In 1945, the US Army reached the Dachau concentration camp, liberating it after more than a decade of operations. As the oldest and largest of the camps, it had been used to incarcerate not only Jews, but also others deemed enemies of the state during the Nazi rise to power, including homosexuals, Gypsies, Jehovah's Witnesses, and criminal offenders.
As the camp predated the Final Solution, it was not always intended as a death camp. Its early years saw other atrocities committed, including forced labor and medical and technological experimentation on prisoners.
One survivor wrote to the soldiers who liberated him and the other remaining inmates:
"A few years ago, I completed a speaking engagement at the Reunion of the 191st Tank Battalion in Louisville, KY. Being there with these men, who were so closely connected to my past rekindled the very strong feelings I have for the American Soldier. This great group of men granted me the privilege of becoming a member of their association.
"I would like to express appreciation and gratitude to you and the men of the 45th.and the 42nd Infantry Divisions of the U.S. 7th Army, the 191st Tank Battalion, and the 3rd Army for your valiant effort during the Liberation of the Dachau Death Camp April 29,1945 and other concentration camps. You deserve so much praise and credit for all your sacrifices and dedication during W.W. II. As our liberators, you will always be remembered by the camp survivors for your gallantry and for the hope, compassion and care you provided to us in such a tragic time in our lives.
"I hate to think of what would have happened to us if you had not come at the time you did. You, the G.I. Joes, spoke the first kind words to us in years. You held in your arms our living skeletons, too weak to walk, too weak to eat, and too weak to live. You gave us our first bites of decent food. You provided medical help as best you could. You reached out to us with no reservations. To the camp survivors, G.I. Joe came from heaven. You were a divine force of mercy.
"You left your homes and families and at times you were also hungry, cold and disillusioned. We owe you all our gratitude. recognition and acknowledgment for setting us free, ending the war and for rekindling our spirit for life.
"I always envision in my mind the way you were 53 years ago. I can see your faces, your helmets, your uniforms, your boots and your weapons hanging on your body. You looked rough and tough and yet you showed so much empathy. You left an indelible mark on a fourteen year old boy that can never be erased. You were the pride of your nation. you preserved the Republic, your civilization, your religious freedom, and you set free a suffering humanity. You fought bravely and defeated the most vicious and evil empires the world has ever known. History will remember you as the heroes of the 20th century.
"'LEST WE FORGET' - You and I, who saw it all, must forever be willing to bear witness to the authenticity of the Holocaust, which was perpetrated by a so called civilized nation. I will forever be grateful to each and everyone of you for saving my life, the life of my brother, and the lives of fellow camp victims.
"Due to my tragic past I developed a sensitivity to human suffering which led me to a career as a Health Service Provider with the City of Boston counseling inner city underprivileged youth. You gave me an opportunity to become an American and a productive human being in this great country of ours.
"God bless the United States of America - the greatest land of all."
The author is a Jewish US Army LTC who asked that this letter, penned by his step-father be forwarded without revealing his stepfather's name.