Rebecca Matlock - Czechoslovakia (1981-83)

Czechoslovakia (1981-83)

The Matlocks were posted to Czechoslovakia during the Communist period.

I think probably the most innovative thing that we did was to go around to the different towns and villages that had been liberated by Patton's army during World War II on the dates of liberation and take whole convoys of cars, and have little ceremonies at the markers… And that way we got to see a lot of people because the whole village would turn out. The first year I made photographs and the second year gave people the photographs and this got to be a very special thing... We would pre-record Jack's remarks which would come out at night on the Voice of America. This meant that the whole country was aware of the fact that not just the Soviets, but also the Americans had liberated their country...