everybody knew that ordinary soldiers will get most undesirable orders.
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In our Forest Animals course we had two subjects. Introduction to hunting dogs and most important subject in what you had to be able to graduate in was VETERINARY .
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And so I figured out that these two subjects should help me to get in to dog squad. And they did.
I became to be first new soldier to be excepted and also to be send for training tn to Dog Master School. After I was sent back to Kosice received the rank and did begun to serve.
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Army had great change on me. I knew well from before that I was able to fully memorize scientific definitions. Thanks to that I did graduate in Dog Master School on top of my class.
In addition back at my base I did begun to read books written by classic writers. It did surprised me bit that on top I was able to understand them.
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I stayed in the army only for fifteen monst and I did managed to get released.
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Finely this did get me an opportunity to get enrolled in to evening school so fer ever I could shake down that curse of Special away from me.
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After years of struggles with inferiority complexes I was able to feel normal In the army I did also begun to write poetry.