“Germans entered the room, where we slept, and they lodged themselves. Their commander was dividing them, choosing the rooms; they brought straw and slept on the floor. I slept with my father, but he had to get up early in the morning. One of those soldiers lay to my bed instead of him. I don't even know what crossed my mind that I turned towards the wall and kicked him, so that he fell down. He got so mad that he drew his bayonet and pounced on me. By coincidence my father returned and opened the door. It was such luck, because otherwise I can't even think of what could have that soldier done to me.”
“As I mentioned before, my parents owned a small pub, shop, and about 17 acres of land in a small village. Once an officer of the district committee of the Communist Party of Slovakia came to our house and asked my father to use the pub for their meeting. It was summer and some young men came and wanted beer. After a longer consideration I decided I couldn't have done any wrong if I tapped few glasses of beer. However, the district comrade didn't like what I had done. I heard him say: 'We shall get even with him, Bánovce, that's the nest of Tiso!'”
“After we got back from work, we used to have lunch around 2 pm. Then we were getting ready for a square drill, marching, marching with singing, making turns at the position or during the march. Eventually we had political training, where they clearly told us: 'We cannot equip you with arms, since you might use them against us!' Sometimes after the hard work we would have alarm training, or other times just line-ups with full combat gear, so to say it. Sometimes we had to march about two or three kilometers away from the barracks, and then in the morning, of course, continue working in mine again.”
Alfonz Petreje was born on July 29, 1929 in Livina. He came from a family that owned a business and a farm. As a little boy he became a witness of several dangerous events during the Slovak National Uprising. In 1950 he graduated from the Teaching Academy in Bánovce nad Bebravou and subsequently he got employed as a teacher at elementary school in Uhrovec. In 1951 he married Zuzana Uličná. In October 1951 he enlisted in the compulsory military service, where based on a fabricated personal evaluation, he was assigned to the Auxiliary Technical Battalions (PTP). He spent the military service working hard in the mine Václav (Orlová). He was released in 1953. In 1954 he began working as a director of elementary school in Opatovce nad Nitrou, where he stayed until his retirement. At the time of documentation, he was living in retirement in Opatovce nad Nitra. Alfonz Petreje died on December 6, 2024.
Hrdinové 20. století odcházejí. Nesmíme zapomenout. Dokumentujeme a vyprávíme jejich příběhy. Záleží vám na odkazu minulých generací, na občanských postojích, demokracii a vzdělávání? Pomozte nám!
