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International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Austin Tang — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 19:37:16 +0000

Liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp by the Red Army, January 1945.

The International Holocaust Remembrance Day, or the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, is an international memorial day on 27 January that commemorates the victims of the Holocaust, which resulted in the genocide of one-third of the Jewish people along with countless numbers of individuals of other minority groups, by Nazi Germany between 1933 and 1945: an attempt to implement its “Final Solution” to the Jewish question. The choice of 27 January for the annual commemoration aligns with the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp by the Red Army in 1945.

The day commemorates the systematic extermination of 6 million Jews, representing two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population, alongside the deaths of millions of others perpetrated by the Nazi regime and its collaborators.^[1]^[2] It was designated by United Nations General Assembly resolution 60/7 on 1 November 2005.^[3] The resolution was developed following a special session convened on 24 January of that year to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps and the conclusion of the Holocaust.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]

Many countries have instituted their own Holocaust memorial days. Many, such as the United Kingdom’s Holocaust Memorial Day, also fall on 27 January; others, such as Yom HaShoah (27 Nisan on the Hebrew calendar), the commemoration day observed by the State of Israel and much of the broader Jewish community, are observed at other times of the year.

The General Assembly Resolution 60/7

Resolution 60/7, adopted by the General Assembly on 1 November 2005, established 27 January as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The resolution urges every member nation of the UN to honor the memory of Holocaust victims, six million Jews, “one third of the Jewish people, along with countless members of other minorities,” and encourages the development of educational programs about Holocaust history to help prevent future acts of genocide. It rejects any denial of the Holocaust as an event and condemns all manifestations of religious intolerance, incitement, harassment or violence against persons or communities based on ethnic origin or religious belief. It also calls for actively preserving the Holocaust sites that served as Nazi death camps, concentration camps, forced labor camps and prisons, as well as for establishing a UN programme of outreach and mobilization of society for Holocaust remembrance and education.^[3]

Resolution 60/7 and the International Holocaust Day was an initiative of the State of Israel. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel, Silvan Shalom, was the head of the delegation of Israel to the United Nations.^[8]

The essence of the text lies in its twofold approach: one that deals with the memory and remembrance of those who were massacred during the Holocaust and the other with educating future generations of its horrors.

The International Day in memory of the victims of the Holocaust is thus a day on which we must reassert our commitment to human rights. […]
We must also go beyond remembrance, and make sure that new generations know this history. We must apply the lessons of the Holocaust to today’s world. And we must do our utmost so that all peoples may enjoy the protection and rights for which the United Nations stands.

— Message by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for the second observance of the Holocaust Victims Memorial Day on 19 January 2008^[9]

Commemorations at the United Nations

In 2006, 2007, and 2008, Holocaust Remembrance Weeks were organized by The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme. The programme is part of the Outreach Division of the United Nations Department of Public Information and was established under General Assembly resolution 60/7.

In 2006

On 24 January, the United Nations Headquarters launched Holocaust Remembrance Week with the exhibit “No Child’s Play – Remembrance and Beyond.” Created by Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, the exhibit focused on children during the Holocaust. It showcased toys, games, artwork, diaries, and poems to tell their stories and highlight their struggle for survival amid the horrors of that time. On 25 January, the screening of the movie Fateless by Lajos Koltai took place in the Dag Hammarskjöld Auditorium.^{[citation needed]}

On 27 January, the United Nations Department of Public Information held the first universal observance of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day at United Nations Headquarters. In the General Assembly Hall, a memorial ceremony and lecture were held under the theme “Remembrance and Beyond”. It featured welcoming remarks by former Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information Shashi Tharoor; a videotaped message by former Secretary-General Kofi Annan; statements by the permanent representatives of Israel and Brazil to the UN, Holocaust survivor, historian, and author Gerda Weissmann Klein, and the Gerda and Kurt Klein Foundation; narration of photographs of Holocaust victims memorialized on “Pages of Testimony” in the Hall of Names at Yad Vashem;^[10] as well as a performance by the Zamir Chorale of Boston; and a lecture by Yehuda Bauer, an academic advisor to Yad Vashem and the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research.^[11]^[12]

In 2007

On 29 January, the second annual observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust was held in the General Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters.^[13]

Shasta Tharp, former Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, introduced a programme that began with a video message from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Statements were then made by Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, president of the sixty-first session of the General Assembly, and Ambassador Dan Gillerman, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations.^[14] The keynote “Remembrance and Beyond” address was given by Madame Simone Veil, a Holocaust survivor, president of the Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah and a member of the Constitutional Council of France.

