My parents were of the generation who thought they were the children of a free Czechoslovakia, the only democracy in central Europe.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I am just sorry my own mother had to live under that regime for most of her life. I was lucky. I got out and, 14 years later, Czechoslovakia became a free country. So I feel anger, even fury, at this bloody system that ruined so many people's lives for no reason whatsoever.
Because of my parents' love of democracy, we came to America after being driven twice from our home in Czechoslovakia - first by Hitler and then by Stalin.
My parents were Democrats.
My parents were lured to America by the democracy here promised. In our family, freedom was a word to conjure by. Hoping for larger privileges for the growing family of children, they brought them to the New World, the world of many intellectual as well as material advantages.
Through the inspiration of Vaclav's words, the courage of his dissidence and the integrity of his leadership, Czechoslovakia successfully transitioned from an authoritarian state to a free democracy at the heart of Europe.
Both of my parents were first-generation Americans, the children of Jews who left Eastern Europe around the turn of the century.
I still speak Czech with my parents because I was born there.
My parents told us how they felt but never imposed their beliefs on us, although I appreciate I got a healthy sense of democracy from them.
I'm a Slovak. And when I was growing up, I believed that I was Czechoslovakian because of what Russia did. They came in and took two separate countries - Slovakia and the Czech Republic - put them together as one.
My mum was born in the former Czechoslovakia, and even though my grandparents weren't wealthy, they were aristocrats in their time.