1 00:00:02,840 --> 00:00:05,320 Speaker 1: Everybody is Bill Courtney with an army of normal folks. 2 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:10,960 Speaker 1: Welcome into the shop Shop Talk number forty four. Welcome in, Alex, 3 00:00:11,080 --> 00:00:14,120 Speaker 1: Welcome in, Bill. How are you No, I'm the shop, 4 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:17,560 Speaker 1: I'm the shopkeeper. I'm welcoming you in. You don't welcome 5 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:19,079 Speaker 1: me into mon shoit. You ever do this with a 6 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: flight where they say have a great flight and you 7 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:24,239 Speaker 1: say you too, Yeah, like you're not going anywhere too, 8 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:27,120 Speaker 1: You're you're you're right here with us. That's a good point. 9 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:29,240 Speaker 1: You've never done that to the person at the gate 10 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:30,800 Speaker 1: when they say have a good flight and you say 11 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:33,839 Speaker 1: you're too. No, I choose to be friendlier and not 12 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:36,560 Speaker 1: nears as smart alec as you apparently because I do that, 13 00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:39,280 Speaker 1: I'm accident. That's the point. Oh you do it accidentally? 14 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:39,519 Speaker 2: Yeah? 15 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:42,639 Speaker 1: Yeah, Well that just makes you goofy all right, everybody, 16 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:47,280 Speaker 1: Shop Talk number forty four. Real Heroes author Larry Reid, 17 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:51,840 Speaker 1: who is the inspiration behind the Army of Normal Dead 18 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: Folks episodes that many of you have heard. Well, Larry 19 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:58,160 Speaker 1: came up with an idea for a live person. We're 20 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:00,520 Speaker 1: going to do a shop talk about it, so an 21 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:04,959 Speaker 1: army and normal dead folks inspires a live person Shop Talk. 22 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:07,120 Speaker 1: I think that's actually I almost put something in there, 23 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:09,160 Speaker 1: but I guess they're gonna say it. What his person's 24 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:12,680 Speaker 1: almost dead but they're still alive. Well, everybody's almost dead. 25 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 1: Every day, we're no day closer to death. That's not 26 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:17,319 Speaker 1: a very inspiration, but they're closer. I know they're like 27 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:19,680 Speaker 1: eighty five ninety or something. But I cannot believe you 28 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:23,679 Speaker 1: said that I about an old person. You're hideous. All right, 29 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:26,720 Speaker 1: Shop Talk number forty four. Right after these brief messages 30 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:37,800 Speaker 1: from our general sponsors, all right, everybody, Shop Talk number 31 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:42,480 Speaker 1: forty four. Real Heroes author Larry Reid. We've been doing 32 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:49,280 Speaker 1: an Army of normal Folks episode with them dead What 33 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:52,560 Speaker 1: dead folks? Yeah, we've been doing an Army normal dead 34 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:56,600 Speaker 1: folks episodes with stuff from his book, and it's actually 35 00:01:56,680 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 1: been really interesting to me. But he has a short 36 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: story about some live folks that we also want to tell. 37 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:07,360 Speaker 1: Barely alive but barely alive. Okay, that's enough. I mean, 38 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 1: if this person hears this, I mean we're losing listeners 39 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:15,920 Speaker 1: right now. All right, he has this short story about 40 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:18,200 Speaker 1: a barely a live person. I can't believe I'm saying 41 00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 1: that that he wants to tell, so we're doing it 42 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:24,120 Speaker 1: for a shop talk. The story is called Blinking Lights, 43 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 1: and here you go. We've talked about a little bit 44 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 1: of different stories regarding the Soviet Union and it's collapse, 45 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:39,399 Speaker 1: but I'm told there's a story about blinking Lights that matters. 46 00:02:39,639 --> 00:02:43,240 Speaker 2: It's one of my favorites. This goes back to my 47 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 2: first visit to Poland in nineteen eighties. Sometimes you've been, oh, 48 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:49,680 Speaker 2: probably nine or ten now, wow, but my. 49 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:52,519 Speaker 1: First twice, both on business. But it's it's actually a 50 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:53,519 Speaker 1: beautiful place. 