{"id":5887,"date":"2022-04-12T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-12T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/?p=5887"},"modified":"2022-04-11T15:45:06","modified_gmt":"2022-04-11T19:45:06","slug":"115-never-forget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/115-never-forget\/","title":{"rendered":"#115 &#8211; Never Forget&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thanks to those who commented on my previous blog, <strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/114-triggers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">#114\u2014Those Dastardly \u201cTriggers<\/a><\/em><\/strong>.\u201d Several comments were spot on and reminded me of things I\u2019d forgotten. Here\u2019s a few more shared \u201cmemories:\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>Totally agree brother, taking the time to remember is important for the soul. A very small percentage of Americans have been on a flight deck.<\/em><\/li><li><em>Although mine were a little different, I will treasure them forever!<\/em><\/li><li><em>Sound of an F-4 in the break.<\/em><\/li><li><em>The first time I saw the opening sequence from &#8220;Top Gun,&#8221; I swear that I could smell that peculiar m\u00e9lange of flight deck smells, sitting in the theater&#8230;.<\/em><\/li><li><em>Even just driving to the airport here in Ft. Myers, I catch a whiff of jet exhaust and for just a few seconds, I&#8217;m on the flight deck, heart increases. Gives me a little rush, here 45 years later.<\/em><\/li><li><em>The best drinking fountain was in the island passageway. The coldest, and least likely to taste the JP-5&#8230;<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cGranddad. Last week, you told me and dad about your Bronze Star Medal and Purple Hearts, and how you were wounded. My high school history teacher, Mr. Johnson, suggested I should ask what you did when the war ended.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cSpecifically, where you were and if you remember anything about concentration camps? Did your division liberate any? What did you see? How many prisoners were there? What shape were they in? What\u2026 \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cHold on, hold on, Chris. One question at a time. World War II was years ago. My memory is not as sharp as it used to be. Let me think for a minute.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cI remember we came across several concentration camps. This would\u2019ve been in April and May 1945. There had been rumors that the Nazis were killing prisoners and Jews en masse. We heard it from the local townspeople as well as several POWs who had escaped.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cWhat we didn\u2019t know at the time\u2014I don\u2019t think anyone will ever understand the monstrosity we witnessed\u2014was just how many hundreds of thousands of Jews t<\/em>he Nazis <em>slaughtered in these camps. They were gassed, they were burned in incinerators, and they were tossed in mass graves.\u201d Ed put his hands over his face and rubbed his forehead. \u201cI can\u2019t even begin to describe the horror.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>He took a deep breath, his voice fading as he lowered his chin.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cThe big concentration camp that my division, the 80th, discovered was Buchenwald, just outside Weimar, Germany. It was the first concentration camp the Allies stumbled upon with a large population of prisoners still living. To this day, it\u2019s something I\u2019ll never forget\u2014not the sights, the sounds, nor the smells. My God, how could anyone do these things to other human beings?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Ed paused for a moment to regain his composure. Both Tom, his son, and Chris, his grandson, saw him tearing up. Neither spoke. The only sound in the room was his labored breathing.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Ed took a deep breath and continued in a quieter, more somber voice. He was rubbing his hands together, staring at them.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cWhen we first approached Buchenwald, we had no idea what we were about to discover. I distinctly remember several dozen men running toward us. We couldn\u2019t tell if they were prisoners, Krauts, or what. We held our fire and spread out, forming a skirmish line, just in case they were Germans.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cWhen they got closer, they were as thin as I\u2019ve ever seen a man. Their striped uniforms were torn and tattered and their hollowed eyes spoke volumes of monstrosities and inhumane treatment. It turned out they had overcome the guards the previous day and were fleeing the camp when they stumbled upon us. Apparently, the German guards knew the Allies were approaching. Most of them took off before we got there.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cThese men in front of us were in horrible shape. They badly needed food, water, and blankets. We gave them what we had. As bad a shape as they were in, we were astonished that they each shared what we gave them with one another.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cOne of them spoke broken English. When we asked if there were any more prisoners, they led us back down the hill to the camp.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Ed shifted in his seat, his eyes focusing on Chris. He shook his head side to side as he spoke.