VE Day

Last night, we had an opportunity to attend a panel discussion at the National WWII Museum in remembrance of VE Day. The panel included our friend Dr. Huxen and Mary Jean and Susan Eisenhower, grandchildren of Dwight Eisenhower. The event was free and open to the public, and it was packed. The panel focused on Eisenhower's personal history - his upbringing, his education, and of course, his role as grandfather. Both women shared anecdotes and stories from their memories of Eisenhower, and as both women are accomplished speakers, diplomats, and businesswomen, the presentation was fascinating. It was over an hour long, but I felt like we had just touched the surface of who the man was. 

Susan Eisenhower told the story behind the picture featured on our program: a famous shot of the general speaking to a soldier, known to her as "number 23". Years later she met "number 23" and asked him what her grandfather had been saying so intently. The soldier shared that he was from Saginaw, Michigan, and they had been discussing the fishing in Saginaw! She related the story to Eisenhower's ability to know when to be a commander and when to be a friend.

Since Eisenhower was instrumental in recording the atrocities discovered at Nazi concentration camps Ohrdruf and Buchenwald, David and I thought it would be fitting to view some of the footage when we got home. There is a Frontline record, Memory of the Camps, that includes coverage of several camps at their liberation.
Let me just warn you. While I think it is important to remember what happened in Nazi Germany, and to know that it was not so far removed from present day, the footage is chilling. You cannot prepare yourself for the death and cheapness of human life portrayed. After the film, David and I silently went to bed, too shocked to even speak. It was a very tough thing to view, but I think it is necessary to prevent such evil from reoccurring.