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Health & Fitness

Veterans Day: Remembering My Grandfather

Remembering my hero, my grandfather, on Veterans Day.

Veterans Day is a day that is close to me, particularly because of my grandfather. This is the second Veterans Day that I have had to spend without my grandfather, but I always remember his Army life on Veterans Day.

My grandfather, Lester Shubin, served in the Army in World War II, liberated the concentration camp Dachau, was one of the first advocates for bomb sniffing dogs and invented the Kevlar ® Bulletproof Vest.

Grandpa didn’t talk much about his experiences in World War II; he saw things that we can't even imagine unless watching gore filled movies. In war ridden Germany and France, grandpa fought for freedom. He liberated the concentration camp Dachau, an event in which he couldn't talk to anyone about for the longest time.

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I could tell it pained him to remember such graphic memories; being able to liberate a concentration camp made the Holocaust real for him, not just because he was Jewish, but because he literally saw the side of the Holocaust that many people did not see. When he would talk about the liberation, I remember him telling me that he mainly remembered the stench of rotting bodies and that there were piles of shoes.

In 2007, when I was in seventh grade, my grandfather came in to my history class on Veterans Day to talk about his experiences. At this point in time he was suffering from severe diabetes and many other health issues, and he walked with a cane. I remember my dad telling me that he might not even be able to make it to the classroom. But grandpa did, because he knew how important it was to me that he told his story.

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The kids in the class listened intently as he described how he was deafened by the sound of the guns, how many comrades were injured and how he was there to liberate Dachau. I knew how hard it was for him to remember such ghastly sights; he even choked up with tears for a few moments while he spoke. I was so proud of him for telling his story; even I had trouble keeping myself composed while he talked.

Despite his health issues that led him to be a double leg amputee, grandpa put up a fight to do what his doctors swore he couldn’t do. He learned how to drive with hand controls, he came home from the hospital when the doctors said he might not live, and he lived as long as he did because he wanted to see my brother, Michael, and I grow up.

My grandfather died suddenly in November 2009. Because of his time in the Army, he was able to be buried in Quantico National Cemetery. He served in Tech 5 during World War II.

I know my grandfather made a difference in society, and he was recognized for his accomplishments in the many obituaries that were written about him. I’ll always remember him as someone who did great things for the world, but never asked for the fame.

 Thanks to all the men and women who serve our nation, I salute you!

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