Photo By Sgt. Jasmine Higgins | Amy Hymas, the wife of Leo Hymas, gives a gesture of approval to her husband during...... read more read more
Subscribe
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - Nothing could have prepared him for what he would find once he entered the Buchenwald Concentration Camp. The stench of bodies from the crematoria and the lamp shades made from the tattooed skin of prisoners haunted him for years.
Walking slowly up the stairs, Leo Hymas took the stage at the French Theater as the guest speaker for the Days of Remembrance Holocaust observance, April 29. As he began to retell the events he witnessed as a Soldier during World War II his gentle voice silenced the crowd.
“What little I had to do with it was the best, but also the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” recited Hymas.
Remembering the 18,000 prisoners he found inside the camp is not easy for Hymas to talk about, but he feels it’s his responsibility. In order to educate Soldiers on their history and its importance for their future, Hymas recounted his story and shared his experiences with the Joint Base Lewis-McChord community.
“Never forget, and never let it happen again,” said Hymas.
While in Holland, Hymas met a young girl who stopped him on the street while his unit was moving through the area. She was scared and there wasn’t anything he could do to help her. So, he reached in his pocket and gave her some chocolate he had been saving. The chocolate helped calm her down but the look of desperation on her face made him realize that the most vulnerable and innocent people pay the price in war. It was then that he promised himself that he would do whatever it took to overcome the evil that that girl had suffered.
Since his days in the Army, Hymas has made it his mission to share his story. He doesn’t tell his story to upset people or because he likes telling it. He tells it because he never wants anyone to forget what happened and never wants it to happen again.
“The conditions are here for something like this to happen again,” said Col. Daniel Soller, commander of the 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, 7th Infantry Division. “Soldiers are a part of an organization where they may witness acts of violence, whether it is overseas on the battlefield or at the supermarket in Lacey.”
Growing up on a small dairy farm in northern Utah, Hymas never imagined the impact his life would have on others. He not only helped liberate Europe but helped prevent the extermination of an entire race of people while serving as a young private first class in the 97th Infantry Division. Through it all one thing has remained the same, he doesn’t like bullies.
“Bullying is present today, so we can’t let it happen again because Hitler was a bully, a bully that killed 6 million people,” said Hymas.
The events of World War II and the Holocaust came to define a generation. It was a time when young men and women were called upon to serve their country and fight oppression. It is through their stories and events like the Holocaust Remembrance Day we remember their sacrifice because knowing the truth will help prevent such horrific events from happening in our future.
| Date Taken: | 05.09.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 05.09.2014 14:09 |
| Story ID: | 129347 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 61 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 201st BFSB observes Holocaust Remembrance Day, by SGT Jasmine Higgins, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT