Tribute to American liberator Earl Ingram paid in Kříše

Sunday afternoon in Kříšy was one of memories of heroism and personal stories associated with the end of World War II. At a symbolic place near the demarcation line, a memorial meeting was held at the monument to Colonel Earl Ingram, who served as a tank platoon commander here in May 1945. In addition to local citizens, the event was also attended by researcher David Antonín Cajthaml and relatives of American veterans, who together commemorated the legacy of a man who entered the history of the village not only as a soldier, but also as a long-time friend and honorable citizen.

The memorial event was accompanied by an emotional atmosphere, which was underlined by the reading of a letter from Ingram's son. In his message, he recalled his father's journey from the beaches of Normandy through the heavy fighting in the Ardennes to Western Bohemia. Those present recalled Ingram's diplomatic balance, with which he resolved tense situations in Kříšy at that time when he contacted Soviet officers on the line of contact between the two armies. After the wreath-laying, the anthems of the Czech Republic and the United States were played, which dignifiedly closed the memory of the man who regularly and gladly returned to the region after 1994.

The monument itself, which was unveiled last year, is the result of cooperation between the Military Car Club Pilsen and the municipality of Břasy. It stands on a historically significant site where Ingram's Sherman tanks formed a roadblock in 1945. The location of the monument is also an important symbol of correcting historical memory, as in 1953 a monument to the Red Army was built in these places with the aim of overshadowing the real contribution of American troops to the liberation. Earl Ingram, who died in 2021 at the age of 99, thus has a permanent reminder of his service and deep relationship with our country in Kříšy.