I totally agree! Thank you for taking the time to read this story and to also leave a comment. That helps make sure it gets in front of other people too.
A stunning commentary, Craig. Thank you for your research and skill in putting it together and for your writing skill in weaving such a compelling, shocking story.
Hey there, another Pincone release exsposing me to a story I was completely unaware of. As you might be aware of, any WWII book or documetary where I can learn the story of an actual event occuring during the war is right in my wheelhouse. Once I read this story of another Nazi brutal atrocity in the treatment of allied prisoners of war, I was so upset I had to learn more. I checked for anything I could find on books or documetaries listed in your story and found the documentary "Lost Airmen Of Buchenwald" by Michael Dorsey on YouTube which I was able to rent for a small fee. I would recomend it to anyone wanting to hear the true stories from the men who had to live through the harrowing journey from capture to final release and then suffer the abuse of disbelief of their past lives by members of the public, and then live the rest of their lives suffering from the as of then unknown PTSD. It's unbelievable the abuse and horrors a human can endure and continue to live out the rest of their "normal" lives. I am currently reading "When Your Number Is Up", by Desmond Morton. It details the lives of Canadian army soldiers during WWI, from enlistment to discharge. One of the occurances it deals with is the discusting treatment afforded to the troops taken prisoner by the Germans. I had never thought or heard anything on this topic. It's hard to imagine men could live through this imprisoment.
I wondered if you had heard about this story. I'm glad that you watched the documentary on YouTube. I know some people are turned off by the rental fee, but for small release films like this that aren't on Netflix, it is totally worth it. From what I understood, Michael Dorsey was instrumental in getting this story out and collaborated on the creation of the memorial stone at the Buchenwald site. I was balling watching the 4 Allied survivors who attended the unveiling of the memorial, speak. I was particularly struck by the words of American Chasten Bowen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzhRqDNBGQ0&t=18s . He emphasized that he refused to allow hatred into his life following the horrors of what he experienced. It's heartbreaking to see ordinary folks like him who experienced something so horrific, telling the world decades later not to devolve to hating other people and instead to practice compassion and then turn on the news and see the disgusting state of affairs in many parts of the world today. These men fought and survived with the hopes that no one else would ever have to go through what they did, and sometimes I'm sickened that we forget to honour them and are so quick to hate. It hurts my heart. Thanks for sharing the information about "When Your Number I Up" by Desmond Morton. I haven't heard of that book. It's hard to imagine what people are capable of doing to other people. It's hard to imagine how people could even think to do the terrible things they've done, let alone follow through and carry them out. It's heavy. I mentioned to someone else that this little story took me longer than usual to write because I had to keep wiping away my tears. I try to understand it, but often, my brain just can't make sense of this, and it frustrates me that I can't answer the why, except to acknowledge that evil exists in the world, and unfortunately, that means it exists somewhere inside all of us. That scares me. Not for my own sake, but as a father who worries about the world my daughter is inheriting. I hope by sharing these stories, that people realize the fine line between anger and hatred and that we don't allow ourselves to cross over to hate. Because as these men so powerfully point out, hate breeds the worst kind of evil.
Do you suppose there is a reason we both think alike? You touch on many points that I absolutely agree with. One that stands out to me about these veterans as well as many others I've seen or read about, is their ability to forgive their tormentors. Many say that if they didn't then they allowed these people to control the rest of their lives. I often wondered if I was in their place, could I do the same? With the turmoil being created in the world today as a result of Trump,I often fear the world my grandaughters will inherit but I also keep in mind that my Grandparents and Parents lived through some of the most tumultuous times in history and probably had similar thoughts. Somehow the world kept turning and all worked out in our case. I always felt that as part of the boomer generation I have lived through some of the best years known. I did watch the YouTube video of the unveiling of the stone at Buchenwald and was also very touched by the survivor's comments. One name mentioned was that of Phil Lameson who became the senior officer chosen to represent all the airmen in the camp. Fortunately he was in the movie "Lost Airmen Of Buchanwald." Even though he had never held any such a position as a leader, he stood up to the Nazi officers in spite of receiving a pistol whipping for doing so. Many of the airmen said thing would likely have only been worse for them( if possible ) if it hadn't been for his bravery. You wondered what type of man could choose to be so evil towards their fellow man, try take comfort there are more Phil Lamesen's in the world who will stand up against evil and win in the end. Just one closing comment,the scum that betrayed a total of fifteen hundred members of the resistance including these airmen, for something like 10,000 Francs per person, was eventually tracked down after the war, tried and hanged for his treachery."Good will prevail"
I didn't see that the guy who turned them in was brought to justice. Thanks for sharing that piece. And thanks for the reminder that good always prevails. I think that's part of why I like looking back at history, because despite all the bad stuff, we still made it, and for every bad actor, there's a collective effort of good going on behind the scenes and out of the spotlight to counteract the bad stuff.
