Author Archives: 34orion

Seventy-six years ago, on January 20, 1945 my father took the oath of citizenship. Barely 19 years old, I imagine him sitting on a bench inside the Federal Courthouse in Fort Worth, Texas dressed in a US Army Class A … Continue reading →

I was not surprised by two things as I exited Soviet HQ. First, that the sun was still bright. I had forgotten how long the days were at this time of year in Vienna. I also did not expect to … Continue reading →

The jail cell looked pretty much what I imagined a cell would look like even though I never imagined myself to be in one. It was about 6’ x 8’ with rough concrete floors and with walls painted industrial green, … Continue reading →

I did not sleep well last night. This is not a new occurrence for me. I cannot remember a time in my life where sleep has come easily.  At the end of the day, my mind is usually full of … Continue reading →

When we had finished laughing, I said “Okay. I understand that sitting in a closet all day without moving would produce wild thoughts, but you didn’t have the same problems as Jakob. You are not a Jew. They weren’t going … Continue reading →

I turned to the door where the voice had come from. It was Tad. I had long ago come to accept Tad’s death as fact. His disappearance after the discovery of Tomahawk combined with the rumors Eduard Stein and others … Continue reading →

I did not sleep well that night. I am sure that part of it was the time difference between where I was and where I was supposed to be. Trying to fall asleep at a time when you should be … Continue reading →

{ Please note: This is a rewrite of part of previous chapter which were necessitated by new information} I had not seen Cousin Walter since shortly after the blow torch caper as he had been, like so many other Jewish … Continue reading →

I knew, generally speaking where Mitisgasse was…. between Penzing and Neu-Penzing…but I wasn’t exactly sure so we consulted a map that Cookie had somehow manage to liberate. Turned out that it was not far, about 5 km but between missteps, … Continue reading →

Then came V E day, May 8 1945. A day that I would remember less for the celebrations, I never seen so many people so happy, but for the orders to report to Captain Pike’s, the Assistant Adjutant General, office. … Continue reading →