IN MEMORIAM - 63 YEARS LATER
On April 29, 1945, at about 11 AM, members of the 3rd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment, of the U.S. 45th (Thunderbird) Division, as part of Task Force Love, entered Dachau concentration camp. (Pfc. John Degro of Burton, Ohio is believed to be the first American liberator to enter the concentration camp and come within view of the inmates.) An excellent timeline and description, with photos can be found at: Humanitas International.org.
It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War ended. This blog is a part of a memorial chain, in memory of the six million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated.
Now, more than ever, with websites, hate groups, neo-Nazis and even the government of Iran, among others, claiming the Holocaust to be ‘a myth,’ it is imperative to make sure the world never forgets, because there are others who would like to do it again.
I believe, with all my heart, that we have the ability to create a world where everyone lives together live together in dignity, respect, understanding, trust, kindness, honesty, compassion and love. And, I believe that forgiveness is the key to happiness.
Life, my own readings of history, and common sense, has taught me that, to paraphrase philosopher and poet George Santayana, those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it, that denial of the truth is a path to suffering. We must remember, we must never allow it to happen again.
This message is intended to reach 40 million people worldwide! Join us and be a link in this memorial chain and help us distribute it around the world. Please copy this blog and email it to your friends and family, or simply send a link to this site to people you know and ask them to continue the memorial chain.
Mike said,
April 25, 2008 @ 2:32 pm
“This blog is a part of a memorial chain, in memory of the six million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated”
…and gays, slavs, gypsies, the disabled (physically or mentally), communists, socialists, anarchists and other anti-Nazi activists throughout Europe.
Thanks for your reminder to never forget how slavish devotion to ideology can lead to man’s inhumanity to man.
Henning said,
May 1, 2008 @ 10:32 am
Thanks for acknowlegding that it was not just the Jews that suffered greatly and died for no good reasons.
Pam said,
February 2, 2009 @ 2:10 pm
I AM A WITNESS……..
I have taken a good hard look at the pictures included here, and I want to say FOR THE RECORD, that I personally possessed a copy of the LIFE magazine (issue dated May 8, 1945) for many years which contained photos of the liberation of some of the death camps, which photos were very similar in nature to the ones included here.
I no longer own that copy due to a burglary, however, I understand that copies DO still exist, and are available.
I also own “expertised” copies” of “POW/camp ‘postage stamps’” that were used for “intra-camp postage” in some of these camps. These items are REAL, and they are a reminder of what happened here.
In addition to this, I have personally visited the “Yad Vashem” (Shrine of the Name) Holocaust Museum in Israel, where I saw displays of human hair, gold teeth, shoes, clothing, and other items confiscated from the victims of such camps. Other items demonstrating the nature of these camps include desecrated Torah, lampshades MADE WITH HUMAN SKIN, and bars of soap MADE WITH THE BODY FAT OF CAMP VICTIMS.
ALL OF THIS IS REAL, and bears witness to the horrors of the camps.
Let those who deny this know that they have an OPPONENT in me, and that I will NEVER allow their lies to “become the ‘truth’”!!!
kathi roark said,
February 21, 2009 @ 11:48 am
This is happening in America right now! When a political person or party has control of the Media in a country - they can control the people of that country. Hitler knew this all too well. The majority of our Media in America is of one mind and one opinion. Soon - no other opinions will be tolerated!