The Horse Adjutant

Krankenschwester (Nurse) Armband

es over his body. We did not talk. Both of us were just trying to survive. Upon libera- tion, we went in different directions. By the time of our rescue, my body weight was only eighty pounds. Being six feet tall, I was dangerously thin. Yet, in spite of everything I had been through, including the infection in my neck, the loss of family and friends, and the subsequent long-term nerve damage by what my mind was subjected to for a sustained period of abuse and depravity by the Nazis over the past few years, I was in relatively good shape, at least compared with the others. Most of them were in bed and needed attention. I could not do much to help them. Feebly, I did try to help a few, but the little I could do was offer kindness and a bowl of melted snow. Our only collective hope was the sounds of the battle all around us, both day and night. During those cold, beautiful nights right before the liberation, I saw the skies light up, not with twinkling stars or lightning, but with the sparks and sounds of battle. Anticipating freedom, I closed my eyes and dreamed of better days. By doing this, I also removed doubt and negative feelings from my future. Over the years, after my liberation, I would come to realize small things, a few extra calories, a positive attitude, luck... these were the marks of survivors. Finally, after twelve days of fasting, on January 27th, 1945, the liberation of Buna came to our front door; it was in the form of a full Russian attack. I remember it clearly. It was a very cold, beautifully sunny day. White snow was everywhere. The temperature was minus 20. It was well below freezing. Some light snow was falling. The attack was being held back by whatever meager resistance the nasty old SS guards could muster; it wasn’t much. You could hear the attacks get louder as the Russians approached us. The camp was in a low part of the valley, I looked up into the hills for a glimpse of

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