Good writing Craig. Thanks. I spent 10 years in Munich (1969-1979) and visiting Dachau was usually a class trip. When I took my daughter there one summer, her classmates in NY thought she was lying. They didn’t believe the Holocaust ever happened.
Thanks, Julie. It took me a little longer to write than usual because I kept having to stop and wipe away the tears. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
I still haven’t figured out what mechanisms prevent people from believing the Holocaust happened. I suspect there are a number of reasons, and I hope it’s more complex than just willful ignorance. I wonder if, for some people, it’s almost a kind of defense mechanism. Maybe their brains try to protect them from accepting that such a horrific, evil thing was carried out by humans against other humans.
If I find it frustrating to even think about Holocaust denial, I can’t begin to imagine how survivors, or those with family or friends who experienced it, must have felt when they encountered outright dismissal or denial of what they went through.
Please share, take a moment to think, for these Canadians who survived such horrors. The mental tolls throughout their lives must have been tremendous. They should have received much better support.😢😢🇨🇦🙏
I have often heard comments about the bravery and amazing fighting skills of Canadian troops. This recounting of the horrors endured by these amazing men and their disgraceful treatment after return to civilian life was crushing. But thank God so many of them survived. Long Live Canada!
We have a responsibility to keep telling these stories. Well done, Craig.
I totally agree! Thank you for taking the time to read this story and to also leave a comment. That helps make sure it gets in front of other people too.
Best.
Thank you for sharing great content. We’re all just walking each other home. Be well!
A stunning commentary, Craig. Thank you for your research and skill in putting it together and for your writing skill in weaving such a compelling, shocking story.
My pleasure. It’s truly an honour to share the stories of these brave Canadians.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read it.
Hey there, another Pincone release exsposing me to a story I was completely unaware of. As you might be aware of, any WWII book or documetary where I can learn the story of an actual event occuring during the war is right in my wheelhouse. Once I read this story of another Nazi brutal atrocity in the treatment of allied prisoners of war, I was so upset I had to learn more. I checked for anything I could find on books or documetaries listed in your story and found the documentary "Lost Airmen Of Buchenwald" by Michael Dorsey on YouTube which I was able to rent for a small fee. I would recomend it to anyone wanting to hear the true stories from the men who had to live through the harrowing journey from capture to final release and then suffer the abuse of disbelief of their past lives by members of the public, and then live the rest of their lives suffering from the as of then unknown PTSD. It's unbelievable the abuse and horrors a human can endure and continue to live out the rest of their "normal" lives. I am currently reading "When Your Number Is Up", by Desmond Morton. It details the lives of Canadian army soldiers during WWI, from enlistment to discharge. One of the occurances it deals with is the discusting treatment afforded to the troops taken prisoner by the Germans. I had never thought or heard anything on this topic. It's hard to imagine men could live through this imprisoment.
As usual, another great job.
