Freedom and Peace

What have I learned through this exciting, but emotional journey through my parents’ World War II experiences? First of all, miracles seemed to have appeared around every corner. Wandering through my father’s papers has brought continued surprises and a deeper understanding of what my parents went through. They endured so that we can have freedom today.

During this adventure, I learned of Linda Kolb Lesniewski (whom we met at Red’s funeral). Her father, Marcus Kolb, had been in the same barracks as Red McCrocklin. He had not been wounded in the war, but suffered afterward just the same with alcoholism. He said after every mission, the Army Air Corps encouraged them to get drunk so they would forget. So she grew up knowing a sad side of her father. After he passed away, Linda was able to connect with Red and learn more about what kind of man her father really was. Red told her that he was a good soldier and helped keep morale up when times were bad.

In 1998, Linda visited Barth, Germany. She went to the museum and learned it was closed, but she was able to get Helga’s contact information. Linda put Red in contact with Helga and through this, Grete Koch was able to connect with Red. We are grateful to Linda for these connections that later greatly enriched our visit to Barth.

Here are some of her comments (which she posted online) upon her return from Barth:

“I marveled at the turn of exhilaration as I reflected on the experience of the village, idyllic; the sky blue; the breeze; the birds, at their best; the Baltic, calm; the forest, lush. How could the area be so inviting? My black and white mental images encased themselves with cement, barbed wire and bleakness. I felt confusion of changing mental images coupled with the conflicting emotions of exhilaration  and exhaustion.

“Three months have passed. I’ve purposely delayed putting my thoughts and experiences on paper. I also waited to see the recently released Spielberg movie, 'Saving Private Ryan,' a graphic depiction of the invasion of France during WWII. I wanted the horror and desolation of lives to be fresh on my heart as I wrote. . .

“Even though my nose was stuffed and my eyes washed with tears, my conclusion remained unchanged. The Lord had transposed my response from anguish and remorse over Dad’s imprisonment to one of 'Thanksgiving.' I see the period of imprisonment as part of God’s provision and care. I was moved beyond the fear, despair, hunger, loneliness and uncertainty of the camp to see a type of crude oasis. I could see that God rescued Dad from flak-filled skies and deposited him in a remote northern area – a reprieve with a chapel, a library, and a potbellied stove. Through the barbed wire, he viewed the church’s steeple to the southeast, the blue Baltic to the northeast and the Black Forest to the northwest.”

I too believe that my father’s imprisonment protected him from harm till the end of the war.

I’d like to conclude with another part of the December 30, 1944 letter Captain George S. Wuchinich (who was the liaison between the Office of Strategic Services [OSS - the precursor to the CIA] and the Yugoslav Partisans) wrote to Palmer Lerum’s mother after he passed away:

“Whatever I say or whatever I do will not soften the loss that is yours. Over there we fight even though some of us must die because we have seen and know what our fate and that of our country if those devils could win. They are without heart or kindness. All of us want to live and fight, but death is better than slavery. We were born free me and we want to live that way and fight that way. We want to make our country a better place in which to live and to help make it a better world in which there are men as free as ourselves. We are winning and let us hope that we can fashion a peace that will be worldwide and one that will keep faith and trust with the dead of whom Palmer is now a representative.”

Our father survived a horrendous war, but we enjoy freedom because of him and many others like him. And all of our family are here today because of his courage -- as well many miracles. I often think of April 2, 1944 and his jumping out of that burning plane. Always be grateful for our freedom and, in the midst of these perilous times, never stop hoping for peace in the world