Inheritance

[notafraid]

So he dressed like a woman to prevent being recognized for helping people escape the Nazi's in Belgium.  Wow. That sound's like movie plot. Definitely a story not heard before. Thanks for sharing.

[Svlanski]

My grandfather (i'm belgian) helped the people to survive in Mol (belgian city) if the germans saw him they may shoot him dead wherever he was (said a german in a pub while my grandfather was sitting near him) he knows german so he said he was going to pee and flees at the back door, the reason the germans didn't knew it was him because he was dressed like a woman! Now i also have letters from his cousin who was in a concentration camp and he didn't survived it. this is soo creepy :S

[badharvz]

great vid,it bothers me ppl denie this happend

[bringonfootball]

My grand uncle survived the holocaust, because he didn't smoke and exchanged smuggled cigarettes for bread . . . how terrible.

Anyway, the Nazis did medical tests on him and until he passed away, the german government paid him damages . . . he had a scar on his head like Gorbachev's.

[notafraid]

That's terrible that he had to go through that, but wonderful that he survived it, and was able keep your family's name and bloodline alive. Thanks for commenting.

[zohar52]

My father was there with the 83rd (Ohio Thunderbolts).

Shortly before he passed away he finally told me of his experiences. Before that he would not say a word about it. He told me about the ovens and the rooms off to the side where they stored the personal effects of the dead, crutches, prosthetics, gold from the teeth and other articles. It really bothered him and believe me that guy was tough.

[notafraid]

At least he finally let it all out. Hopefully he's resting peacefully. My Grandfather never did, and I hope that this film at least, gives him some peace.

[TheBelovedButterfly]

@zohar52 What the liberators saw left it's mark on them forever. My Uncle was in the Anglo-US team which liberated Belsen. what he saw there while supervising the people being helped was so horrific that for days, he thought that he was having a nightmare, and only woke up in the showers being fumigated. I knew a nurse working with the people there who had the same experience.

[UndecendedTesticals]

Where'd you get these photos? I'm supisious about something.

Sorry for the username on such a serious video.

[notafraid]

As listed in the in the credits at the end of the film, the primary photos used were taken by my Grandfather, Anthony Cuoco, on whose experience the story is based. Additional public domain photos and film footage to supplement what were available from my grandfathers photos were acquired from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

[TageKaliandrino]

So easy it has been to think the soldiers who came upon those places were affected by what they saw. How scarred they must have been to witness firsthand the true extent of the savagery that some of mankind can sink to. The sights must have been terrible, but more overwhelming would have been knowing where to start to help those who had survived.

[judithjosephi]

Thanks.

[jubyjubleman]

Did you know that it is against the law and curiculum to teach about the holocaust? My teacher in 4th grade had to educate us on the matter in private. If they think we can't handle the fact that this happened, now, they are giving us reason to ignore and deny it in adulthood. I would give my own life if there some way it could have kept it from happening

[Tuffetti]

Excellent video; it should shame all of those who knew what was happening but did nothing, just as it should shame all those who witnessed the aftermath but kept quite. In about 10-15 years all the remaining holocaust survivors still alive today will be dead and no longer able to bear witness to the tragic events they lived through - it will then be our job to pass on and relay the horrors of the holocaust, lest it be forgotten- thereby opening the doors and allowing it to happen again.

[notafraid]

I appreciate your eloquent comments. That is my Grandfather in the photos, and while this film echoes the reality that we found these photos after his death, this was something he never talked about. I can only imagine what it must have been like to hold in these horrors for so many years. I felt a responsibility to pass on what I saw and felt when I first came across these photos. I can only hope that by putting them out there now, he can be at peace, and the world will never forget.

[Tuffetti]

notafraid: I wasn't really sure if your video was a real portrayal or fictionalized, however, because I now know it is a true account it somehow makes it that more poignant and profound.

The testimony your grandfather left is a gift because it is these first hand accounts that will serve as lessons never to forget. I'm sure he will find peace knowing that what horrified him then can be used now as a tool to educate now.

Well done - I'm sure he would be proud.

[butterfly1945]

i agree