The observance focused on the importance of infusing today’s youth with the lessons of the Holocaust so that future generations may work to prevent hatred, bigotry, racism, and prejudice. Marie Noel, a College of Saint Elizabeth student, shared her experiences visiting former concentration camps in Poland.

The memorial ceremony also focused on the disabled community as one of the many victim groups of the Nazi regime. Thomas Schindlmayr of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs highlighted the importance of education in promoting tolerance and ending discrimination against all minorities, particularly in light of the adoption by the General Assembly on 13 December 2006 of the landmark Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

A musical performance was also given by HaZamir: The International Jewish High School Chamber Choir, a project of the Zamir Choral Foundation founded and directed by Matthew Lazar. Netanel Hershtik, cantor of the Hampton Synagogue, recited the Kaddish.

During the observance the United Nations Department of Public Information also launched a new website and resource for United Nations member states, educators and non-governmental organizations entitled “Electronic Notes for Speakers” developed for the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme by Yad Vashem – the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes Remembrance Authority, Jerusalem, and the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education and the Mémorial de la Shoah in Paris.^[15] The electronic notes provide survivor testimony and information materials that will equip speakers with the tools needed to conduct briefings on the Holocaust and lessons to be learned from it.

The United Nations bookstore made available ten volumes of autobiographical accounts of Holocaust survivors published jointly by The Holocaust Survivors’ Memoirs Project and Yad Vashem – the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes Remembrance Authority. An initiative of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel, the Holocaust Survivors’ Memoirs Project has collected over 900 manuscripts. Its mission is to provide both the victims and the survivors of the Holocaust with the dignity of a permanent historical presence, not as impersonal statistics but as individuals with names, voices, and emotions. The United Nations bookstore also had a discussion by Daniel Mendelsohn about his book The Lost: A Search for Six of the Six Million.

The Department of Public Information also marked Holocaust Remembrance Week with two exhibits in the United Nations visitors’ lobby. The first, entitled “The Holocaust against the Sinti and Roma and Present Day Racism in Europe”, focused on the experience of the Roma and Sinti during the Holocaust. The second exhibit featured artwork created by Holocaust survivors, exploring the meaning and understanding of the Holocaust.^[16]

On 31 January, a special screening of Volevo solo Vivere (I Only Wanted to Live), directed by Mimmo Calopresti, took place. The film tells the moving story of nine Italian survivors of Auschwitz. The following day, Nazvy svoie im’ia (Spell Your Name), directed by Serhiy Bukovsky, was also screened. The film, about the Holocaust in Ukraine, tells the story of local people who escaped brutal execution and those who rescued friends and neighbours during the Holocaust. Both films, produced by the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education, were shown in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium. On 2 February, the third discussion paper in the Holocaust and Genocide series was published about Hitler, Pol Pot and Hutu Power.^[17]

In 2008

Throughout the week of 28 January 2008, the United Nations Department of Public Information organized a number of events around the world to remember the victims of the Holocaust and underscore the value of human life.^[18] The 2008 observance focused on the need to ensure the protection of human rights for all. It coincided with the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Holocaust Remembrance Day began with the joint launch of a new United Nations Holocaust Remembrance postage stamp issued simultaneously, for the first time, with a national stamp by the Israel Postal Company.^[19] The two stamps bear the same design.

On 28 January 2008, at United Nations Headquarters in New York, the daughter of United States Congressman Tom Lantos, himself a Holocaust survivor, delivered a keynote address, “Civic Responsibility and the Preservation of Democratic Values,” at the memorial ceremony and concert held in the General Assembly Hall.

