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Holocaust rememberance service honors those who stand against hate

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Adawn Kelsey
  • 82nd Trainin Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Sheppard AFB members paid their respects to the people who lost their lives during the Holocaust and honored those who took a stand up to end the hate predjudice and intolerance in a remembrance ceremony April 28, at Sheppard AFB, Texas. 

The theme of this year's service was "Upstander."

Brig. Gen. O.G. Mannon, 82nd Training Wing commander, shared how it is hard for him to imagine, or even understand, the despair and dark times brought to victims of the Holocaust and that 11.7 million people were killed in just one year.

"These people attempted to destroy the history of another culture, the education, the music and the art of those people because it was different from what they believed," the general said.
The general said it is evil, power, money and beliefs that cause loss of freedoms.

"We learn by good men standing up to evil and that is what you represent today," General Mannon said. "We are reminded of the sacrifices of those people, and their hope for the people for the future, where they have turned, where they have risen from the ashes, they came back and established our country."

The guest speaker at the service, Paul Kessler, Dallas Holocaust Museum, said all Jews were targets but not all targets were Jews during the Holocaust, gypsies, homosexuals and intellectuals were also persecuted and killed.

"The Holocaust was not just about the Jews, it was about humanity," Mr. Kessler said. "Society went wrong. The victims were ordinary people, and so were the perpetrators. What is really important is the reason, and the lessons that we try to gain from the Holocaust and events that happened."

Mr. Kessler said although he knew everyone in the room was an upstander, he wanted to quote Martin Niemöller, who gave the best description of what happens when people will not take action and will not speak out.

"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist," he said. "Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me."

Mr. Kessler said it became very apparent to him that change begins with the knowledge that is passed down to children. He spoke at a school and received a letter from one of the teachers.

"She said to raise awareness is to save ourselves and our children from the past," Mr. Kessler said. "As survivors we don't want our past to be your future. It's our obligation to instill this into our future generations what hatred, intolerance and prejudice can do when they are allowed to flourish."

Mr. Kessler spoke about his heroes from his past. He said the German troops were living in the house where he was hidden. The troops would come and go as they pleased from houses in the village, eat the villagers' food and, if they didn't get what they wanted, they would kill people on the spot.

"The peasants that risked their own lives to rescue a human being they hardly knew were my heroes," said Mr. Kessler. "If we were found, we would all be shot as a warning for the others to not shelter Jews. Today I have to ask myself if I would do the same. I am not sure, I don't know if I would have that courage or bravery."