From Mauthausen to Korea: the Tibor Rubin Story by U.S
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The Official Publication of Camp As Sayliyah The Desert Mesh Edition 83 April 2013 (Courtsey Photo) An American soldier from the Third Army Division, which would later become Army Central Command, liberated prisoners of the Mauthausen concentration camp, May 1945. From Mauthausen to Korea: The Tibor Rubin story By U.S. Army Maj. Nazis murdered other non-jews in- staggering numbers there was a un- Paul Apple cluding: 3 million Soviet Prisoners told story for each and every one of ASG-QA, Deputy Command of War; 2 million Ethnic Poles; 1.5 those people. An untold story about million Romanians; 250,000 physi- who they would be now if they had Judge Advocate cally and mentally disabled per- survived. Today, I would like to sons; 200,000 Freemasons; 25,000 share one of those stories about a ho- DOHA, Qatar - Now most of us think Slovenes; 15,000 homosexuals; and locaust survivor by the name of Tibor the Holocaust was the Nazi Party’s 5000 Jehovah’s Witnesses (not be- Rubin. “final solution” to solving the “Jew- cause they knocked on doors, but Tibor Rubin, known as “Ted” to ish problem.” It is true that approxi- because they refused to pledge alle- his American buddies, was born on mately six million of Europe’s nine giance to the Nazi party or to serve in June 18, 1929, in Paszto, Hungaria, million Jews died. However, the the military). the son of a shoemaker and one of six total number of people murdered in Today when I think of the Holo- children. Ted had a great childhood the concentration camps by the Nazis caust, I now think of all the people until the age of 13, when he was is actually closer to 13 million. In both Jewish and non- Jews who were addition to the 6 million Jews, the murdered. I think that behind the see TIBOR RUBIN on page 8 Team USA wins bronze Boy Scouts camp out on How to max your push- at tournament. Page 4 CAS. Page 10 ups. Page 14 COMMAND CORNER bel Peace Prize in 1986 for his practi- cal works in the ‘cause of peace.’ It amazes me that someone who suffered COMMANDER such evilness emerged from this horror U.S. Army Col. Wayne C. Grieme, Jr. to deliver such powerful messages of peace, atonement and human dignity. DEPUTY COMMANDER Elie truly believes that the forces fighting evil in the world will be vic- U.S. Army Lt. Col. Joseph A. Harvey torious and his message, based on his own personal experience, is a form EXECUTIVE OFFICER of testimony. The millions that died, U.S. Army Maj. Nikolitsa Wooten the gas chambers, and the thousands of people who survived with lifetime scars are all now part of history. How- COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR ever, we must never forget how pre- U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. cious our civilization, our liberty and Charles “Doc” Holliday, Sr. our human spirit are. Sometimes doing the right thing Wayne C. Grieme, Jr. is hard. It takes courage to stand up PUBLIC AFFAIRS COORDINATOR, Commander EDITOR for what you believe and it takes even Area Support Group - Qatar more courage to take action for those Mrs. Polli Ogilvie beliefs. Personal courage is an Army Value all of us must endear. The theme PHOTOJOURNALIST “I swore never to be silent whenever for this year’s observance is, “Never Mr. Jeremiah J. Clark and where ever human beings endure Again: Heeding the Warning Signs.” suffering and humiliation. We must As we take a moment this month for take sides. Neutrality helps the oppres- the observance, I would like everyone sor, never the victim. Silence encour- to also think about the moral values ages the tormentor, never the victim.” and courage that it takes to do the right Elie Wiesel, Night, Holocaust survivor. thing. It was April 11, 1945 when Gen- The holocaust must never be for- eral Patton’s Third Army liberated the gotten. It is said that each person who Buchenwald concentration camp near becomes aware of this history will Weimar, Germany. Second only to reflect upon his or her own ability to Auschwitz in its harsh treatment of the turn compassion for others into action inmates, the world came to a very viv- in their time of need. Have courage. id and stark understanding of the evil We must remain vigilant against those faced in those years of World War II. who seek to commit violence and mur- Patten was shocked by what was der and never turn a blind eye. As Elie found inside Buchenwald. He was so said, “We must take sides.” horrified that he