“It’s one of those things that took place—no question about it,” reflected George Oiye. “And we were there.”
“It’s one of those things that took place—no question about it,” reflected George Oiye. “And we were there.”
Japanese American soldier George Oiye was a firsthand witness to the horrors of the Holocaust. In May 1945, his unit liberated a subcamp of Dachau. He is pictured here with newly freed concentration camp prisoners.
George vividly remembers discovering prisoners’ bodies in the late spring snow. Years later, he was able to process his reaction, saying, “I had a tremendous feeling of guilt. And my guilt wasn’t for me—I didn’t do that. But my guilt was for mankind … .”
George and his unit fought for their country in Europe, even while the US government targeted their community back home as potential enemies. George’s sister and her husband were two of about 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry—including US citizens—who were forced into so-called “relocation camps.”
Photo: USHMM, courtesy of Eric Saul
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