The Texas Liberators: Veteran Narratives from World War II, Hardcover

Another milestone of the [Texas Holocaust and Genocide]Commission's great work. -George H. W. BushBy April 1945, Allied troops of both America and the Soviet Union had establishedcontrol over Germany and German-occupied Poland. General Dwight D. Eisenhowerordered the liberation of the concentration camps that the Nazis used for the imprisonment,forced labor, and extermination of Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, Communists,political prisoners, and common criminals. The liberating soldiers-many as young aseighteen-were shocked beyond imagination at what they saw in these camps.Within these covers, twenty-one Texas Liberators speak compellingly in their ownwords. They describe their discovery of the camps, their first encounters with detainees,the repression of certain memories in order to survive and live their lives, and the feelingby many that ''normal'' would never be normal again. This testimony allows all of usto begin to understand the sacrifices made in the name of freedom.Accompanying many of the narratives are recent portraits of the surviving Liberators.The stark, profound images capture a range of expressions and emotions in theseelderly gentleman, leading to an even deeper connection to their experiences.The Texas LiberatorsAlso part of the Texas Liberators project:-For high school students and teachers an immersive instructional app allowingstudents to take on the avatar of a Texas Liberator, explore a concentration camp,and interact with detainees. This instructional app meets the TEKS and AP Historystandards.A resource website for educators and researchers.A traveling museum exhibit.A continually updated Honor Roll of all Texas Liberators enter information here: thgc.texas dot gov/about/liberator-information-project.I looked at the prisoners in their striped garb, so filthy and decimated. One ofthem moved, and I went over to him, and he said, ''Bist a Yid?'' Are you Jewish?I said, ''Ich bin a Yid.'' I am Jewish. And then I told him, ''Alles geet. Alles geet.''I speak a little Yiddish. ...And ''Alles geet. Alles geet.'' All is good. All is good.And I opened my C rations and fed him a little soup made a little soup forhim. And he died two hours later in my arms. And I asked him what his namewas. He said, ''Meine namen ist Herman.'' ''Ich.'' My name is Herman, too. So Ihad tears in my eyes, and I cry every time I think about it. This poor guy, he wasabout forty years old and weighed about fifty pounds, maybe. And that's howmuch he had been maltreated.That's a hell of a load for a young fellow, nineteen years old. from the book