Remembering a Revolution

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:00:00

REMEMBERING A REVOLUTION

Wolfgang Kleinwachter

People around the world have watched and speculated about the street protests in Iran. The images have been particularly interesting for Wolfgang Kleinwachter. He was a part of the crowd in East Germany in October 1989, when protests helped lead to the tearing down of the Berlin Wall.

Wolfgang remembers that, early on, the St. Nikolai Church in downtown Leipzig opened its doors to reform-minded groups. The regular Monday night meetings grew over the years, and one night in October 1989, a mass march poured from the church out into the streets, the beginning of the end of the communist government. Wolfgang himself took political and professional risks to attend the church meetings, and he marched in the famous Candlelight Revolution that October evening. He joins Dick Gordon from Germany to recount those radical days almost 20 years ago, and the parallels he sees with the young people who took to the streets in Iran.

Meeting at the airport

Julio and Pat Halty

Pat and Julio Halty have been married 22 years - but they almost lost one another.

They first met when Pat was vacationing on the island of Mallorca where Julio was working as a waiter. The two began a romance, but Pat ended up leaving to continue her travels. Both wondered if they'd ever meet again. They tell Dick about what kept them looking for one another and the moment that has become a well-loved story in their family - when they found one another at London Gatwick Airport.

Music in this story: Caro Mio Ben G. Giordani performed by Franco Morone for the album Italian Fingerstyle Guitar

The Story from American Public Media - Remembering a Revolution

Remembering a Revolution

REMEMBERING A REVOLUTION

Meeting at the airport

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