Leonard D. Holocaust testimony

Videotape testimony of Leonard D. who was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1925. He recalls his parents both had relatives in Europe; ceasing to hear from them in the late 1930s; being drafted into the Army immediately after high school graduation; training in the 21st Armored Infantry Battalion; reassignment to the 11th Armored Division; sailing to England; landing in France in October 1944; fierce fighting through Europe; liberating Mauthausen on May 5, 1945; his and his fellow soldiers' state of shock at the condition of the prisoners; the piles of corpses all over, the pervasive stench; observing the gas chamber, torture areas, and the bloodied quarry steps; the commanding officer compelling locals to observe the camp, assist former prisoners, and help bury the dead; leaving five days later; helping to repatriate Czechs and Hungarians; returning home; and discharge in March 1946. Mr. D. notes his mother lost all of her family in Hungary; being "an old man" at twenty due to what he had seen; and becoming a teacher to help prevent such events in the future.

2 videocassettes