Other speakers included Srgjan Kerim (Macedonia), president of the sixty-second session of the General Assembly, Ambassador Dan Gillerman, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations, and Kiyo Akasaka, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information.^[18]

The ceremony also featured a concert with the Tel Aviv University Buchmann-Mehta School of Music symphony orchestra in cooperation with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by maestro Zubin Mehta.^[20]

On 30 January 2008, the first permanent exhibit on the Holocaust and the United Nations was unveiled. Produced by the Holocaust and United Nations Outreach Programme, it presents an overview of the Holocaust in the context of World War II and the founding of the United Nations. It is seen by the 400,000 visitors who visit the United Nations Headquarters annually. In preparation for the exhibit opening, Elizabeth Edelstein, Director of Education for the Museum of Jewish Heritage, briefed the United Nations tour guides on the history of the Holocaust to further their understanding of this watershed event.

Around the world United Nations offices organized events to mark the Day of Commemoration. In Brazil, an observance was held on 25 January with the president of the country, Jose Inacio Lula da Silva, and the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, César Maia. In Madagascar, a permanent exhibit on the Holocaust was unveiled at the United Nations Information Centre.

The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme also coordinated a video conference for students with the United Nations information centres in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Lomé, Togo, and educators at the Mémorial de la Shoah in Paris. At the United Nations office in Ukraine, a round-table discussion was organized in partnership with the Ministry of Education and the Ukrainian Holocaust Study Centre. In Tokyo on 29 January, an educational workshop targeting young students focused on the links between the Holocaust and human rights issues.

Also, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum provided information material in English and Spanish to a number of United Nations information centers for use in their reference libraries.

To help carry out its educational mission, the Department of Public Information participated in a panel discussion with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in the afternoon of 28 January to highlight the importance of Holocaust education, organized by B’nai B’rith International.

A second exhibit, “Carl Lutz and the Legendary Glass House in Budapest”, was co-sponsored by the Carl Lutz Foundation and the Permanent Missions of Switzerland and Hungary. Carl Lutz, the Swiss Vice-Consul in Budapest, had issued certificates of emigration to place tens of thousands of Jews under Swiss protection.^[18]

In 2019

In January 2019, the Albanian Ambassador to the UN, Besiana Kadare, on behalf of Albania co-hosted together with the World Jewish Congress and the United Nations Department of Global Communications an event on the theme “A story of humanity: the rescue of Jews in Albania”.^[21] Kadare delivered remarks at the United Nations at a briefing entitled “Holocaust Remembrance: Demand and Defend your Human Rights”, marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day and reflecting on the genocide of six million European Jews during World War Two, and the little-known record of Albanians during the Holocaust in Albania, which took in thousands of Jews who would otherwise have ended up in the Nazi death camps.^[22]^[23]

In 2020

In January 2020, Chelsea FC unveiled a mural by Solomon Souza on an outside wall of the West Stand at Stamford Bridge stadium to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day. The mural is part of Chelsea’s ‘Say No to Antisemitism’ campaign funded by club owner Roman Abramovich. Included on the mural are depictions of footballers Julius Hirsch and Árpád Weisz, who were killed at Auschwitz concentration camp, and Ron Jones, a British prisoner of war known as the ‘Goalkeeper of Auschwitz’.^[24]

Commemorations outside the United Nations

Commemorations are held at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC,^[25] and at Yad Vashem, in Jerusalem.^[26]

In Austria, commemorations of the Remembrance Day are held at the Heldenplatz in Vienna since 2012. The broad platform Jetzt Zeichen setzen! calls for participation of the civil society. Speakers include survivors of the Holocaust, antifascist activists and politicians hailing from parties throughout the political spectrum.

In Israel on International Holocaust Remembrance Day government officials, diplomats and ambassadors visit Yad Vashem^[27] and there are ceremonies throughout the country. Every year the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs presents an assessment of the state of global antisemitism at a cabinet meeting.^[28] The report reviews the main trends and incidents of the last year, in terms of antisemitism and combating antisemitism.

Israel’s main national Holocaust memorial day however, known as Yom HaShoah, is on the 27th day of the Hebrew calendar month of Nisan.

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ON BURNING GROUND : A SON MEMOIR’S – STRANGER-THAN-FICTION WAR THRILLER by MICHAEL SKAKUN

Austin Tang — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 14:57:12 +0000

Listen to “ON BURNING GROUND : A SON MEMOIR’S – STRANGER-THAN-FICTION WAR THRILLER” on Spreaker.

