I am from Bohemia in Czechoslovakia. My parents taught me to be loyal, modest and honest. 

When I had to go through military training, I was with the Budweiser regiment. Not many people have heard of this military unit, but everybody knows the famous Budweiser beer. People there can’t only brew good beer but also their food is delicious. Many restaurants still today serve my favorite meals under my name, and some of the restaurants carry even my name. 

Before I was ordered to enlist in the old dual monarchy Austria/Hungary, I lived in Prague dealing in dogs. It was not a lucrative enterprise but brought in enough to live. Usually I spent my evenings at the restaurant “Zum Kelch”, where there was always a good crowd so consequently many jokes and stories originated there. Now I am assigned as an officer’s aid to Herrn Oberfeldkurat Otto Katz, a catholic auxiliary Chaplain. Herr Oberfeldkurat was a steadfast drinker, and I as his aid had to make sure there was always enough liquor and certainly good food available above and beyond the rations. Often I had to revert to resources that were of a slightly shady nature, and as I shielded my boss from being discovered - my good intentions were often my pitfalls. You could compare my military service to Gomer Pyle who always meant well, but most of the time was blamed afterwards. My boss and I spent many an evening eating, drinking and smoking -as I am doing now; and as the nights got longer and we became merrier, we drummed on the table and sang the Radetzky March.