Fast forward to 1989, after the collapse of communism. Until that time I did not contact anyone in Czechoslovakia, since correspondence with someone from a Western country could create problems for them. I found the phone number for Honza Kotva and called him to let him know that I would like to come to Prague for a visit. Honza told me that he had triple-bypass heart surgery and he recovered and he would love to come to USA for a visit in the summer of 1990. I postponed my visit to Czechoslovakia and mailed him an invitation, so he can get a tourist Visa to USA.

Honza took a flight to New York, I picked him up and brought him to my house in Hudson, near Boston. He spent with us about a week and he wanted to visit some friends in Toronto and do some traveling. We bought him a 30 days ticket on Greyhound, valid for any travel within Canada and USA. Honza spent almost a month traveling in Canada from Toronto to Vancouver and back through California across the USA to Boston. He spent approximately another 2 weeks with us. We took him sightseeing around New England area, Cape Cod, New Hampshire, Vermont, etc. On the way to the New York Airport, we visited some sights in New York, like the Trade Towers, Empire State building and Staten Island. Unfortunately, we could not see the Statue of Liberty, since US government was under a shutdown due to the budget and national parks were closed on that one particular day.

We had a great time with Honza. One evening, we were drinking and we were reminiscing about the time in the army. I reminded Honza about him reporting Risa and me to the political officer. Honza was shocked, claimed that he does not remember it, and that he thought he was always against the communist system and communist party. He said that he believes me only, because he knows I would not lie to him and that he was surprised that knowing that, I was still friendly with him. I told him that I did not take it personally, that he was genuinely distressed that he could not explain to us the communist “truth” and he did not mean anything bad happening to us.

The next year, I had to go to meetings at NEC in Munich for work with my boss, Ken Takahashi. He brought his wife; I brought my wife. After the work week, we took a trip through Vienna to Prague. We had luggage full of presents for Honza that he requested: chain saw, electronic planner (precursor of notebook), and other items. Fortunately no one at customs was objecting to the chain saw. In Prague, Wendy and I stayed at Kotva’s apartment, very close to the Old Town square; Kotva arranged a hotel room at Paris hotel for Ken and his wife, not far from his place. Ken and his wife spent 3 days in Prague, I stayed longer. Honza and his wife, Mila, were perfect hosts, cooked traditional Czech meals, arranged dinners and entertainment in nice restaurants-one time in a cellar with Gypsy (pc: Roma) orchestra. He went sightseeing in Prague with us, he tried for us to see Vaclav Havel, since he knew him from his acting career. He played with Vaclav Havel in a movie called Kazdy Mlady Muz (Every Young Man). Unfortunately, Vaclav Havel was not in his residence in the Prague Castle at that time.