My aunt married a Czech scientist who was visiting John Hopkins University where my aunt was working. She returned with him to Prague. Their first child was only 3 months old when the Russian tanks rolled in. Very scary times for them.
This same type of courage is going on now in Venezuela.
The American Press is ignoring it because they think they are being paid to ignore it.
I studied abroad in Prague shortly after the wall came down. We started out in Berlin and had to take the train to the east side in order to catch the train to Prague. Let me tell you, leaving bright, crowded, modern Zoo station and then exiting into a dank, depressing hole with standing water, flickering lights, and signage still written in that old German typeface...it was like walking into a time capsule. The station still looked exactly as it had in 1945. The few people in the east station did not speak, they whispered. They stared at us like we were from outer space. It was unnerving. Soviet soldiers entered our rail car when we crossed the border. They were not happy to see us, but there was nothing they could do about it. That summer with the Czechs was extremely enlightening. Simple things that you would never think about unless you had experienced it...a city surrounded by fertile farmland, yet you couldn’t find a fresh vegetable anywhere.
Visited the Brandenburg Gate and saw the Russian T-34 monument on the western side. Bold reminder to the Germans. Stopped by Checkpoint Charlie. A bit farther along saw some naive young man pick up a chunk of brick or rock and bounce it in his hand staring at the Vopos as if going to throw it their way. Everybody froze when the Vopo drew back the bolt on the heavy machine gun. Two other older members of the guys group swarmed him and frog marched him away. Guess he hadn't been following the news of Vopos actually shooting.
Had a great time in the Berlin nightspots as well as in other parts of Germany. Two weeks later returned to the States from Paris. A day later came the invasion.