“Loyalty to my people means more to me than my properties or my life.” Jan A. Baťa did not speak aloud, because he could not risk the lives of those who could not speak for themselves. That silence, misunderstood then, demands recognition now.
We lack a true elite. There are values that cannot be bought. They are created through education, upbringing, personal example, and honest work. Without them, human life has no meaning and a nation has no right to permanent existence.
Jan’s faith proved right. Truth rose—slowly, stubbornly—until it broke the surface. His name, once buried under accusations, stands again for initiative, fairness, courage under pressure. He never came home. But in memory—and in the record—he has.