A Blessed Life (Holocaust)

September 15, 1924 was a special day for Johann and Elizabeth Hauck when their baby was born at Gasthaus Zum Drei Linden (The Inn of the Three Linden) in Trundstadt, Germany. Paul was their second son and he became like a shadow to Albin, his older brother. Albin often lead the way, even chasing away mean dogs and bullies. Paul's father, whom he called Pop, liked to laugh and entertain. When Paul learned to play the piano, Pop would play the violin. Sometimes Pop acted goofy by placing the violin on his head to play. Pop would do anything to make Paul laugh. Soon, baby sister Charlotte was born. Times were hard and the Inn was not making enough money to support a family of five. The painful decision was made to leave family members and the country they loved to begin a new life. They immigrated to Newark, New Jersey where Paul said "I learned to love cowboy music and hot dogs, along with Mozart and bratwurst." Paul attended Weequahic High School and graduated in the top quarter of his class. This proved to be of great value and shaped his future in an unexpected way. On February 25, 1943, Paul entered the United States Army. He was sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky and joined the tank corps. His outstanding high school grades opened the door for the army to send Paul to a US college for training as an engineer. He often regrets missing a lecture by Albert Einstein. As World War II progressed in Europe, Paul's German accent and his language skills were valuable. Even though Paul was barely old enough for a driver's license, he became a driver for high ranking officers and important people. It was emotional for Paul to be on European soil again. It wasn't fighting against his countryman but knowing his parents would never visit their homeland again. The American soldiers entered the Rhine Valley on the first day of spring 1945. This area was still lovely and mostly untouched by war. Paul requested to visit his birthplace, but his request was denied because the soldiers were moving quickly after the defeated German Army. Paul decided to paint "Prima" on the front of his jeep. After all, they were winning the war, and Paul wanted others to know his jeep was first rate, having carried him and his officers through combat. Soon afterward, Paul saw with his own eyes the consequences of a society gone mad. On April 13, 1945 Paul's unit entered the city of Nordhausen which they later learned was home to a concentration camp. The American soldiers were shocked at what they saw...6,000 victims barely alive and 5,000 dead. Thousands more were displaced persons, refugees and Allied prisoners. Those still living walked around with no expression, with no thank you, and with no joy. They were like shadows moving in the wind. A very disturbing site. Young Paul often complained about being dirty, shot at or bombed. He'd often asked, "What are we doing here?" It was upon entering Nordhausen and seeing the inhumane treatment of these people that he understood why they were fighting. Thankfully, the war was about over. Paul was at Regimental Headquarters when WWII ended on May 9, 1945. The soldiers all shouted and congratulated each other for surviving the war. With shined-up shoes and wearing his best clothes, Paul walked towards his home. He was spotted far away by his parents. 1953 was a big year for Paul as he was the first from his family to graduate from college and he fell in love with Marcie Steenburgen. They were married on November 26th. As the years went by, they were able to travel the world, even back to Trundstadt. Paul was always sad that his parents never returned for a visit. Paul Hauck is a great American hero.

• | Author: A. Book A Book by Me|Marisa Paulsen, Raelen Gipple
• | Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• | Publication Date: Aug 11, 2016
• | Number of Pages: 24 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Paperback
• | ISBN-10: 1535428589
• | ISBN-13: 9781535428583