Roger Welty, Comanche, Iowa
Mr. Welty was with the 49th Armored Infantry Regiment of the 8th Armored Division under Patton's Third Army. He was with the troops that moved into France at Christmastime, 1944, to help with the Battle of the Bulge. As a tank gunner and driver he headed toward Berlin, and then as the Russians moved in, was ordered south to Pilsen, Czechoslovakia. That was when he came upon a work camp between the German/Czechoslovakian border. He went from barracks to barracks, kicking doors in and checking for enemy soldiers. What he found instead were emaciated men in rows on bunks, who could barely raise their heads. On the other side of the buildings were lines of furnaces, where those who were worked to death were simply disposed of and replaced with fresh inmates. He was there only a few hours, helping as much as he could, and then moved on with his troops, chasing the German army. As he left, he thought how he had come to Europe ready to defend his own family from the German threat. He ended up, fighting for the lives of these other people who had been so horribly treated at the hands of the Germans. Mr. Welty, your compassionate efforts will always be remembered.