70 Years Later: American WWII Veteran JOHN LIVINGSTONE
Story and Photos by Renata Kosina / Published in May 2015
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. I’d like to contribute to the celebrations by honoring an American photographer, a former G.I. and World War II veteran, John Livingstone, who, as a young soldier, played a part in the liberation of Czechoslovakia, my country of birth. This is also a story about how I met a man who, along with many other American WWII soldiers, was erased from Czechoslovakian history books for over 40 years!
On May 8, 1945, American troops under General Patton liberated the western regions of Czechoslovakia, including the town of Pilsen, where they met with the Soviet army working their way from the East. Sadly, this part of the history never made it into the textbooks of socialist Czechoslovakia and children of my age were taught that the whole country was liberated only by the Soviets. Some Czech parents and educators, confronted by photographic evidence, went so far as to explain to the youngsters that the soldiers in the pictures were Soviets dressed in American uniforms. Whether they did it out of fear of the secret police or out of their political persuasions, the result was the same. Like many of my contemporaries, I didn’t learn about this “missing” piece of our national history until later in my life.
The May celebrations I remember from my youth bring back images of hundreds of Soviet and Czechoslovakian flags displayed side by side and the air infused with the intense scent of blooming lilac. Every May, my great-grandmother and other older folks would arrange them into large bouquets and set them in windows as a commemoration of the victorious date. Only recently have many of these distant childhood memories been brought back into focus by a man whose recollections are as sharp as anyone half his age. John Livingstone, an 89-year-old Oregonian, was in Czechoslovakia on May 8, 1945, as a 19-year-old soldier. I could hardly believe my luck when I first met him at a friend’s party and listened to his vivid stories! “Yes, to welcome us, the Czechs were showering us with lilac flowers and buchta pastries”, he said, clearly recalling the 70-years passed events.
American World War II veteran John Livingstone holds a photograph he took during the liberation of Pilsen, Czechoslovakia, on May 8, 1945. It shows American and Soviet soldiers celebrating together the victory over the Nazi occupation and the end of World War II. LISTEN below to Mr. Livingstone’s personal account of the historical day.
“At one given point…, (after the Russians) played their national anthem, the Russian officer blew a whistle and all of a sudden, all these Russians broke ranks and ran towards us and each of them grabbed one of us soldiers and gave us a bear hug”.
A few months later, he and his wife, Nancy, are hosting me in their living room. The walls are crowded with images taken during the war and from John’s 60-year, award-winning career in photography. I hesitate but eventually tell him about the decades-long gap in Czech history, but he just nods as if he knew. To thank him for his service and hospitality, I bring a bouquet of fresh lilacs. The scent quickly fills the room, creating a sentimental backdrop to our visit. “I couldn’t have asked for a better gift!” he replies with joy.
After the “Velvet Revolution” and the fall of the Eastern European bloc in 1989-90, the true historical stories became public. Since then, the western Czech Republic (a part of former Czechoslovakia) celebrates the World War II liberation each May by honoring all the soldiers and armies involved.
