A couple months ago I went to a training session. I didn't pay much attention to the agenda for the day. When I saw a tall blond man walk in with a western style suit coat (picture contrasting stitching), cowboy boots, and a patriotic tie, I thought "What the heck? Who is this oddly dressed man?" The man turned out to be Peter Vodenka, the author of the book Journey for Freedom; Defection from Communist Czechoslovakia. Peter spoke to us about his childhood in a Communist country where he idolized the characters on American western television shows. He spoke of a country where there are armed guards on the borders to keep you in, electrified razor wire fences to keep you in, public policy and roadblocks to keep you from leaving. Peter spoke of the lack of freedom. Unable to prosper, unable to make sure his kids got enough vitamins to grow up healthy, unable to travel, unable to believe the propaganda, unable to get his hands on goods other than the poorly made Communist items, unable to speak freely he and his wife chose to leave Czechoslovakia, via Austria, to the United States of America. They left at night, abandoning their car, carrying two children and two shoulder bags. Planning for years for this very night, they thought of everything except how the dome light could draw the attention of the guards when they opened the car doors. They ran into the rain with armed guards and dogs chasing them. All four made it safely into the woods of Austria. They stayed in a refugee camp. A church in Beach, North Dakota sponsored them to come to America. Peter told us he is proud to be an American. He is proud of the American flag. He is proud of America for helping people throughout the world who need our help. I don't often hear that kind of blatant patriotism. His speech was good and the book was even better. His story of a harrowing escape is emotional and compelling.
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