Emma+K.

Emma

Introduction: I interviewed Otis Hyler. He was a pilot in the Korean War. He was stationed for nearly two years in Arizona and Wyoming. He was lucky to never have to be stationed in Korea, but he did get to fly over there. He was only nineteen when he was drafted. This is his story of survival.

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Holocaust Survivor Speech

My name is Helen and in 1937, when I was 16, my whole life changed. After a bombardment that destroyed my whole family’s house and business in Zwolen, Poland, we moved to Radom, Poland, to start over. It was then in 1941 that ghettoization was ordered. We then moved back home, and through my father’s contacts, were able to find work on an estate that provided food for Germans. My parents were then deported, and my sister and two brothers returned to the Radom ghetto. That was the last time I ever saw my parents. We worked as slave laborers to avoid the mass shooting, but we were then transported to Majdanek. Here, I made some close friends who I was never able to see again. Months later, we was then transported to Plazow. I will never forget the screams of the children as they were torn away from their mothers. The screams of the poor women who could do nothing as they watched their children die before their eyes still haunts me. What human could possibly shoot an innocent child in front of their own mother? My sister and brothers and I were then transported to Auschwitz. At the gate, the men and women were separated. Here was where I felt the most ashamed. We all had our heads shaved and had to wear striped pajamas that had the Star of David stitched into the front. We lived in disease and filth. Not a day went by that I didn’t think we were going to die. My sister and I knew that in order to survive, we must stick together. We never separated. We made friends with some women, only to see them die day after day. It soon became overcrowded, and talk of transportation was in the air. My sister and I were then transported to Bergen-Belsen. We knew nothing of where our brothers were, and my sister, who was married, knew nothing of where her husband was either. Here, me and my sister talked about what we would do when we were free. We knew we could not think of death because we had to be strong for our parents. I talked about wanting to get married and having children. It was what kept me alive during the years. We were not at Bergen-Belsen for long. Thankfully, we were liberated in 1945. We were to find out that both our brothers were killed at Auschwitz. My sister’s husband did manage to survive from that very place. He did not know what happened to them, only that they were killed when they first arrived. I later married, and in 1946, we all traveled to America. We wanted to start over and forget our past. Though I will never be able to forget, remembering my family and childhood is what helps me get through the days now.

Emma Kirkpatrick Survivor Name: Otis Hyler Event survived: Korean War Interview on: May 21, 2011 __Questions __
 * 1) What exactly was your role in the Korean War, and how did that role affect you?
 * 2) Was there anyone you got to know or stayed in touch with after the war?
 * 3) What difficult choices did you have to make during your time in the war?
 * 4) How did those choices affect you?
 * 5) Are there any memories that have stuck with you over the years?
 * 6) Is there anything you regret from your time in the war?
 * 7) The Korean War stated on June 25, 1950 and ended on July 27, 1953. Were you drafted or did you volunteer? When?
 * 8) Where were you when the war ended? What do you remember most about that?
 * 9) What was the hardest part of your experience?
 * 10) Did you learn anything about yourself from this experience?
 * 11) What did you learn most about your time in the war?
 * 12) How has everything that happened changed you?
 * 13) How are you still affected by your experience?
 * 14) What did it feel like returning home after your experience?
 * 15) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Is there anything you would want to say to soldiers serving in war now?