Zdeněk Rafaj

“Since the unit was in the East circuit I went home just once on holiday, not more. We spent a lot of time on exercises. Those were exercises “Štít” (Shield) or “Družba” (Companionship). We were always outside, there were long transports and it was quite dangerous. My three schoolmates or colleagues-graduates died in that unit during the year that I spent there. What were the circumstances? One died during a car accident; the car pressed him. One did it voluntarily, he could not take it, or he had troubles at home, I don´t know - he hanged himself. And one during night shooting in the Šumava mountains. There were two taxiways and an armoured personnel carrier was going on each one, red targets were in the front and people were shooting at them, shooting during short breaks. There it happened that one carrier got ahead of the other and the shooter in the back one mistook the rear taillight of carrier with the target and it went through the armour. My schoolmate from České Budějovice died there, he was married and had two children.”

“I was not a pioneer at that time, but I think that they persuaded me to join them when I was in the seventh grade because the leader was a scout - there was no other group that you could join at that time. The Scout Association was cancelled but he with his temperament and way of life was a scout and he founded a patrol Stopaři (Trackers) that was a scout one. It was necessary to have an official connection to something, but they convinced me to join them since, as I said, I inclined to nature. We enjoyed freedom as we wished, and we were not controlled by any management. Of course, once a year there was a meeting when we had to put on our shirts and scarves and go there but then we took them off happily and we went back to a forest.”