<b>YONGSAN GARRISON, Republic of Korea</b> Aca,!" More than 100 Yongsan community members gathered April 16 to commemorate the Holocaust during a special ceremony at the Multipurpose Training Facility.
U.S. Army Troop Command-Korea organized this yearAca,!a,,cs event.
Aca,!A"Today, we gather here to honor and remember the 6 million people who died during the Holocaust,Aca,!A? said Sgt. 1st Class Desiree Tomlinson, U.S. Army Troop Command Korea equal opportunity advisor.
Six participants Aca,!" each wearing yellow armbands to signify the yellow patches Jewish prisoners wore in Nazi Germany Aca,!" lit six candles to represent the millions who died during the Holocaust.
Aca,!A"Each of these six candles represents 1 million people whose lives had perished during the Holocaust,Aca,!A? Tomlinson said.
Aca,!A"Approximately, in 1933, there were 9 million Jews across 21 countries in Europe that were occupied by Germany during the war,Aca,!A? said Rafael Reyes, 8th U.S. Army equal employment opportunity officer. Aca,!A"In 1945, two out of every three European Jews had been killed. But the European Jews were not the only single group of victims, but one-half million gypsies and 250,000 mentally and physically disabled persons also fell as victims of Nazi genocide.Aca,!A?
During a poetry recital, Sgt. Hong Sub-seo of the 38th Chemical Detachment relayed the words of Aca,!A"Kristallnacht,Aca,!A? or Night of Broken Glass.
Aca,!A"Night of Broken Glass began almost 70 years ago. It happened on Nov. 9 and 10 in 1938. On this night of terror, at least 30,000 Jews were arrested and sent to the concentration camp in Sachsenhausen, Birkenau, and Dachau,Aca,!A? Hong explained.
The ceremony also included a musical power point presentation that showed the photographs of victims during the Holocaust, along with a video clip of a movie, Aca,!A"SchindlerAca,!a,,cs List.Aca,!A?
Participants also heard testimonies from some HolocaustAca,!a,,cs survivors through recordings.
Aca,!A"I appreciated coming to the ceremony," said Sgt. Darcie Johnson of Naval Forces Korea. "I learned about the Holocaust, its victims and survivors as well as things that happened at the camps.Aca,!A?
"I hope that people will gain some knowledge and awareness of the things happened during the Holocaust," Tomlinson said.
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