51 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 2: Yes it is. 52 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:54,440 Speaker 1: I love it. 53 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 2: I love the Polish people and Polish food too. I 54 00:02:56,800 --> 00:03:02,120 Speaker 2: love because it is my favorite pool. It's also known 55 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:07,320 Speaker 2: as Hunter's stew, and it has usually three different kinds 56 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:10,960 Speaker 2: of meats, like venison and sausage and maybe it will 57 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:14,960 Speaker 2: be from something like that, and then a base of sauerkraut, 58 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 2: and so it's kind of a it's a stew and 59 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 2: very savory, and I get it every time I go 60 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:25,920 Speaker 2: to Poland. But yes, this story I first learned of 61 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 2: in nineteen eighty six when I visited Poland undercover as 62 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:34,800 Speaker 2: a freelance journalist. My purpose in being in the country 63 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 2: this is three years before the communists. I was there 64 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 2: visiting illegally with people who were active in this underground 65 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:48,160 Speaker 2: resistance movement. Spent every night in a different home belonging 66 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:51,240 Speaker 2: to someone involved in some way in the resistance to 67 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:52,400 Speaker 2: the communist dictators. 68 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: You've read too many stories that these people want to 69 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 1: be like the myself. 70 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:57,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly. Well, I'm just so inspired by them. I 71 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 2: thought I want to do something in person to help 72 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 2: tell their story. One evening during that trip in eighty six, 73 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 2: my escorts told me we have a very special couple 74 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:13,320 Speaker 2: that we want you to meet tonight, very clandestine thing. 75 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 2: We had to flip a switch in a dark alleyway 76 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:21,320 Speaker 2: which turned on a light in this apartment, so they 77 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:24,640 Speaker 2: knew that we were the ones they were waiting for. Well, 78 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:30,080 Speaker 2: the people were Zybignief and Sophia Romashevsky. I'd never heard 79 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:32,880 Speaker 2: of them before, didn't know anying about them. They had 80 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:39,160 Speaker 2: run Underground Radio, an illegal radio for solidarity during martial law, 81 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:43,600 Speaker 2: until they were traced arrested and she was given three 82 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:46,760 Speaker 2: years in prison, he was given four. And there in 83 00:04:46,839 --> 00:04:49,680 Speaker 2: nineteen eighty six, I was in their apartment, not long 84 00:04:49,760 --> 00:04:53,000 Speaker 2: after either of them had been released and they were 85 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:57,000 Speaker 2: active again with the underground, not doing underground, doing other things, 86 00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:01,599 Speaker 2: but still resisting the communists. And I asked them many 87 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:05,279 Speaker 2: questions about what was it like to run an underground radio. 88 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:07,560 Speaker 2: I mean, think of it. It's illegal, you can't advertise. 89 00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:10,240 Speaker 2: How do you know if anybody's listening? And it was 90 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:13,960 Speaker 2: that question that produced an answer that I've told to 91 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:17,880 Speaker 2: audiences all over the world in the year since. I asked, 92 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:21,919 Speaker 2: how did you know if people were listening? And Sophia 93 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:26,320 Speaker 2: answered this way. She said, well, we wondered that ourselves. 94 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:28,880 Speaker 2: We can only broadcast eight or ten minutes at a time, 95 00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:30,600 Speaker 2: and then we had to tear down the radio, take 96 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:34,600 Speaker 2: it someplace else, set it up again. If we broadcast 97 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:36,560 Speaker 2: any longer than that, we could be traced, which they 98 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:40,360 Speaker 2: ultimately were and arrested. So she said, one night, while 99 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:43,799 Speaker 2: we were broadcasting, we said to people, if you're listening 100 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:47,640 Speaker 2: to this radio and you believe in freedom for Poland, 101 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:54,200 Speaker 2: please blink your lights. Call your friends who are of 102 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:56,640 Speaker 2: the same view and ask them to do the same. 103 00:05:57,320 --> 00:06:00,680 Speaker 2: And then she said, we went to the window and 104 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:04,919 Speaker 2: for hours all of Warsaw was blinking. 