ordered the Military We must honor those we lost during Police to collect all the civilians in this dark period, and keep their mem- the area and march them through the ory alive, generation after generation. camp; making them face what they We must also honor those who risked chose to ignore for so long. I went to their lives to save those from death. Buchenwald in 1992, and although it While this is a time for reflection it is was hard to imagine such hatred, deep also the time for action. Let us remem- inside I could sense the pain and horror ber the courage, spirit and determina- of the place. tion of those heroes of World War II; This Army tabloid is an authorized publica- Among those saved that day in April, exemplifying the very best of human- tion for members of the Department of De- was 15 year old Elie Wiesel. Elie, ity. And like these courageous indi- fense. Content of the Desert Mesh is not necessarily the official view of, or endorsed known today as the messenger for viduals, we must commit ourselves to by, the U.S. Government or Department of mankind, is a spokesman for the view resisting hate and persecution in all its the Army. The editorial content is the re- of unlimited humanitarism needed for forms and make the promise of “Never sponsibility of the Area Support Group - Qa- lasting and just peace. He won the No- Again” a reality. tar public affairs office. All photos are official U.S. Army Photos unless otherwise credited. Desert Mesh : 2 : April 2013 of man is not measured by This month in U.S. material computation. When great forces are on the move Third Army History in the world, we learn we are April is the observance spirits not animals. He also of the Holocaust. Did you said there is something going know that in April of 1945 on in time and space, which the Third Army made whether we like it or not, spells duty. it’s way into Austria and When the Third Army and by early May they came its allies liberated the concen- upon one of the most atro- tration camps in World War II, cious sites of World War the world’s eyes were opened II, a the Mauthausen con- Charles A. Holliday, Sr. and it came to a vivid realiza- centration camp. Command Sergeant Major Area Support Group - Qatar tion that evil does exist in this The U.S. military had world. We make a choice of reduced the German for- whether or not to acknowl- tifications by the end of The Holocaust theme this edge it. Auschwitz, Buchen- January 1945. This made year is “Never again: Heed- wald, Dachau bring horrific the process of closing up ing the Warning Signs.” As images to mind…what about the Rhine possible. a U.S. Soldier, it is my duty the Armenians who suffered Some vicious fighting to help prevent, deter and re- before this time and the Cam- spond to threats of genocide bodians which followed it? took place, but by April and mass atrocities around the The lessons of the Holo- there was but one great world. It is our duty to heed caust must never be forgotten. natural barrier between the warning signs and work to It is vital to learn from the les- Third Army and the heart eradicate this horror in today’s sons of the past, so that we of Germany, the Rhine world. may be prepared to act sooner River. However, unlike in Why must we stay diligent and more effectively in the fu- 1918, the crossing of the and fight the fight? Because ture. In doing so, we honor river would be opposed. history has taught us that the the memory of past victims. In the end, the bridge- greater risk lies in looking the Those who died while fight- head was won, and the other way. ing the fight to stop the ad- Third Army embarked on We must have the courage vance of the Nazis, did not die another great eastward to say that we will not pay the in vain. It is time to wake up dash. price for peace by turning a and heed the warning signs. blind eye. It is time to draw There are no excuses. We are It reached Austria and a line in the sand and ensure all accountable and it is our in May liberated the Mau- that it is not crossed. Winston duty to enforce the “Never thausen-Gusen concentra- Churchill said that the destiny Again.” tion camps complex. Desert Mesh : 3 : April 2013 Team USA leave their mark at Qatar’s Commander-General Shooting Competition By Mrs. Polli Ogilvie ASG-QA, Public Affairs Coordinator DOHA, Qatar - The U.S. Marks- manship Team bring home the bronze in the rifle challenge at the 2013 Qatar Commander-General Shooting Competition held 14-18 March at the Lusail International Shooting Complex in Doha.