June 14, 1941: Why the Victims of Communist Terror Must Never Be Forgotten
By Dr. Juris Bunkis
Honorary Consul, Republic of Latvia in Southern California
Orange County Plastic Surgery, Corona del Mar/Newport Beach
For most Americans, the atrocities of World War II are primarily associated with Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. The murder of six million Jews remains one of history’s greatest crimes and deserves to be remembered and studied by every generation. Yet while much attention has rightly been focused on Nazi atrocities, far fewer people are aware of the immense suffering inflicted by another totalitarian regime during the same era—the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin.
One death at the hands of a tyrant is one too many. The scale of a crime does not make one victim more important than another. Historians estimate that Stalin’s policies were responsible for the deaths of 20 million people. Among the most tragic events was the Holodomor, the man-made famine in Ukraine during the early 1930s, during which millions perished from starvation. Throughout the Soviet Union, political purges, labor camps, executions, deportations, and forced collectivization devastated countless families.
For Latvians, June 14 is one of the darkest dates in our national history.
Less than a year after Latvia was occupied and illegally annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940, Soviet authorities launched a coordinated campaign to remove those they considered potential opponents of the regime. During the night of June 13–14, 1941, thousands of innocent Latvians were awakened by armed officers, given only minutes to gather a few belongings, and forced onto trains bound for Siberia and other remote regions of the Soviet Union.
More than 15,000 Latvians were deported during this operation. Government officials, military officers, teachers, business owners, farmers, clergy, intellectuals, and community leaders were targeted. Their only “crime” was being viewed as obstacles to Soviet control. Families were often separated. Men were sent to labor camps; women, children, and the elderly were transported to distant settlements under brutal conditions. Many never returned.
The suffering continued for decades. A second mass deportation occurred in 1949, and Latvia remained under Soviet occupation for nearly fifty years. Political freedoms disappeared. Private property was confiscated. Free speech was suppressed. Yet despite these pressures, the Latvian people preserved their language, culture, and identity.
The Soviet occupation finally ended in 1991 when Latvia regained its independence during the peaceful Singing Revolution. Today, June 14 is observed as the Day of Remembrance for Victims of Communist Terror. Across Latvia, names of deportees are read aloud, flowers are placed at memorials, and families honor those whose lives were forever changed.
Remembering these events is not about assigning greater blame to one tyrant or another. It is about recognizing that all totalitarian regimes are dangerous, all victims deserve to be remembered, and freedom should never be taken for granted. June 14 serves as a powerful reminder that vigilance, truth, and respect for human rights remain essential if we hope to prevent such tragedies from ever occurring again.
This is a lithograph (depicting the June 14th deportations) by Latvian Artist, Aleksandrs Karpovs, used by permission by his son, Konstantin Karpov, from his book: Aleksandrs Karpovs — Latvian Artist and Warrior.
Facelift Excellence: The Little Details That Separate a Good Result from a Great One
By Dr. Deborah Ekstrom
Orange County Plastic Surgery, Corona del Mar/Newport Beach
Facelift Quiz: Which of the following facelift details is most likely to distinguish an excellent, natural-looking result from an average one?
A. The amount of skin removed
B. The size of the incision
C. Careful placement of scars and avoidance of tension on the earlobe
D. The length of surgery
E. The type of bandage used afterward
Correct Answer: C. Careful placement of scars and avoidance of tension on the earlobe
Many people assume that facelift success depends primarily on how much loose skin is removed. In reality, some of the most important factors are the small technical details that patients may never notice—unless they are done incorrectly.
One hallmark of an outstanding facelift is that it should not look like a facelift at all. Friends may comment that a patient looks refreshed, rested, or younger, but they should not immediately recognize that surgery was performed. Achieving that natural appearance requires meticulous attention to incision placement and tissue handling.
One of the most critical decisions involves where the incisions are made around the ear. The surgeon must carefully position the incision so that the resulting scar is as inconspicuous as possible. When properly placed within natural creases and contours, scars often become difficult to detect even at close range.
Another important principle, emphasized for many years by Dr. Juris Bunkis in his Natural A-to-V Facelift technique, involves management of the sideburn area. Some facelift techniques extend the incision upward into the hair-bearing temple region. While this may simplify skin removal, it always elevates the sideburn unnaturally. Once the sideburn has been displaced upward, the change can be difficult to correct and may create a telltale sign that surgery has been performed. By ending the incision behind the sideburn rather than extending into the temporal scalp, a much more natural appearance can be maintained.
Equally important is protecting the earlobe. One of the most common signs of a poorly executed facelift is a downward-pulled earlobe, sometimes called a “pixie ear” deformity. This occurs when excessive tension is placed on the skin closure beneath the earlobe. Skilled facelift surgeons avoid this problem by properly redistributing tension into deeper tissues rather than relying on the skin to hold everything in place. The result is a natural earlobe position that does not reveal the surgery. And if an earlobe has been stretched, if cannot be reduced adequately until a secondary facelift is performed, as which time the earlobe can be reduced and meticulous attention paid to avoid tension on the closure.
The truth is that excellent facelift surgery is often a game of millimeters. Small details in incision design, scar placement, sideburn preservation, and tension management can make the difference between an average outcome and a truly exceptional one.
At Orange County Plastic Surgery, we believe that these details matter. They are often invisible to the casual observer, but they are precisely what help transform a good facelift into a beautiful, natural, and lasting result.
Have questions?
We would be delighted to evaluate your concerns and help determine which combination of procedures may be best suited to your individual anatomy and goals. Please call to schedule an appointment with Dr. Ekstrom and get all of your questions answered.
Dr. Bunkis had had a facelift 15 years ago, via a traditional incision which went in front of the ear and up into the temporal hair bearing area. This type of incision invariably results in elevation of the side burn. The original incision around the earlobe resulted in a downward displacement of the earlobe with elongation of the earlobe – this deformity cannot be reversed prior to performance of a secondary facelift years later. Three weeks ago Dr. Deborah Ekstrom performed a secondary facelift, moving the incision back onto the tragus, limiting the extent of the upper end of the incision to the sideburn, thus not further raising the sideburn, and by reducing the size of the earlobe – Dr. Bunkis is shown here 3 weeks after the procedure. (Actual patient of Dr. Deborah Ekstrom of Orange County Plastic Surgery.)
Orange County Plastic Surgery at CosmetiCare
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Corona del Mar, CA 92625
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