Henry Allen | S.C. Voices: Lessons from the Holocaust

The Horry County native was sent to Fort Bragg, N.C. and then to Europe in 1945. In April 1945 at Orsdorf Death Camp, he saw stacks of dead bodies and those left alive suffering from acute malnutrition. At Mulhausen Concentration Camp in Austria, he found wagons full of bodies stacked like cordwood; a gas chamber lined with shower stalls; a crematorium. Those still alive were malnourished to the point of little communication. The soldiers secured Pershing Airfield in Austria and moved prisoners into barracks that had been converted into hospitals. Thousands came in; hundreds died from malnutrition. Many talked about their camp experiences. He feels we need to encourage children to finish school and to get involved in politics in order to prevent ever having a dictator like Hitler again.