Mykola Jejna and Bohdan Jejna
Recorded
July 22, 2009
39:17 minutes
0:00 / 0:00
Id:
MBX005587
Description
Bohdan Jejna interviews his father Mykola Jejna about his youth and his family’s escape from their home in the Ukraine during World War II.Subject Log / Time Code
Bohdan asks his father about his life in the Ukraine form 1943 -1943 during World War II. The German occupation was ending because the Russians were forcing the Germans out of the Ukraine.
Mykola’s parents had to decide whether to side with the Germans, the Russians or go their own way. They decided to go west and be on their own.
Train travel was difficult with a long journey ahead on over packed trains. Many of the trains were not passenger trains but freight trains. Mykola was 14 years old and thought it was an adventure.
When the train finally arrived at its destination Mykola was forced to work for the owners of the train in a labor camp. His parents did not know where he was until two weeks later.
The family decided to go further west as the war front grew nearer. Mykola remembers his father using whiskey and cigarettes to barter for food and services along the journey.
Participants
- Mykola Jejna
- Bohdan Jejna
Venue / Recording Kit
Tier
Keywords
- 5th grade
- anecdotes (humorous but true stories)
- Apples
- Belgian horses
- Bread
- Chloe
- cigarettes
- cohorts (groups of friends)
- craft, skills, and procedures
- family trips and excursions
- hand drawn cart
- historical events/people
- Innsbruck
- kvasok
- melted butter
- memories of former times
- memories of growing up
- onion
- personal experiences
- pine branches
- Russians
- shoe making
- sorrel
- Spouse
- springs
- Star
- Train
- Uncle
- wagon
- Whiskey
- Work camp