Family roots

By Gary Pribyl: My wife, sister and I were in a small village in the Czech Republic, tracing back where my ancestors lived before coming to Iowa in 1857. We had a driver and an English/Czech interpreter from Pilsen with us.

The day was going very well, and around 2 p.m. the driver and interpreter got a very solemn look on their faces and starting talking to each other in Czech. We were not sure why their demeanor changed so rapidly. The driver had heard on the radio that our country had been bombed.

We finished the afternoon with them, and when they dropped us off at the hotel in Pilsen, they proceeded to tell us what they thought had happened. We rushed into the hotel to see on television what had happened, but everything was in Czech so we really didn't know the facts.

A chill went through us, and we just sat there in total shock. We then proceeded to the embassy in Pilsen to learn more.

Needless to say, it is a day that everyone will always remember.