William M. and Leonard S. Holocaust testimony

Videotape testimony of Leonard S., an African American, who enlisted in the United States Army in November 1941. He recalls encountering discrimination for the first time during tank training in the south; deployment to England in 1944; embarkation in France; participating in the Battle of the Bulge; fighting their way into a fenced area (he later learned it was Dachau); cessation of German firing; observing naked, severely emaciated men falling out of the barracks; offering them food; being told not to feed them since it could do more harm than good; securing the outer area; the stench of bodies; encounters with Soviet soldiers; continued action; and discharge in December 1945. Mr. S. notes he had not previously known of concentration camp and never discussed his experience at Dachau even at military reunions. He is joined by William M. (HVT-2533), who was in his unit. They discuss recent recognition of the role of African-American soldiers in liberating concentration camps; their positive response from Jewish groups; and their continuing emotional difficulty in recalling their memories of Dachau.

2 videocassettes