Death Camp Liberator Looks Back

Mary Schmich in the April 14th Chicago Tribune.

We just recently observed Holocaust Day, a very sad day in the annals of history. On April 15th, Carl Levy and 119 other veterans were honored in Washington, DC, as liberators of German concentration camps. However, at the time, neither he or the others in his platoon thought of themselves as that.

There were "no grateful tears, huzzas or smiles, no cinematic fanfare," according to Schmich.

On that cool May 2, 1945, most of the men weren't sure what they were seeing. there was no warning from officers about what they were to witness. According to Levy, "In those days, a lowly infantryman was a lowly infantryman. There were no lectures on the grand scheme of things."

But Levy knew. he is Jewish and Jews knew.

there was a compound, guard towers, a wire fence and humans in striped uniforms, filthy and starving. Then, there were the corpses. They weren't cheering, "They didn't have the energy to cheer."

Levy later learned he was at a subcamp of the infamous Dachau. He didn't remember a smell, but in the ensuing weeks, nearby Germans told of the strange odor that would waft from the camp that came from the bodies being burned in ovens.

Levy believes that the men who came behind him and provided medical assistance and saved so many lives were the real ones deserving the honor he received.

Completely Unbelievable That Something Like This Would Happen. --Cooter