The biography of the brave Czechoslovakian Štefan Mazák appears as a novel story. His complex journey to freedom from the harshly communist post-February Czechoslovakia, military training across the ocean, acquaintance with the Mašín brothers, but most importantly his incredibly courageous steps in rescuing captured hostages and fellow combatants from hopeless situations on various battlefields of the world are shown in the exhibition at the Envelopa Office Center.
The exhibition recalls the forgotten story of courage and heroism of one of the Czechoslovak citizens. Štefan Mazák, who chose to emigrate to the free United States before living in communist Czechoslovakia, is perhaps better known beyond the ocean today than he is here, in the land of his ancestors.
Panels and display cases with many period artifacts offered visitors a comprehensive account of the life of a little-known hero. The narrative was supplemented by a multitude of objects, reminiscent of service in the US Army in the 1950s and 1960s. Stefan Mazák, among others a friend of the Mašín brothers, underwent tough military training. He applied his acquired military skills along with moral principles and extraordinary courage, for example, during a covert operation in the African Congo, when he rescued his entire unit while evacuating wounded missionaries from a remote village. He performed similar heroic deeds on the battlefield in Vietnam. Not surprisingly, he received a number of foreign military decorations. In the last action of his life, even after his injury, he covered the retreat of his fellow fighters until he fell himself.
The exhibition was part of the traditional festival Paschalia Olomucensia, initiated by the Olomouc MP Martin Major and the opening of the exhibition was also attended by the MEP Alexandr Vondra.
