WWII Medic speaks out about POW experience

[Tincanfireman]

A fitting story for Veterans Day: Mr. Acevedo was a medic and POW captured during the Battle of the Bulge who was ordered to sign a nondisclosure statement about his experiences in a satellite of the infamous Buchenwald death camp. After 60 years, he is finally speaking out about his experiences, kept fresh in his mind by a handwritten diary he maintained. This man is a hero in the truest sense of the world, as well as our predecessor. Please take a minute to read his story, and remember to thank a vet for their sacrifices to our great nation.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/11/11/acevedo.pow/index.html

 

[FF-EMT Diver]

Thanks for posting this it really causes one to stop and think about the things we so often take for granted.

 

[berkeman]

I sure couldn't understand why the *US* government made him sign a paper saying he would not divulge where he was and what happened. Made no sense. Then I saw the quote in the story, and it made a little bit of sense, but still seems pretty lame:

The information was kept secret "to protect escape and evasion techniques and the names of personnel who helped POW escapees," said Frank Shirer, the chief archivist at the U.S. Army Center for Military History.

Acevedo sees it differently. For a soldier who survived one of the worst atrocities of mankind, the military's reaction is still painful to accept. "My stomach turned to acid, and the government didn't care. They didn't give a hullabaloo."

I'm glad he's able to talk about it now. Hats off to our veterans, especially the medics!