Czech National Day

Roger Kodat, the president of AFoCR, delivered remarks during the wreath laying ceremony at the Masaryk Memorial

The annual ceremony was attended by the ambassador of the Czech Republic Mr. Miloslav Stasek, the ambassador of the Slovak Republic Mr. Radovan Javorcik, US State Department DAS Sonata Coulter and representatives of several organizations, including AFoCR and American Sokol Washington, D.C. Roger Kodat and Barbara Gibian, AFoCR’s vice president, were in attendance. Excellencies and guests,

Mr. Kodat provided the following remarks:

“Today we remember the first reading of the Declaration of Independence from Austria-Hungary that occurred 105 years ago in Prague on October 28, 1918. As President of the American Friends of the Czech Republic, it is my honor to contribute short remarks with Ambassador Javorcik of the Slovak Republic, and Ambassador Stasek of the Czech Republic.

Tomas Garrigue Masaryk played a pivotal role in setting a trajectory for a new nation taking root in the center of Europe. We remain steadfast to continue that journey today. I took time to learn about the amazing story connected with this likeness of President Masaryk. The plaster form of this statue was sculpted by Vincenc Makovsky in 1937, just before T. G. Masaryk’s death. It was hidden from the Nazis when Czech lands were annexed by Germany. It was further kept safe and out of sight after the communist coup in 1948. There was no interest in celebrating democracy. During the brief period of political thaw during Prague Spring in early 1968, the monument was cast in bronze. The Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968 resulted in the TG Masaryk journey back into storage for several more decades.

The Velvet Revolution in late 1989 led to a return to democratic government and a chance to embrace the nation’s short history. At long last, the monument completed its journey into the public spotlight. This 12-foot-tall Masaryk monument was first unveiled in Prague.

The monument in Washington, DC, unveiled in September 2002, is the fruit of collaboration between the Czech Embassy and the American Friends of the Czech Republic. The long and arduous journey that this monument has taken - from sculpting, to casting, to erection – might appear as a parable to help me realize how complicated building democracy can be. Indeed, democracy is a complicated political system that takes time and care to develop, and which must be judiciously guarded to allow a diverse society to build traditions in governance to further foster liberal democracy, respect for rule of law, and provision of free speech.

As I turn around to look at the monument behind me today, I see President Masaryk’s likeness looking at me as I speak – his head is lowered as if he might be contemplating our challenges, as well as the many that he faced. Our reality includes a Ukraine War, horrendous violence in Israel and Gaza, and elements of political discord both in this country, and in the Czech and Slovak Republics celebrating 30 years of nationhood this year.

In some respects, I imagine how TG Masaryk thought hard, and worked even harder with his compatriots to launch an independent, uniquely Czech and Slovak, democratic tradition. Building on and sustaining this legacy is not easy, nor should we expect it to be. So, thank you, President Masaryk. May we all continue this challenging journey together, and with strong Czech-US partnership.”