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cWe couldn\u2019t believe our eyes. There were thousands behind the wire fence. The men that led us down to the camp were in far better shape than those still in the enclosure. Most were in rags, had hollowed eyes and drooping faces, and were nothing but skin and bones. Hundreds lay about on the ground\u2026 dead.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Ed took a deep breath and strongly exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cWe called Battalion, and they called Regiment. Within a few hours, dozens of supply trucks with food, blankets, and medics arrived. There were so many men to care for, we didn\u2019t know where to begin.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Tom and Chris were glued to Ed\u2019s descriptions. Chris\u2019 research revealed a little about concentration camps, but nothing this detailed. And to think, his own grandfather had been there and witnessed these horrors.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cWell, I thought that was bad,\u201d Ed\u2019s voice began to crack. He took a deep breath, sat on the edge of his seat, and continued. With his elbows on his knees, he rubbed his hands and stared at the floor.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cWe began to explore the camp. That\u2019s when we found the incinerators, and bodies stacked like firewood outside the building. We knew right then that the rumors were true. There were hundreds of wagons piled four-to-five high with dead men\u2026\u201d Ed had to pause before continuing \u201cwaiting to be incinerated. It was sickening. To this day, I can\u2019t get the sight or the stench out of my mind.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>A tear ran down Ed\u2019s cheek as he looked up, staring out the window. He reached around and massaged the back of his neck again, turning his head as if to rub out the memory.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Tom recalled his time in Vietnam, when he first saw the devastating results of what Napalm could do to a human being. The smell of burnt, decaying flesh is unforgettable to a combat veteran. He almost said something to let his father know he\u2019d had similar experiences, but decided against it. He didn\u2019t want to make this gruesome type of comparison.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Glancing over at Chris, Ed wiped his moist eyes and continued. \u201cThat\u2019s why I didn\u2019t cook out on a grill when your dad was growing up. It brought back too many horrible memories. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I like a good steak. I just can\u2019t watch it cook.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"># # #<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The above excerpt is from my novel, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/book_never.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NEVER FORGET<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is a true account from a first-hand, front-line World War II combat soldier\u2026 my father, <strong>Lt. A. Z. Adkins, Jr.<\/strong> I took the liberty of paraphrasing some of the descriptions from his original diary. But even as I read these words today, tears well up my eyes. To know that my dad, and thousands of others like him, witnessed these war atrocities 77 years ago is heart wrenching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"493\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/AZAdkinsJr_Capt.jpg?resize=400%2C493&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Captain A. Z. Adkins Jr.\" class=\"wp-image-4115\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/AZAdkinsJr_Capt.jpg?w=400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/AZAdkinsJr_Capt.jpg?resize=243%2C300&amp;ssl=1 243w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption>Capt. A. Z. Adkins, Jr.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We should <em>never forget<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Becky &amp; I visited <a href=\"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/78-wwii-76-years-ago-buchenwald-horror\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Buchenwald<\/strong> <\/a>in 2010 on a personal tour by a good friend of the <strong>80th Division Veterans Association.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I can tell you that while most of the main buildings are gone, a few remain\u2026 reminders of the horrors from years ago. You can\u2019t smell the stench of death, but seeing the brick ovens with the massive iron doors up close and personal\u2026 well, let\u2019s just say it was something I\u2019ll never forget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Buchenwald-Ovens.jpg?resize=800%2C534&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Buchenwald Furnaces\" class=\"wp-image-3924\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Buchenwald-Ovens.jpg?w=950&amp;ssl=1 950w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Buchenwald-Ovens.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Buchenwald-Ovens.jpg?resize=768%2C513&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption>Buchenwald Concentration Camp Incinerators (2010)<br>Photo credit: Andy Adkins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How many concentration camps were there?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I don\u2019t think anyone knows the exact number, but there are resources that indicate more than 1,000 concentration camps (including subcamps) were established during the history of Nazi Germany (1933 to 1945). During my earlier research for WWII book, &#8220;<strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/book_closer.