Listen to “What Does Peace Mean to Michael Skakun?” on Spreaker.

“On Burning Ground: A Son’s Memoir” (St. Martin’s Press/Macmillan) is a true narrative of radical masquerade: the story of how at the height of World War II a fair-haired rabbinical student assumed the identities of a Catholic and, more strategically, of a Muslim, to survive racial genocide. In effect, it is a journey to the end of night capturing the visceral danger and spiraling suspense of a young man alone in the world, bereft of any structure of support, outwitting his destiny.

This is a tale of a wartime chameleon, a man of multiple masks, who survived by ingenuity, daring, and deft maneuver. In a desperate gamble at life, a parochial student at one of Poland’s pre-eminent rabbinical academies used his many false “selves”–especially his assumed Muslim identity, which gave him cover for his circumcision–to fake his way into the belly of the beast, the dreaded Waffen-SS, the inner core of the Nazi killing machine, in order to survive certain death.

A story of total and terrifying self-reinvention, it demonstrates the multiple arts of passing: psychological daring, sartorial strategy (he had to look the part) and linguistic mastery (he had to sound the part) to stay alive. By necessity, it touches upon such issues as existential choice and dread, moral anguish and ambiguity, as well as the ever-tormenting question of means and ends, questions to animate intense educational, psychological and ethical discussion. After the war, Joseph Skakun returned to Judaism in a fog of anguish in Paris and then in New York, where he lived amid a supernova of memory and penance. Michael Skakun become his witness as his father recounted his death-defying story to him. See (www.onburningground.com)

On Burning Ground – A Son’s Memoir

#onburningground #sonsmemoir #truestory #michaelskakun #catholic #muslim #genocide #danger #support #nazi #josephskakun #judaism #education #ethical #memory #witness #father

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Loved the golden words of a 99 yr old happy man, a holocaust survivor. His mantra is so valuable.

Austin Tang — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 14:57:33 +0000

Listen to “Loved the golden words of a 99 yr old happy man, a holocaust survivor. His mantra is so valuable.” on Spreaker.

The International Holocaust Remembrance Day, or the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, is an international memorial day on 27 January that commemorates the victims of the Holocaust, which resulted in the murder of one third of the Jewish people, along with countless members of other minorities between 1933 and 1945 by Nazi Germany, an attempt to implement their “final solution” to the Jewish question. 27 January was chosen to commemorate the date when the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated by the Red Army in 1945.

https://ushmm.org/

#holocaust #holocaustsurvivor #mantra #valuable #memory #victims #murder #jewish #nazi #1933 #1945 #germany #auschwitz #camp #redarmy #army #liberated

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DEATH METAL GRANDMA – An unconventional call for social justice, WATCH THIS VIDEO PLEASE

Austin Tang — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 13:57:19 +0000

Listen to “DEATH METAL GRANDMA – An unconventional call for social justice…” on Spreaker.

Note: There is some Spanish speaking to start video, but quickly turns to English

United Voices 4 Peace,
Veronica Sabbag, Founder & Chair submitted this story. They launched their first virtual event and digital program in December 2020, during the Covid Pandemic.

The program consisted of a series of documentary screenings, concerts and interviews aimed to address the current systemic social inequalities, with a special focus on gender, age and religion-based discrimination.

It also adressed the topic of the Holocaust and the fight against antisemitism, echoing the voice of a funny, endearing and engaging protagonist, Inge Ginsberg.

Inge, Holocaust survivor, whose life story is detailed in a short documentary film created by Leah Galant for nytimes, https://youtu.be/mQZ_7C2oaLM , found an unlikely avenue to raise her voice through heavy metal music in her 90’s – against all odds – in a way that allowed engagement of younger generations.

She was able to flee Austria and survive life in a refugee camp in Switzerland. After the war, she moved to Hollywood, California and built a new life as a composer for Nat King Cole, Doris Day and others.

