By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — Nearly 400 people attended Tuesday’s speech by Holocaust survivor Irene Miller, and one of those was 103-year-old World War II veteran Charlie Garner.
Miller, a 94-year old Jewish woman who now lives in Michigan, stood and spoke for nearly 90 minutes without notes as she told of how she and her family escaped the horrors of the Holocaust which led to starvation, months of living in a frozen field, and her stay in a Siberian labor camp.
Garner, a U.S. Army veteran had a seat up front at the Performing Arts Center r the and was part of a rapt audience that listened to Miller’s experiences as a child who survived the Nazi atrocities and emigrated to the United States at the age of 21.
News Now Warsaw caught up with Garner afterward and asked about his impressions of the speech.
“Oh, it was great, yeah,” he said. “She understands what’s going on, and that’s the important thing.”
Garner was part of the invasion of Omaha Beach and also fought in the Battle of the Bulge.
Later, his unit left Europe and was was sent to Japan.
He later grew to understand a distant, fleeting connection to the death camps.
“The only thing we did find out was that there was an odor that we didn’t understand and that was the odor of death,” Garner said. “I don’t know how close we were — I had no idea because I was driving the Jeep.”
Garner had a chance later on Tuesday after the speech to talk with Miller and purchased a copy of her memoir, Into No Man’s Land.
He also offered his thoughts on the rise of antisemitism, which Miller addressed during here presentation.
“I know this Semitic thing is out of hand. People are not understanding the oral history,” he said.
The event was part of an exhibition at the Warsaw Community Public Library.
Adult Services Director Jacob Schreiner offered a quick critique.
“The personal story of her really put a humanizing face on a very massive event,” Schreiner said. “I was just thrilled that so many people from the community showed up to experience a really awesome opportunity.”
You can learn more about events related to the exhibit at the library website.