I wondered if you had heard about this story. I'm glad that you watched the documentary on YouTube. I know some people are turned off by the rental fee, but for small release films like this that aren't on Netflix, it is totally worth it. From what I understood, Michael Dorsey was instrumental in getting this story out and collaborated on the creation of the memorial stone at the Buchenwald site. I was balling watching the 4 Allied survivors who attended the unveiling of the memorial, speak. I was particularly struck by the words of American Chasten Bowen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzhRqDNBGQ0&t=18s . He emphasized that he refused to allow hatred into his life following the horrors of what he experienced. It's heartbreaking to see ordinary folks like him who experienced something so horrific, telling the world decades later not to devolve to hating other people and instead to practice compassion and then turn on the news and see the disgusting state of affairs in many parts of the world today. These men fought and survived with the hopes that no one else would ever have to go through what they did, and sometimes I'm sickened that we forget to honour them and are so quick to hate. It hurts my heart. Thanks for sharing the information about "When Your Number I Up" by Desmond Morton. I haven't heard of that book. It's hard to imagine what people are capable of doing to other people. It's hard to imagine how people could even think to do the terrible things they've done, let alone follow through and carry them out. It's heavy. I mentioned to someone else that this little story took me longer than usual to write because I had to keep wiping away my tears. I try to understand it, but often, my brain just can't make sense of this, and it frustrates me that I can't answer the why, except to acknowledge that evil exists in the world, and unfortunately, that means it exists somewhere inside all of us. That scares me. Not for my own sake, but as a father who worries about the world my daughter is inheriting. I hope by sharing these stories, that people realize the fine line between anger and hatred and that we don't allow ourselves to cross over to hate. Because as these men so powerfully point out, hate breeds the worst kind of evil.
Do you suppose there is a reason we both think alike? You touch on many points that I absolutely agree with. One that stands out to me about these veterans as well as many others I've seen or read about, is their ability to forgive their tormentors. Many say that if they didn't then they allowed these people to control the rest of their lives. I often wondered if I was in their place, could I do the same? With the turmoil being created in the world today as a result of Trump,I often fear the world my grandaughters will inherit but I also keep in mind that my Grandparents and Parents lived through some of the most tumultuous times in history and probably had similar thoughts. Somehow the world kept turning and all worked out in our case. I always felt that as part of the boomer generation I have lived through some of the best years known. I did watch the YouTube video of the unveiling of the stone at Buchenwald and was also very touched by the survivor's comments. One name mentioned was that of Phil Lameson who became the senior officer chosen to represent all the airmen in the camp. Fortunately he was in the movie "Lost Airmen Of Buchanwald." Even though he had never held any such a position as a leader, he stood up to the Nazi officers in spite of receiving a pistol whipping for doing so. Many of the airmen said thing would likely have only been worse for them( if possible ) if it hadn't been for his bravery. You wondered what type of man could choose to be so evil towards their fellow man, try take comfort there are more Phil Lamesen's in the world who will stand up against evil and win in the end. Just one closing comment,the scum that betrayed a total of fifteen hundred members of the resistance including these airmen, for something like 10,000 Francs per person, was eventually tracked down after the war, tried and hanged for his treachery."Good will prevail"
I didn't see that the guy who turned them in was brought to justice. Thanks for sharing that piece. And thanks for the reminder that good always prevails. I think that's part of why I like looking back at history, because despite all the bad stuff, we still made it, and for every bad actor, there's a collective effort of good going on behind the scenes and out of the spotlight to counteract the bad stuff.
Good writing Craig. Thanks. I spent 10 years in Munich (1969-1979) and visiting Dachau was usually a class trip. When I took my daughter there one summer, her classmates in NY thought she was lying. They didn’t believe the Holocaust ever happened.
Thanks, Julie. It took me a little longer to write than usual because I kept having to stop and wipe away the tears. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
I still haven’t figured out what mechanisms prevent people from believing the Holocaust happened. I suspect there are a number of reasons, and I hope it’s more complex than just willful ignorance. I wonder if, for some people, it’s almost a kind of defense mechanism. Maybe their brains try to protect them from accepting that such a horrific, evil thing was carried out by humans against other humans.
If I find it frustrating to even think about Holocaust denial, I can’t begin to imagine how survivors, or those with family or friends who experienced it, must have felt when they encountered outright dismissal or denial of what they went through.
Please share, take a moment to think, for these Canadians who survived such horrors. The mental tolls throughout their lives must have been tremendous. They should have received much better support.😢😢🇨🇦🙏
I have often heard comments about the bravery and amazing fighting skills of Canadian troops. This recounting of the horrors endured by these amazing men and their disgraceful treatment after return to civilian life was crushing. But thank God so many of them survived. Long Live Canada!
🇨🇦 ♥️🍁!
Long Live Canada! 🇨🇦 ♥️🍁!