105 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:06,039 Speaker 1: Wow. 106 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:10,719 Speaker 2: Well, I was arrested at the end of that trip 107 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:13,680 Speaker 2: and thrown out. The government had gotten wind of what 108 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:17,080 Speaker 2: I was doing. I was not allowed back into Poland 109 00:06:17,880 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 2: for the next three years, not until the Communists were 110 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:26,239 Speaker 2: kicked out. Senator Steve Simms of Idaho sent a letter 111 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:30,120 Speaker 2: every month to the Polish embassy in Washington demanding the 112 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:33,840 Speaker 2: release of my materials and apology for the way I 113 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:37,000 Speaker 2: was treated. But when the Communists were kicked out, of 114 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:39,760 Speaker 2: course I went back and been back many times, and 115 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:42,960 Speaker 2: friends of mine who were active in that resistance later 116 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:46,599 Speaker 2: were members of parliament. And I'm so happy to say 117 00:06:46,880 --> 00:06:50,120 Speaker 2: that in November of twenty twenty three, a year ago, 118 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:54,839 Speaker 2: I was given the highest honor that Poland bestows. 119 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:57,480 Speaker 1: Upon a foreigner, oh kidding all. 120 00:06:57,360 --> 00:07:00,400 Speaker 2: The Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the 121 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:05,520 Speaker 2: Republic of Poland. And in his statement President Dudah cited 122 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:09,159 Speaker 2: my work with the underground in nineteen eighty six. And 123 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:13,040 Speaker 2: at the reception following the ceremony where he gave me 124 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:19,040 Speaker 2: this award was Sophia Romashevsky No. Now eighty five. She's 125 00:07:19,040 --> 00:07:22,920 Speaker 2: a senior advisor to the current President of Poland, and 126 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:25,760 Speaker 2: it turned out one of the people who petitioned for 127 00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:30,120 Speaker 2: the President to give me this very coveted award. So 128 00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:32,640 Speaker 2: we were able to talk at some length, and I 129 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:35,560 Speaker 2: visited her the next day in her apartment eighty five. 130 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:40,240 Speaker 2: Senior advisor to the President and a hero to everybody 131 00:07:40,280 --> 00:07:40,880 Speaker 2: in Poland. 132 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:46,280 Speaker 1: Larry, it seems like you don't just write about row heroes. 133 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:47,280 Speaker 1: Maybe you are one. 134 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:51,720 Speaker 2: Oh, I don't know. Anytime anybody says that, I'm tempted 135 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:54,800 Speaker 2: to do what Nicki Winton did every time someone called 136 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:56,640 Speaker 2: him one, and that is to say, I just did 137 00:07:57,160 --> 00:07:57,880 Speaker 2: what I could do. 138 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:02,600 Speaker 1: A fantastic story, Larry. I can't tell you how much 139 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:05,920 Speaker 1: I appreciate you going through these with us and shared 140 00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:10,320 Speaker 1: them with us, and anybody listening to me today find 141 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:15,840 Speaker 1: real heroes, inspiring true stories of courage, character and conviction 142 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:21,840 Speaker 1: by Lawrence W. Read. You will love the stories. You 143 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:26,280 Speaker 1: will get yourself very valuable history lessons. But maybe most importantly, 144 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:30,480 Speaker 1: I think maybe you might get inspired to get involved 145 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:35,680 Speaker 1: yourself and join this army of normal folks who Larry 146 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:38,640 Speaker 1: so aptly teaches us of. This book has been going 147 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:42,679 Speaker 1: on since eighteen hundreds and probably before, and we need 148 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:46,640 Speaker 1: to be reminded it's always been the average person doing 149 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:51,360 Speaker 1: extraordinary things that inspire us and change the world. And 150 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:55,320 Speaker 1: this book Real Heroes is chuck full of those stories. 