László Mikecz

We were so hungry, not so much for food but for vitamins, that when the Russian guard staff ate the grapes, they allowed us to eat the fallen grapes below them. These were such humiliating things, but we ate them with pleasure. But there was no retort because the civilians did not allow it. The conditions were bad, but the construction company had already taken over the catering here, and we got the same food as their workers. The situation here has already improved. When we went back to the camp, there were political sessions, a kind of re-education. But there were no bullying or physical exertion. Regarding the political lectures, they put me on the top of the hill, and a guard member came and read up a brochure. It wasn't very demanding because he didn't understand what he was saying, and we didn't pay much attention.

At that time, enrollment into military service was mandatory. And authorities realized that kulak boys, or descendants like me, and the aristocrats should be not enrolled. And then in 1950 or 1949 they realized that something should be done with these persons as well. And then only these, i.e. the kulak boys, children of soldiers and aristocrats, were called into the so-called labor service. So, on February 12, 1952, I was also enrolled. At the time, we didn't know there was such a thing as labor service. The first conscripts were called up in July 1951, for those who born in 1930. I was born in 1931, so it was my turn the following year. We were called in without specifying when demobilization would take place. Practically, they took us out of circulation without a deadline. It was actually a military internment. For soldiers, they are told when they can be demobilized. Our "disarmament" became final when the first Imre Nagy government came, then they liberated us.