Book Review
The Minefield of Memories

Article by Cindy Kleh

I thought that I knew Alf Tieze fairly well. He and his wife, Sunni, were my landlords for the 12 years when I lived in one of the old “Zuma Houses” at the base of Keystone Mountain. I was acquainted with his extended family as well, including his in-laws, living ski legends Max and Edna Dercum, who founded Arapahoe Basin and Keystone Resort. Alf’s life in Summit County can be considered successful. He’s owned several businesses and has constructed many homes and buildings in the Snake River Valley.

The Alf I knew was constantly joking around and overflowing with sarcastic remarks. He was always good for a few laughs when he came to fix things around the house. Alf’s laugh alone made me laugh. With his German accent, he usually talked at a decibel that could wake the dead. He also came to fix things at an ungodly early-morning hour, which made him a little less amusing when I was trying to sleep in from a late bar shift or a late night on the other side of the bar.

When I finished reading “The Minefield of Memories” written by his daughter Karina, I was introduced to a whole new Alf. “Alfie” grew up in the large village of Jägerndorf, which is located in present-day Czech Republic. He was six years old when Hitler invaded Sudetenland. Up until that time, he had been living the perfect childhood with his parents, younger sister and grandparents (Oma and Opa). But now he was experiencing an entirely new Jägerndorf. Alfie saw Hitler speak at a mandatory town meeting. He was forced to raise his arm in a long, painful salute, and was reprimanded by soldiers when he let his arm rest.

As World War II progressed, Alfie’s life became increasingly less secure. His father was killed after he was drafted into the German army, and his best friend, Gerle, lost both his parents. Oma and Opa took in the frail young boy, and Alfie and Gerle became inseparable.

As the Russians marched ever closer to Jägerndorf, the townspeople were herded into camps where they wasted away with little food, atrocious sanitary conditions and the constant threat of violence. As Hitler came closer to defeat, living conditions worsened and the conquering Russian soldiers raped and killed many of the German women, including Alfie’s mother. He became separated from his sister, grandparents and Gerle, and as he entered his teen years, he came very close to dying from starvation, bombs and guns.

But Alf was lucky. He escaped to West Germany and was sent to an American government-sponsored Boy’s Town, where he was able to resume his schooling. While at the orphanage, he learned the trade of metallurgy. He was also fed well for the first time in many years, and given opportunities that most other war orphans were not. One of those opportunities was a chance to emigrate to America.

He had learned to ski as a youngster, and felt himself being drawn westward and toward the mountains. While living in Denver, he met his soon to be wife Sunni Dercum during a ski outing at Arapahoe Basin. The Tiezes had two children, Erik and Karina. Through his daughter, Alf has relived the horrors of a childhood centered on hunger, disease, cruelty and senseless violence.

“While pursuing the very corners of his heart, and recording his thoughts in copious piles,” writes Karina, “my father has emerged on the other side, stronger and more able to face his past.”

Karina, a professional photographer and mother of three, is married to the concert master and violin soloist of the Columbus Symphony, Charles Wetherbee. Karina, encouraged by members of her family, pursued her challenge to write her father’s story. As she wrote more, her family became involved with the story and wanted to know what happened next.

Truth be told, once a reader gets into the book, it’s hard to put down. Chapters recount stories such as his apprenticeship to a brewer, where he jammed the bottling machine and spilled a vat of beer. Another describes Alf’s boat voyage to America while being violently seasick for three weeks.

But most of this book is not so funny. It’s heart breaking to think that so many children suffered like Alfie did. It’s a very different view of WWII from the eyes of a child who is trying to make sense of all the loss. The Minefield of Memories is told in the first person by Alf, who has spent several decades trying to find what is left of his family and school mates.

But this true story has a happy ending. I can’t leak the details, but I can say that Alf has been very successful in America. He is proof that despite a miserable, horrific childhood, a man can still live a happy, full life.

It was Alf’s idea to write the book, and he spent about eight months jotting his memories down in longhand. “I did it for the family’s sake, not for commercial reasons, so that the grandchildren (six of them) would know where they came from. I thought I’d better write this down for their use before I croaked. I used to ask ‘Why me?’ because I had a feeling it was my fault.” said Alf. “But now I have learned to live and let live. Do it while you have chance, because the speed of life increases as you get older.”