151 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:57,320 Speaker 2: Thank you, Bill, thank you very much. 152 00:08:57,520 --> 00:09:02,560 Speaker 1: Thanks for being here blinking lights. If you didn't hear 153 00:09:02,640 --> 00:09:07,760 Speaker 1: that and get a quick chill up your spine, I 154 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:13,400 Speaker 1: guess you weren't listening. But that's the power of an 155 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:18,040 Speaker 1: army of normal folks, he said. For hours, Warsaw blinked 156 00:09:18,840 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 1: because some normal people who were fighting for freedom for 157 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:31,400 Speaker 1: themselves and their countrymen, who were resisting the Soviet Union's 158 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:41,320 Speaker 1: control and rule over Poland, spent eight or nine minutes 159 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:45,840 Speaker 1: a night with an underground radio to encourage people to 160 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:50,480 Speaker 1: continue to resist, to continue to believe in freedom, and 161 00:09:50,520 --> 00:09:53,200 Speaker 1: in an effort to make sure people were listening, asked 162 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:58,800 Speaker 1: normal folks to blink their lights, and Warsaw blinked for hours. 163 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:04,680 Speaker 1: Kid americaink for hours. If we had millions of people 164 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:08,040 Speaker 1: that understood that our call to be part of the 165 00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:12,680 Speaker 1: army of normal folks to serve to better our fellow man, 166 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:16,640 Speaker 1: to better our country. Certainly we're not under the rule 167 00:10:16,760 --> 00:10:22,520 Speaker 1: of Soviet occupation, but we're occupied by something else that 168 00:10:23,160 --> 00:10:29,920 Speaker 1: does threaten our republic, which is apathy, which is division, 169 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:41,160 Speaker 1: which is this pulling away at the fibers of what 170 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:45,559 Speaker 1: defines us as human beings based on all the narratives 171 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:48,839 Speaker 1: we happen to listen to on Fox or CNN, or 172 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:51,559 Speaker 1: one side of the Hour or the other in DC 173 00:10:53,720 --> 00:11:00,480 Speaker 1: and so as, the underground radio continued to encourage people 174 00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:06,679 Speaker 1: to fight the occupation of the Soviets, to believe in 175 00:11:06,720 --> 00:11:12,640 Speaker 1: their freedom, and to stand in solidarity. And one night 176 00:11:12,760 --> 00:11:16,960 Speaker 1: Warsaw blinked for hours from the millions of people saying 177 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:20,200 Speaker 1: they agreed and they were joining that fight. I just 178 00:11:20,280 --> 00:11:22,880 Speaker 1: hope we can blink our lights. I hope we can 179 00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:25,880 Speaker 1: blink our lights and create millions of normal folks across 180 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:31,199 Speaker 1: this country that see the occupation of our hearts and minds, 181 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:35,600 Speaker 1: the apathetic occupation, and our hearts and minds about the 182 00:11:35,679 --> 00:11:40,160 Speaker 1: need for service, community involvement, building relationships with people who 183 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:44,200 Speaker 1: don't necessarily look, think, vote, or act like you. And 184 00:11:44,280 --> 00:11:49,440 Speaker 1: at the unbelievable opportunity, we have to change the narrative 185 00:11:49,440 --> 00:11:53,840 Speaker 1: of our current culture. So shop Talk number forty four, 186 00:11:54,800 --> 00:11:59,680 Speaker 1: it's our call to you to like the folks in 187 00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:03,240 Speaker 1: the eighties did in Warsaw, let's blink our lights. We 188 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:06,400 Speaker 1: think Alex. Yeah, and none of us are at risk 189 00:12:06,520 --> 00:12:09,000 Speaker 1: going to prison here for doing that, right, That's true, 190 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:12,840 Speaker 1: That's true. I mean we at least we have the 191 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:15,000 Speaker 1: you know, that's a great point. We have the freedom 192 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:18,040 Speaker 1: to act if we'll just do it. These people were 193 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:23,000 Speaker 1: locked in their basement hiding from Soviet police to an 194 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:25,040 Speaker 1: act some good. We've got the freedom to do, and 195 00:12:25,120 --> 00:12:26,880 Speaker 1: just get to get off our ears and get after it. 196 00:12:27,559 --> 00:12:31,719 Speaker 1: Let's go, baby, Let's blink our lights. That's shop Talk 197 00:12:31,840 --> 00:12:37,719 Speaker 1: number forty four. Appreciate you join us. We will we'll 198 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:42,160 Speaker 1: see you next week, and we hope you will subscribe 199 00:12:42,240 --> 00:12:47,280 Speaker 1: to the podcast. Join it at Join the Army, Join 200 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:50,920 Speaker 1: the Army at normal Folks, got us rate and review it, 201 00:12:51,400 --> 00:12:55,000 Speaker 1: Call your friends, wake your neighbors, tell them about us. 202 00:12:55,320 --> 00:12:57,839 Speaker 1: Blink your lights and you can write me anytime at 203 00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:00,560 Speaker 1: Bill at normal Fox dot us and I'll respond. And 204 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:03,679 Speaker 1: if you've got any really good ideas for shop talks, 205 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:06,600 Speaker 1: email them to us. If we think we have something, dad, 206 00:13:06,679 --> 00:13:10,599 Speaker 1: we'll take them up. Shop Talk number forty four. Everybody, 207 00:13:10,760 --> 00:13:16,040 Speaker 1: let's blink our lights.