Emily+A.

Holocaust survivor speech.

I’m Anna W., and I like to retell my story for those who don’t believe that the Holocaust affected people that weren’t Jewish. I was first born in Frankfurt, Germany where I was in a Gypsy Theatre group with my five siblings and my parents. When we were first taken to Leipzig we were told that we were to be settled in Poland, the first of a number of lies that were told to me. Auschwitz-Birkenau was barren when we arrived, and we were the first to arrive. There was no fence yet, and that was the first and only time I would ever see the barracks empty. Later they would be filled with 1000 people, although it only fit 500. We had to undress, and be shaved as if we were animals. The whole thing was humiliating. I remember there was a children’s nursery. As if Auschwitz was pretending it had some caring nature about the place. It didn’t, all my relatives died there except my cousins family. I was transported to many working facilities. First Ravensbrück in 1944, then when there was nothing there I went on to Schlieben near Buchenwald. I had to work very hard, and it was very strenuous since I was on the nightshift and still an adolescent at the time. I was then transferred to Buna which was near Leipzig, and it was there that I did not meet production rates. This meant I was to be sent to Auschwitz but a woman traded places with me because she had family there. When I think about it now i realize there was a chance she might have not even had family alive there. None of us knew that when you were sent back to Auschwitz you did not return to the Gypsy Camp, you were instead taken to the crematorium. All the people who were at the Gypsy camp was gassed in 1944. So she went there, to the crematorium, while I went to Bergen Belsen. I contracted pleurisy and pneumonia but it was not until the British liberated the camp that I got care. I was in care, but I had no one left for me.

1. **What year did you enter the war?** In 1944 2. **Did you get drafted, or was there a specific reason you wanted to enlist in the army?** A. I was working on a farm, and then I got drafted. 3. **Where were you stationed during the war?** A .In the European Theater. Started in France and then went down to Mongolia. 4. **Of all the memories of the war, what is your most fondest memory, or something significant that happened that you will never forget.** A. There were no good memories in the war. My best memory in the war was the day we got out of it. 5. **Was it ever hard getting such little food, because of the rationing. and it already probably being stale.** A. We had to eat out of cans with a layer of grease on top which we had to scrap off. 6. **What were the conditions like in the war, like getting sick from being cold or from lack of things.** A. We had to sleep in the slit trenches and all you had was you and your clothes. You would dig a little ditch, and try to get as much sleep as possible. Some nights you were on watch and you wouldn’t sleep all night, and I could see the bushes moving if you looked straight at them. ( because he was so tired) 7. **How would you describe some of the armies leaders**. A. General Paton was a rough general, and he had a foul mouth. He was in charge of the tanks, and Eisenhower was in charge of about everything else. I remember Paton was flying over head and one of our men had pointed a gun out to shoot. He came down and made a remark that If only he knew he pointed that gun, he would never point another one again. (Of course with foul language) 8 **Was there a significant amount of training you had to go through before being in the war?** A.We went through 17 weeks of training in Georgia in the hot summer. It was called Camp Wheeler, and they did everything but kill you. We walked for thousands of miles in 110 degree weather. By the time we were done I was ready to be in the war. 10. **What did you do in the war? Like what job did you do?** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">A. Back then once you got in war the only way of getting out was being wounded or killed. So no I never got a break. My sister always told me to write more, but there wasn’t that time and where were you going to find paper and a pen at? <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">12. **On September 2, 1945** **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">, ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">when Japan ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">surrendered ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">after the bombing of Hiroshima ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">, ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">were you immediately out of the army because the war stopped? ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">A. No I was still in the army about a year later after the war stopped. We were going through German houses finding any kind of ammunition. You could take certain things if you asked if you could**.** I got a good rifle because of it. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">14. **Was there any source of entertainment that you could do while serving in the war**. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">A. There wasn’t much back then you could do, and there wasn’t much time to do it. We had more time to entertain ourselves after the war ended. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">15. **Exactly how long did you serve?** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">A. I served for about 2 years. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">17. **Is there anything else you would like to add about your time spent serving during World War II or anything about the war itself.** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">A. We had a time of about 3 days which was the R.R. where we could rest and go about any where we want. I went up to see Hitlers house which is way on top of a mountain and you feel like your standing on the Alps. There is always snow up there, even in the summer. His house had a sign outside of it saying "Hitlers Lair", and I went into the Eagles nest. The top of it was blown off from a bomb that must have hit it directly on top. When Hitler was living the way he would get in his house was he would ride one limousine with all his guards in it, and then he would get out and into another limousine inside the house. He would ride in this until he got to the elevator. He was precocious because people were always trying to kill him and he barely trusted his guards. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">It was no trouble, I believe history should always be taught through the generations so we don’t repeat what we have already been through. You know cause some people don’t even believe the Holocaust even happened, and I remember seeing the bodies stacked up like cardboard in one of the concentration camps in Germany. You see when they died they would bulldozer over them. I believe young people should be taught about history so people still remember what really happened. ==<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">I'm Gilbert Stone and I am a World War II veteran. I was once a farmer until i was drafted in 1944. I was stationed at first in France only to be moved to Mongolia. I don't have a best memory of the war, except for maybe the day we got out of it. We slept in trenches where all you had was you, and your clothes. You tried to sleep as much as possible but other nights you had to keep watch and weren't able to sleep a wink. I remember hallucinating and thinking the bushes would rustle and move, while really i was just so tired. We were all always tired. We ate out of cans where the only preperation for it was to scrape off the grease at the top. I trained for 17 weeks in Georgia in 110 degree weather to get prepared for this hell on earth. I had to be tough because everything in the army is. Once General Paton had been flying over head and someone accidently pointed a gun to shoot. His remark when he came down was If he only knew who had pointed that gun, he would never point another one again. He said that with a few not so nice words put into that. The war was a statement with a few not so nice words put into it. I was a BAR, or browning automatic rifle. It weighted a grand total of 23 poundss and could shoot 20 rounds in 2 and a half seconds. No one was going to carry it for you, and it plus the other equipment was heavy. I never got leave because back then you only returned if you were wounded or dead, and i was neither. After the war ended i went to see Hitlers house, or Hitlers lair as it called. It was snowing, because it always snows, even in the summer. I remember there was a hole in the top of his house where it must have been bombed, which i was very used to. His house was fancy, nothing like our slit trenches. I tell my story because i know some people dont believe the Holocaust ever happened, and i remember seeing the bodies stacked up like cardboard in one of the concentration camps in Germany. Once they died they would bulldozer over them. It isn't easy to talk about this, but i dont want this to have to ever be repeated and young people should be taught about history so people can remember what really happened.media type="file" key="Distant_Waters.mp3" ==
 * __<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 24px;">World War II Interview __**
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Hi! I’m Emily Argabright and I go to Green Hope High School, and we have to do this interview project to get a better understanding of past events. **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">What is your name, and what war were you in? **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">My name is Gilbert Lee Stone, and I was in World War II.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">A. **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">I was a BAR. I’ll tell you what that stands for because you probably don’t know. It’s Browning Automatic Rifle. It weighs 23 pounds and it can shoot 20 rounds in 2 and a half seconds. It was a 30 calabur so it would stand on a little tripod. I also had a whole satchel filled with things like tracers that were also heavy. (Added question) Did you have to carry it all yourself? A. Of course, no one was gonna carry it for you!
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">11.Was communicating with family members hard doing it by letter, and did you ever get any break to visit them? **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Thank you for your time and it was so good meeting you **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Gilbert Stones Speech **