NEW ORLEANS - -- Many families treasure their older members because of the stories locked in their mind. Grandchildren listen excitedly to stories passed down to them so that they can pass them down to the next generation. But as the years progress, the originators of these stories become few and far between.
The survivors and families of camp Oflag 69, a World War II prisoner of war camp, reunited here Sept. 16 and shared many of these hand-me-down stories.
Marines from MarForRes volunteered as ushers and gained lots of information about a part of war no Marine wants to be subjected to.
“This was a good experience,” said Sgt. Guy St. Amant, a training noncommissioned officer for MarForRes Headquarters Battalion. “I learned a lot about war that I didn’t know before.”
Oflag 69 was unique in many ways. The camp, which was in Szubin, Poland, was the only German prison camp for United States ground force officers. It began in 1943 but was evacuated in January 1945 to avoid approaching Russian forces.
“I’m just guilty by association,” laughed Martha Waters, when asked how she was involved with Oflag 69. Waters’ husband Pat was the host, and the grandson of Gen. George S. Patton. She served as the reunion’s hostess.
“One-hundred-and-eleven survivors of Oflag 69 are still living, 24 of them attending the reunion, and 4 widows of the survivors also attended. There were 1,500 captives in Oflag 69 altogether.” Waters said. “We have 105 people in attendance at the reunion, mostly adult children and grandchildren of the POW’s.”
Many of the POW’s remembered their experiences very clearly.
Curtis Jones, a deck officer and company executive officer while in the Army, was in attendance at the reunion. He was liberated 61 years ago. Jones could recount all the places he had been, and how long he was there.
“I was captured on March 3, 1943, and liberated April 29, 1945. I was in North Africa, then Italy until Sept. 1943, and then Poland.”
Poland is where Jones entered Oflag 69.
“I was there until we evacuated in January. We walked to Germany for 48 days. That was the worst time,” he recalls. “We were still expected to be officers. We had a staff, a supply person, we were set up like a regiment, and we even had to keep our uniforms straight. We slept with them under our mattresses.”
Because of the failing health and age of the remaining Oflag 69 survivors, Waters expects this to be the last reunion of it’s members.
“It’s alright though,” said Jones. “I have made every reunion since 1982, and I’ve had a great time at all of them.”