April 2 was the date for the 2013 annual observance of the Holocaust Days of Remembrance at the Detroit Arsenal. The theme was "Never Again: Heeding the warning signs" and the guest speaker, returning for a second consecutive year, was Jack Gun from the Holocaust Memorial Center, Zekelman Family Campus.
Other participants included Mistress of Ceremonies, Barbara Stallworth, DOD Observances Manager, Cantor Gail Karp, who sang the National Anthem, TACOM LCMC Chaplain Assistant Specialist Kendall Jackson, who delivered the invocation, and Tim Tarczynski, TACOM LCMC Deputy Chief of Staff for Human Capital, who introduced the guest speaker and presented him with a framed two-star note, signed by TACOM LCMC Commander Maj. Gen.Michael J. Terry, at the conclusion of the program. TACOM LCMC Deputy to the Commander, Mike Viggato, also presented some brief closing remarks.
The audience listened attentively as Gun shared his story about how he and his brother survived the holocaust. "You know, the word freedom is a very significant and meaningful word to me," Gun said as he began his presentation. "True freedom for my brother and me came on January 29, 1948, when we had the opportunity to emmigrate to the United States, the greatest country in the world." In keeping with the theme for the program, Gun said, "Never again should we have a holocaust like the one that I lived through."
Gun was born on July 21, 1935 in a town called Rozyszcze, Poland, currently Ukraine. He survived the Holocaust along with his brother, who was 10 years older. He arrived in the United States of America in January 1948 and is a 1954 graduate of Central High School in Detroit.
Gun joined the United States Army in October 1958. He was active Army for a period of six months and in the reserves for five and a half years. He was in the 323rd General Hospital Unit.
Gun was also a business man and had a successful meat business in the city of Detroit for 34 years. After retiring, he decided to talk about his experiences and the horrors that he lived through during the Holocaust. He currently spends a great deal of time on speaking engagements through the Holocaust Memorial Center, Zekelman Family Campus. His audiences include both school children and adults.
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