William Beaumont Army Medical Center held an observance for the Days of Remembrance at the Clinical Assembly Room, April 21.
The observance welcomed Richard Armour, a docent at the El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center, and exhibited a chronological presentation of events leading to the Holocaust during World War II.
"You need to know what's happened in the past to make sure you don't repeat it again," said Armour, a native of White Plains, New York. "If we don't understand what happened, how it happened, why it happened then it would be hard to stop it from happening again."
The Days of Remembrance is an annual commemoration of the Holocaust helping citizens remember and draw lessons from the event. The remembrance begins the Sunday before the Jewish observance of Yom HaShoah, and continues through the following Sunday.
According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Jews weren't the only victims. Although six million Jews were murdered, millions more suffered including Gypsies, people with mental and physical disabilities, Poles, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, prisoners of war, and political objectors.
"It was many people because Hitler felt they didn't fit the idea of perfection," said Armour, a former U.S. Army air defense officer.
The mission of diversity took large leaps in the U.S. Army, with the service still segregating its ranks not even a century ago. Today, about a third of the Army is made up of minorities.
"The fact that we have more diversity now is important," said Armour. "It's important for people to understand that you need to judge people by what's inside not just what's outside."
According to the Army Diversity Office, a diverse Army does not determine success by a Soldier's or civilian's appearance, preferences, ideas or beliefs, but rather by what's inside... the abilities, the determination, the courage. Bringing everyone's different attributes and experiences together will enhance our ability to operate globally with a culturally astute Force.
The Days of Remembrance not only remembered those murdered by the loss of humanity but also reminded Soldiers of the need for open-mindedness.
"Our mission is not only to teach about the holocaust but to teach tolerance," said Armour.
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