A WWII Russian prisoner of war remember the Americans who helped him survive

he said simply with you buddy me primary college kid over to you no he said he had a story to tell Bullock's Cazale a story he had two gentlemen miss tapa I was in Moscow last junit of the Reagan Gorbachev summit meeting he was a Stuckey little Bulldog of a man a Russian who barged into our hotel demanding to see an American reporter I I agreed to meet him in a park maybe he arrived wearing old medals and touching an old shopping bag yeah not yet lady we do most open yet my name he said is dr. Nikita's a Kirov it to save siggy at the hole that I was a dentist in the army in World War two Nash him Ruskin Union no the medal on his right lapel is for being wounded in something yeah the scar over his right eye he said was a little memory from the Gestapo okay wish him teach no we were all prisoners of the Germans he said it's a big concentration camp on the Oder River and he comes gear there were 8,000 American soldiers there he captured it to Brook in North Africa tobu Kia dogs replica the camp was laid out this way do it get stopped by the Gestapo barracks was here Oh what did that American the Americans were here no dad Lili Russians Americans a foolish Ally each of the Americans received every Friday 5 kilos of food from the Red Cross but the Germans gave us only one liter of kind of soup per day and one liter of water he should be Tutsi cheese mejor that we were dying by the tenth season by the hundreds the Americans could see this devavrata bull cheek I was the only dentist in the camp so I can sometimes talk to the Americans two American brothers volchok michael volchok a sergeant and his brother Peter came to me and suggested a plot by which the Americans would smuggle food to us by what method did the Americans deliver these parcels to the Russians well I have many cousins keep he got night making after the century past they would throw them over the wire it was only 8 Peter Nahum those American boys were strong they could do a 100 meters was it dangerous for the Americans to do what they did crying yes of course they would have killed Abu Ali playing executing people for less poor video ski convincing you took when the plot was discovered they called me only thousand Americans out in the hot Sun before Gestapo men went down the line demanding to know the name of the Russia who organized the plot did we even for three hours they stood there they stood in absolute silence together you see I'm usually when you know not one American betrayed pinkest cutter now because of you guys if they're alive they'll know I remember this dentist whom they loved and whom they did not betray anybody else the riches he took an oath dr. assay have said that after the war he would find a way to thank those Americans she did Teddy Sheila vehicle I mean I got good of men they were devout Siemens he gave us a list of the names he remembered Lloyd he how when we returned to the United States we now had some of the people on that list dr. Brockman people dr. Sidney Brockman is retired from his job at the health department in San Antonio Texas we asked him about his relationship with dr. Isaiah in the prison camp it was a very close relationship uh we all had a tremendous respect for the man because we knew that the Russian prisoners were having things might erupt yeah you're my new yorker William jurema is a retired New York City police detective living now in Ontario he helped smuggle the food it was a terrific operation terrific they threw a few cigarettes to the God that God walked one way while you were bribing the other way Angelo Spinelli was in that camp incredibly he smuggled in a camera and took pictures there without agenda Uniflow spectres of the Russian prisoners turned out for roll call they were all stopping all of them most of them when the Russian prisoners would die in their barracks their comrades would not report their death to the Germans they would bring them out and stand them up for overhaul so that their bodies would be counted in the count for rations one of the pictures Spinelli made was of a Russian prisoner who tried to pick up a cigarette Americans had thrown to him and was shot to death by a guard in such a deadly place as Stalag 3b why did the Americans take dangerous chances night after night to smuggle food to doctoral Sayyaf the question asked all these years later released a flow of memory and emotion he was an ally so naturally we wanted to help him and the other records we actually were repaid many times by having that feeling of self satisfaction knowing that you helped someone but it was a need it's too bad we don't have more of that in the world today Neely we on that park bench in Moscow an old soldier opened a package of memoirs oh these are my darling she said these are my treasures well you hope what you among his treasures was a metal cigarette case inscribed from the American dr. Brockman to the Russian doctor assay if there's anything usual but it's in there he didn't have anything else to give me a prisoner is a prisoner in Far Away San Antonio Texas dr. Sidney Brockman found something he too has kept all these years we've given to me by dr. SAF it is a cigarette box and inside this little plaque which says signe Brockman from NS SAF I have not believed in being a professional prisoner it's over it's done with I want to forget it if I can but I can't can you please ring for me a number in North craft after 43 years to old comrades in arms were united by telephone yeah William Gemma I had written to heaven shortly after the war and 45 when I got home and my letter came back so I had assumed that he had perished yeah William William William dr. SAF said William write to me ha ha well yes write to me he said and I will respond to you with all my heart yeah this is one it's a different type of weeping it's a fact it's one of joy and happiness I thought he had been dead last month William Jarama went to the Soviet Union to find an old friend and found him and dr. recep's vow that someday he would find a way to say thank you to those Americans his promise to himself of 43 years ago was finally kept I saw blast in 1945 and Lucan wall I should say I can discuss outright or what the room scooping place according to heavily my group say that several hundreds of Russians chase I mean later on they see at least be shocked by tip draw it actually about eight of us that the operation now will supply a food to them input the less that knew about it the better off we were because it all happened a long time ago they were young men thrown together by circumstance a Russian army dentist and a handful of American GIs who risked their lives to save his he wanted them to know he remembers they remember too that one boom yes I appreciate his remembering me I have never forgotten him I will never forget him what more can I say

Channel: Mike Gardner

Views: 2,043,862

Rating: 4.9627266 out of 5

Keywords: Russian, American, Nazis, World, War, Two, camps, prisoners, of, war

Id: oGwZ0pakhHE

Length: 9min 58sec (598 seconds)

Published: Sat Jan 15 2011

Reddit Comments

[u/dreggonshirt]

You can read the full story here, the video left out one part I found very powerful. There was a German guard who discovered the plot early on, but turned a blind eye to it. When the plot was discovered he was immediately executed. The dentist wrote a letter to the guard's family after the war and they sent back a portrait of the guard. The dentist gave the portrait to the journalist so he could report to Americans that "Corporal Alfred Jung was an exceptional member of the human race".

He was a soldier of the Wehrmacht, but he did not like seeing enemy soldiers starve. After the war, I wrote to his family and they sent me this portrait of him.” He handed the photograph to me. “I had a copy made yesterday,” Dr. Aseyev said. “It is for you to take home to America. With perfect assurance you may tell people that Corporal Alfred Jung was an exceptional member of the human race.” “What happened to him?” I asked, looking at the unfocused image of a young man in a German Army uniform. “The day the plot was finally discovered,” Dr. Aseyev said, “they took him out and guillotined him.”

[u/Bobibouche]

That is worth the ten minutes.

[u/Baconater-]

I'm going to show this to whoever I can. Thank you

[u/dingos8mybaby2]

If you know a WW2 vet that is willing to tell their story, please record it and post it on youtube. Within the next decade all of these people and their untold stories will be gone.

[u/Shalando]

Real life is so much more interesting than any book, the stories that we will never know because they remain untold. Very strong video.

[u/prometheus2508]

This should be required viewing material for all humans

[u/Cecilb666]

Thank you

[u/Ktmouse]

The American government and the Russian government are enemies. The people are not. We remember our shared history, and so do they.

[u/Jiimmayx]

There’s few things in life that bring tears to my eyes. when I watch videos like these, even silly blockbuster war movies I don’t know why but I’m able to tune into that part of me that feels nothing but gratitude and sadness. It always gets to me and for that, (and their sacrifice) I’ll be forever grateful.