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">You Can&#8217;t Get Much Closer Than This<\/a><\/em><\/strong>,&#8221; I found a \u201cmap\u201d of concentration camps. In case you\u2019re interested, here\u2019s the link [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thoughtco.com\/concentration-and-death-camps-map-1779690\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">click here<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Historical records report about 1.65 million people were registered prisoners in the camps at one point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is estimated that one million died during their imprisonment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is not lost on me that my previous post, \u201c<strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/114-triggers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Those Dastardly Triggers<\/a><\/em><\/strong>,\u201d talked about the five human senses and how certain sounds, smells, or music takes you back to a particular time during your service. I know my dad experienced these &#8220;flashbacks.&#8221; I think most veterans do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like I mentioned earlier, this is not one of the \u201chappy\u201d blog posts for \u201c<strong><em>A Veteran\u2019s Journey.<\/em><\/strong>\u201d But it is an important one, at least for <em>this <\/em>veteran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Next time, I\u2019ll lighten up a little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Until we meet again,<br>Andy<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Previous posts mentioned in this blog:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/114-triggers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">#114\u2014Those Dastardly &#8220;Triggers&#8221;<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/78-wwii-76-years-ago-buchenwald-horror\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">#78\u2014WWII, 76 Years Ago: Buchenwald Horror<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-center has-text-color wp-block-heading\" style=\"color:#fc0101\">Get your&nbsp;<strong>FREE&nbsp;<\/strong>copy of my novel,&nbsp;<strong>NEVER FORGET<\/strong>&nbsp;(see below).<br>No obligations, nothing to fill out.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/NeverForgetCover-AZA-NEWLabel.jpg?resize=73%2C110&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"NEVER FORGET Book Cover with &quot;New&quot; Label\" class=\"wp-image-3452\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-text-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#000030\">Andy Adkins is a US Navy veteran (\u201973-77) and the author of several books. His newest novel,<strong>&nbsp;NEVER FORGET<\/strong>, is the story of&nbsp;<em>A Vietnam Veteran\u2019s Journey for Redemption &amp; Forgiveness<\/em>. NEVER FORGET is FREE (eBook, PDF) for&nbsp;<em>all&nbsp;<\/em>veterans&nbsp;<em>and&nbsp;<\/em>their families.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/never-forget\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Download your FREE copy&nbsp;<u>HERE<\/u><\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thanks to those who commented on my previous blog, #114\u2014Those Dastardly \u201cTriggers.\u201d Several comments were spot on and reminded me of things I\u2019d forgotten. Here\u2019s a few more shared \u201cmemories:\u201d Totally agree brother, taking the time to remember is important&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/115-never-forget\/\" class=\"readmore\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">#115 &#8211; Never Forget&#8230;<\/span><span class=\"fa fa-angle-double-right\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[60],"tags":[20,206,124,255],"class_list":["post-5887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-army","tag-80th-infantry-division","tag-a-veterans-journey","tag-buchenwald","tag-world-war-ii","content-layout-excerpt-thumb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>#115 - Never Forget... &#8212; A Veteran&#039;s Journey<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This week marks the anniversary of the discovery of German prison camps, otherwise known as &quot;Concentration Camps.&quot;\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/115-never-forget\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"#115 - Never Forget... &#8212; A Veteran&#039;s Journey\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This week marks the anniversary of the discovery of German prison camps, otherwise known as &quot;Concentration Camps.&quot;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/115-never-forget\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Veteran&#039;s Journey\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/andyadkinsiii\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/andyadkinsiii\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-04-12T10:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/AZAdkinsJr_Capt.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Andy Adkins\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@azadkinsiii\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@azadkinsiii\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Andy Adkins\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azadkinsiii.com\\\/blog\\\/115-never-forget\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azadkinsiii.com\\\/blog\\\/115-never-forget\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Andy Adkins\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azadkinsiii.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3cbf38c3ae372859df51574b46563a4a\"},\"headline\":\"#115 &#8211; 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