’’When the World War II started I was still a little girl. In 1940 the russians invaded the country, 2 weeks they marched into the territory, using heavy trucks, cannons and horses. It happened straight for 2 weeks without stopping.

Lost balance - My family was neither rich nor poor but over the years everything got better and better till suddenly everything collapsed, everything that was ordinary and a commonplace suddenly was lost.

Living in fear - the first evil deed what was personally witnessed during the war was when my oldest sister’s husband was shot dead only because he did not want to tell anything about his comrades to the ‘’Chekist’’ formation.

 

 Something about ‘’Checkist’’ formation’s public cover – music was broadcasted there day and night, so that nobody could hear the cries and screams. It was a truly

After the russians, the germans came. They were like ‘’saviours’’.

When the germans arrived in our territory, it seemed like the God itself has rescued us and that finally we are free.

About the germans this needs to be said – horrifying things they had done to the jews. Yes, it was a crime. Though in relation with them and Latvians then there were no horrifying stories to be heard about a homicide or violence which would have been done by a german soldier to a latvian citizen. I was 11 or so years old and when I was home alone and the german soldiers came, all they asked for whenever we had eggs or maybe a piece of bacon at home.

 

At the time when fellow latvians started to leave the country we did not want to leave like them. We had not even thought about leaving. We wanted to stay in Europe.

There was a hope that ‘’Allied Allies’’ will make the russians leave the country and that we could return to Latvia after this but it never happened. I remember that there was a radio message about Potsdam’s conference and after hearing that Baltic countries have been given to Russia, became suddenly deaf for a whole day.

In 1951 we had to flee to USA, there was no other choice. That is how I ended up living there for more than half of my life. I came back to Latvia only a few years ago and also only because of the circumstances in my family.