The Easter holiday created the perfect opportunity to wear our uniforms for the first time this season. On Saturday we went on a hike, and on Sunday we attended the unveiling of a new monument dedicated to the 5th Infantry Division in Volary, Czech Republic.

 

The route of our march was about 10 km and went through the countryside of South Bohemia. Along the way we encountered many old buildings dating back to the 19th century. More or less in the middle of the route we took a break for food and we made a campfire. For uniforms we chose late-war M-1943 sets.

 

On Sunday, at the invitation of KVH 4th Armored Division, we went to Volary in Šumava National Park, where a ceremony was held to unveil a new monument to the 5th Infantry Division. This was one of the divisions that contributed to the liberation of our country and the area where we live today. On behalf of our association, we laid a wreath at the monument. The Mayor of Volary and the U.S. Defense Attache to the Czech Republic – Col. James Hackbarth and his family also participated in the ceremony. On our way back home we honored the memory of Private First Class Charles Havlat who is recognized as being the last United States Army soldier to be killed in combat in the European Theater of Operations during World War II. Charley's parents were immigrants from Czechoslovakia.

 

These two days allowed us to feel the atmosphere of the liberation of Czechoslovakia in 1945.