In an assertion of her presence on earth, she started a heavy metal band at the age of 93. Inge & the TritoneKings, had major TV appearances, made the front page in newspapers across the globe. She caught the eye and ear of the metal world after her appearance on Switzerland’s Got Talent and in the Eurovision Song Contest.

The first documentary screening and live concert of this series was streamed from Barcelona on December 17th, in partnership with Manhattan Camerata, Amics UNESCO Bcn, Mozaika BCN & LICRA. This first event featured the “Death Metal Grandma” documentary, followed by a live concert performed by her versatil band. Coinciding with Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, it brought an impactful message of peace, hope, union and inclusiveness, creating a fertile ground for social change. Watch here: https://www.facebook.com/UV4Peace/videos/298226618274630/

Once more, the metal world was captivated by her journey. Read https://www.themetalcircus.com/reportajes/death-metal-grandma-inge-ginsberg/

The event was preceded by a pre-screening session at Amics de la Unesco also in Barcelona : https://youtu.be/pMON-7fkvK8

This never before disclosed video, showcasing the 99 years old DMG was recorded in May 2021, on the occasion of UV4PEACE Founder & Chair, Veronica Sabbag’s visit to a care home in Zurich.

It served as the basis of a later Zoom virtual session on June 5th, in the context of “the Voice of the Silence” – Samantha Rodriguez and “Diario Judio de Mexico” – Isaac Ajzen, missions to raise awareness on the Holocaust. https://www.facebook.com/thevoiceofthesilenceproject/videos/870387663576049/

Veronica promised Inge she will visit her as soon as the Covid pandemic restrictions would be lifted. This visit and interview was an attempt to immortilize her legacy. At the end her visit Inge promised to visit Veronica in Barcelona. She passed a month later.

A new documentary screening took place in New York, on January 27th at the Anita Shapolsky Gallery in Soho. Inge, would have been 100 years on that date, coinciding with the Holocaust Remembrance Day.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CZRJUXelU4a/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZiliaVODQA/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

To honor her memory and continue her legacy, UV4PEACE dropped on that occasion a 5-piece “Death Metal Grandma NFT Collection” in OpenSea : https://opensea.io/collection/deathmetalgrandma, in partnership with Tritoneking & ManhattanCamerata.

“The Nazis said that their Third Reich would last 1000 years. It didn’t. But Inge lived to 99. Now she will live forever in the blockchain. There is no tribute more fitting for such an inspiring and modern woman. It’s poetic justice”.

HELP US to further develop our program in other locations by donating thought our website : www.uv4peace.org.

#ingeginsberg #heavymetalgrandma #austria #nazi #deanmartin #covid #holocaust #hanukkah #switzerlandsgottalent #singer #songcontest #voiceofthesilent #metalgrandma

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Rita Cosby – Emmy Winning Broadcaster shares her love for her Dad in her book.

editor — Tue, 16 Jan 2018 17:21:16 +0000

TV Host, veteran correspondent

A Hero’s Farewell and a Daughter’s Undying Love

Veterans Day , WWII Veterans , World War II , World War II Veterans , Poland World War II , War Veterans , Wwii , Impact News

I haven’t been able to write about my father’s passing until now, as it’s been such a gut-wrenching personal loss for me and for his beloved homeland. But I felt on this Veterans Day weekend it was important to honor my dad, as his sheer survival exemplifies what it truly means to be an American and reveals the unwavering determination the human spirit has to prevail in the most dire of circumstances.

As the embassy dignitaries solemnly approached me to officially present my father’s medal, my eyes immediately filled with tears. They caringly placed one of his country’s highest honors, a beautiful gold Maltese Cross enameled in white, into the palm of my shaking hand. It was a profound and overwhelming moment that was — literally — decades in the making.

I slowly walked over to my father’s oak casket and gently placed the medal onto the flag that draped his coffin and likewise commemorated his courage, my hand lingering a moment as if to touch his heart one last time. The color guard raised their sabers in a dramatic salute as a sign of respect for the historic moment: My father had finally earned the recognition he deserved for the heroism he had exemplified almost seventy years earlier when he had nearly died fighting for the freedom of his country.

The long journey to this moment had begun when my father had desperately crawled through the dark and corpse-filled sewers of Warsaw, and had continued in a brutal Nazi POW camp, where my father, Ryszard Kossobudzki, sold the suit off his back for a loaf of bread.

