By Margaret Kenyon-Ely, Naval Supply
Systems Command Public Affairs
PHILADELPHIA (NNS) -- This year's theme
of "Choosing to Act: Stories of Rescue" hit home for military and
civilian personnel who attended the annual Holocaust Days of Remembrance
program on the Naval Support Activity (NSA) Philadelphia April 19 after hearing
about a survivor's first-hand experience.
"Why do we tell the story? We want
to make sure we remember and curtail future happenings of what happened in the
Holocaust," said keynote speaker Shelly M. Zeiger, whose life experiences
and journey shaped him into a successful entrepreneur and well-connected
businessman.
At the age of eight in 1940s Poland,
Zeiger and his mother, father and brother sought refuge with a family friend,
and lived in a small space beneath a cellar for 15 months before being
liberated by the Soviets in 1944.
"The world had changed and became a
nightmare in 1941. The Germans burned our only Synagogue and Torah, and made
all the Jewish people watch," said Zeiger.
"It was absolutely nightmarish to
see how cruel people could be. I saw many atrocities perpetrated on human
beings," he added as he described life in the Nazi-created ghetto and the
slaughter of Jewish men after they were forced to clean the equipment and tanks
of German soldiers when they first arrived in his small town.
"By making a personal commitment to
participate in the annual Holocaust Remembrance Day, each and every one of us
is making a promise to never forget what happened in places like Auschwitz-one
of the largest concentration camps housing the victims of the Holocaust-and a
promise to never let something so vicious to ever repeat itself in
history," said DLA Troop Support Commander Rear Adm. David F. Baucom in
his opening remarks.
Baucom also recalled how his visit to
the National Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. forever changed his life.
"I grew a lot that day back in 1994.
I learned to respect humans of every persuasion... It was an absolute turning
point in my life. I will never take life for granted. I will never forget the
Holocaust - how horrible humans can treat each other," he added.
NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support Operations
Director Capt. Duke Heinz, presented a Commander's Coin to Zeiger after Baucom
recognized the guest speaker with a token of appreciation from DLA Troop
Support.
A field activity of the Naval Supply
Systems Command, NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support (NAVSUP WSS) is the U.S. Navy's
supply chain manager providing worldwide support to the aviation, surface ship,
and submarine communities. NAVSUP WSS provides Navy, Marine Corps, joint and
allied forces with products and services that deliver combat capability through
logistics. There are more than 2,000 civilian and military personnel employed
at its two Pennsylvania sites. The NAVSUP WSS Philadelphia site supports
aircraft, while its Mechanicsburg site supports ships and submarines.
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