World War II Stories

I Grew Up With A Hero – Part 13

By Larry Shurilla

I Grew Up With A Hero – Part 12

By Larry Shurilla

Author’s Note: While I was told Ravenbrucke or Ravensbruck is the name of the concentration camp near Stalag Luft I, the two camps were over a day’s walk apart. The Nazi’s also had subcamps, which was probably what was near Stalag Luft I.

I Grew Up With A Hero – Part 11

By Larry Shurilla

During my compilation of Stalg Luft I data, I came across a VHS tape showing liberation footage of the camp! During the screening of this videotape, we scoured the faces hoping to come across a certain Marquette University hurdler and sure enough, we think we found our man. Whether it’s my dad or not, we’ll never know in this world, but I think we found him leaving his Baltic Sea resort. See if you agree or not. I stop the video three times to focus in on him. Sorry you have to download the video to watch, but I think it’s worth your time. Special thanks to Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bookends” for the background music.

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I Grew Up With A Hero – Part 10

By Larry Shurilla

Red Wing by Jo Stafford with Paul Weston

Permit me to close this chapter of I Grew Up With A Hero with some of the lyrics from Red Wing, the whistled song that rekindled hope in the heart of Stalag Luft I POW, Clair Cline. Some 400,000 American warriors gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country and never returned home from World War II.

But when all the braves returned,
The heart of Red Wing yearned,
For far, far away, her warrior gay,
Fell bravely in the fray.

Now, the moon shines tonight on pretty Red Wing
The breeze is sighing, the night bird’s crying,
For afar ‘neath his star her brave is sleeping,
While Red Wing’s weeping her heart away.