At just thirteen years of age, he saw the German planes invade and decimate his country in September of 1939. Life changed forever in Poland, but my father’s steadfast patriotism did not. Although he was offered a chance to sneak out across the border after the fighting began, he did not leave. Instead, he voluntarily chose to stay and fight in the Warsaw Uprising of World War II, knowing the heavy odds were that he would die for his country. More than eighty percent of his citizen unit, virtually unarmed soldiers, did.

Young Kossobudzki was known by his comrades only by a code name which, when translated, meant “Mountain Lion.” He had chosen that name to remind himself that he had to run fast and sneak by the Nazis. And, like a cat, he had many lives, narrowly cheating death over and over. He was shot at, torn up by grenade shrapnel, and chased by a dive bomber which obliterated the building he ran to. But eventually he was seriously injured by a mortar shell that killed his comrade who was standing just a few feet away. When he left Warsaw in October 1944, the once vibrant city was smoldering rubble, by some estimates, a staggering eighty-five percent destroyed.

The young freedom fighter was held at gunpoint by the Nazis as they threw his near lifeless and bloodstained body onto a boxcar headed toward a German POW camp. As every bump of the steam locomotive made him wince in pain, all that mattered to this stalwart resistance warrior was to make sure he and his buddies made it through the next hour or day. Amazingly, it was around this time that he was nominated by his Commander for the esteemed Fighter’s Cross, the equivalent of the American Silver Star (something I discovered just a few years ago while researching and writing Quiet Hero, the bestselling book about my father). Ultimately, a daring escape from the POW camp led him to the safety of U.S. troops, who met my father — now weighing a mere ninety pounds on his six foot frame — with cheers and hugs on a small German riverbed. It was young American GIs who saved my father and told him he was finally free.

My dad faced his final battle in life with the same courage, grace, and dignity that he had displayed as a teen. When he shared with me recently that he had cancer, my heart broke. Hearing the fear and pain in my voice, he said to me, “Don’t worry — in the Uprising, five German units couldn’t get me, I’ll fight this with everything I have, too.” And he did.

He had choked up when I told him the Polish Consulate had learned, through documents that were hidden during the war, that he had been nominated in 1944 for the prestigious Fighter’s Cross. He humbly said all he cared about at the time was “not to have a wooden cross,” meaning killed in battle. Like so many veterans, he didn’t seek awards or accolades, he only cared about protecting his country and survival. Despite his incredible humility, I privately began diligently working on getting him the acknowledgements he greatly deserved. I felt it would not only recognize my father, but all of the unsung heroes of WWII.

Knowing time was of the essence, I remained determined and made a trip to Poland to press forward on this important process for my dad. Appropriately, on Memorial Day weekend this year, a Polish embassy official and the Defense Attaché came to my father’s hospital bed in the ICU unit and formally presented him with a beautiful gold medal from the Defense Minister. As they pinned that medal and the Fighter’s Cross on my father’s hospital gown, even the critical care nurses and doctors who bore witness to emotional leavenings on a daily basis, were misty-eyed. To the sound of their applause, my father also officially became an officer, promoted from Corporal to Second Lieutenant. The uniformed general gave him a hearty salute. I was so thankful my dad was alive to see those great honors.

The road to my father’s past and back was an emotional journey for both my father and me after years of painful separation, but I was grateful that we shared the beautiful ending of his remarkable life. As one friend told me, “You made his last years, his best.” I think given what my father endured as a teenager thrust into WWII, the least I could do as a daughter was to make sure he was appreciated for his tremendous record of service and ultimately honored. I believe it is the least we can do for all of our veterans and their selfless contributions,

As my father took his last breaths, I promised him I would always remind people of the extraordinary sacrifice of his fearless young Polish comrades and the brave U.S. troops who saved him and — I believe — saved the world in WWII, and continue to do that time and time again. I also told him how much I loved him and would miss him.

As my father quietly slipped away, he was not only surrounded by accolades from America and his homeland, but by those who loved him dearly, holding his hand as the heroic Lieutenant Kossobudzki completed his last mission.

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