By Margarita Cambest
USAG Stuttgart Public Affairs
DACHAU, Germany– An overseas assignment to Germany comes with no shortage of opportunities for learning about historical events. Service members from across the garrison recently experienced some of this history on a recent daytrip to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site near Munich, Germany.
The trip was a chance to revamp the garrison’s Building Strong and Ready Teams (BSRT, formerly Strong Bonds) program through the Religious Support Office, according to Deputy Garrison Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Michael Kim, who led the daytrip. BSRT is a command-directed, chaplain-led program designed to strengthen the spiritual, emotional, and relational readiness of Army soldiers and their families. The events often take the form of offsite trips that provide a safe environment to address military lifestyle stressors.
Due to the joint service nature of USAG Stuttgart, there are some service members who do not have a dedicated chaplain locally to provide this programming. Kim said he hopes to better serve these service members in the future.
About 30 participants departed Patch Barracks for a two-hour bus ride to the site of the first concentration camp established by the Nazis in Germany. The work camp at Dachau was initially established in 1933 to imprison political opponents of the Nazi party. It was later expanded to incarcerate others, including Jehovah’s Witnesses, Gypsies, homesexual, criminal offenders and others. From inception to liberation, more than 188,000 prisoners were incarcerated, almost 30,000 of whom died from murder or poor living conditions before being liberated by American forces in 1945
“The theme of the day is ethical leadership,” Kim said to the group ahead of arriving. “Whatever you’re doing sometimes looks small or mundane, but you’re in a very important role in what we do that keeps people safe at home, in the States, and maintains our way of life.”
Participants were asked to consider the meaning of lawful and unlawful orders, noting that following the end of the war many of the defendants at the famed Nuremberg Trials used the fact that they were “just following orders” as an unsuccessful defense for the crimes they committed.
“Think about your role as an Army soldier and what you can do so it won’t happen again,” Kim said.
While much of the site has been destroyed following the liberation of the camp, the memorial features extensive educational exhibitions highlighting the Holocaust and survivor biographies as well as some preserved areas, such as the crematorium and prison barracks. Service members were given the opportunity to walk through the displays and learn about the history of the camp.
”Everyone knows Anne Frank,” said Pfc. Tre’Ven McFee, of the 554th Military Police Brigade. Stationed at USAG Stuttgart for less than a year, he said he had not yet had the opportunity to travel to a concentration camp memorial.
“But when we saw the killing rooms and execution rooms I was shocked to see the extent of the atrocities, the waiting room, and the disrobing and undressing room,” he said. “I can’t imagine thinking you’re going to take a steamy, hot shower and not living to talk about it. The room full of ovens–I was disgusted to see that.”
Spc. Myliah Williams echoed similar sentiments.
“The entire visit was spiritually heavy,” she said. As the mother of a 4-year-old daughter, she said the pictures of mothers giving birth to babies they’d never get to see grow up was particularly impactful.
“You can only imagine the pain they went through and how that felt,” Williams said. “It’s not sugar coated.”
Kim said the trip gave service members a better understanding of ethical leadership. He plans to host trips to various sites within two hours of USAG Stuttgart on a quarterly basis and encourages anyone without a local chaplain to reach out to him directly for support.
The next BSRT trip with the garrison’s RSO is set for mid-June. Trips are limited to active-duty members and accompanying family members. Contact Kim for more information at michael.s.kim18.mil@army.mil.