Jim (Imre) Balogh Story Shot in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and much more Interviewed December 2, 2024
I always call him the 56er. In Hungary they call him Imre. But here in the United States he is Jim Balogh and he has a fascinating story.
I had heard bits and pieces of his story over the years and finally got to sit down with him and hear him tell it. I'll post a few items but be sure to watch the video below to hear Jim tell the story in his own words.
Jim Balogh at Hungarian Paprika event in 2012
Jim Balogh is a now retired successful businessman in Cleveland Ohio but his story features some of the iconic events of post-World War II history. As you will see, Jim (Imre) was just a teenager when the Hungarian Revolution broke out on October 23, 1956.
When he and his friends heard of the resistance against the country's subordination to the Soviet Union they went to Budapest and joined in.
Soon he and the other students were shot at and many were killed. Jim and other students loaded Molotov cocktails to be thrown at Russian tanks and some tore down the statue of Stalin, ripped the Russian symbol out of the Hungarian flag and protested.
Hungarian Freedom Fighter statue
Hungarian 1956ers at Freedom Fighter statue in 2016: Imre (Jim) Balogh, Edith Lauer, Steve Kekedy, Thomas Ratoni-Nagy, Ilona Balassy
Ernie Mihaly with 1956er Imre Balogh and wife Carolyn
The student next to him was shot and killed and them Jim felt a pain in his upper back. He had been shot and a doctor later said that he was 1 mm away from having his main artery hit and being killed. He was arrested and had "surgery" to remove the bullet. It's an amazing eye-witness account.
Of course, the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (October 23 - November 4, 1956) only lasted 12 days before being crushed by Soviet tanks and troops. Wikipedia says, "Thousands were killed and wounded and nearly a quarter of a million Hungarians fled the country."
The Revolution was short-lived and unsuccessful but Jim's adventures continued. About 3000 Hungarian teens like him joined the US Army in Yugoslavia. Jim was eventually sent to New York on a ship and then for basic training in South Carolina. He spoke Hungarian and Russian but very little English so that was a struggle.
He was sent to Korea twice where he fought the Chinese in the DMZ in freezing temperatures.
One day at his Army base he told a friend that he had a taste for Hungarian food. The friend steered him to Cleveland, Ohio which had the largest number of Hungarians in the world outside of Budapest and he found work and friends along Buckeye Rd.
Carolyn and Jim Balogh
Jim was working the night shift when he met his wife Carolyn. Carolyn was a teacher and she encouraged him to go to college which was very difficult because of his limited English. He became a mechanical engineer and started his business in 1970.
The video includes many more interesting stories such as his first visit back to Hungary in 1975 and being arrested. The video begins with a quick look at Mindszenty Plaza in Cleveland where there is a powerful statue of the Hungarian Freedom Fighter holding the flag of Hungary with the Russian symbol torn out.
Jim has had a fascinating life. It's well worth watching him talk about it in the video below.
***
Want to learn about Hungarian and other ethnic and cultural events? Sign up for the free eNews and every Tuesday evening you will receive a free e-mail listing the next week's events. Sign up for the free weekly eNews.
