Letter from Edythe Katz to Governor Mike O'Callaghan (Henderson, Nev.), September 8, 2003

KENNY C. GUINN Governor STATE OF NEVADA EDYTHE KATZ YARCHEVER Chairperson KARLA McCOMB Co-Chairperson GENE GREENBERG Treasurer RABBI SANFORD AKSELRAD DANIEL KLAICH JUDY MACK TERRY MANNION DR. VERN MATTSON HAL OBER MARY PETERSON DR. LEONARD WEINBERG ROZ SBARRA Secretary to the Council GOVERNOR'S ADVISORY COUNCIL ON EDUCATION RELATING TO THE HOLOCAUST 3909 S. Maryland Parkway, Suite 400 Las Vegas, Nevada 89119-7520 (702) 732-0556 ? Fax (702) 732-3228 Governor Mike O'Callaghan, Executive Editor September 8, 2003 Las Vegas Sun 2275 Corporate Circle Drive Suite 300 Henderson, NV 89074 Dear Mike: ASSOCIATES OF THE COUNCIL Dr. Miriam Adelson Sheldon G. Adelson Elise Ax Myra Berkovits Bishop Daniel Walsh B'nai B'rith International Joseph L. Bowler, Jr. Robert Clary Dr. Brian Cram Phyllis Darling *K-e?n dyl DePoali Jackie Fleekop Stan Fuke Carole Helfand Holocaust Survivors of Southern Nevada Pat Holland Jewish Federation of Las Eileen Kollins Ellen Kottler Shirley Kravitz Henry Kronberg Lillian Kronberg Prof. Franklin H. Littell Prof. Hubert G. Locke Ronald Mack Gerald R. Molen Nate Mack B'nai B'rith D'Vorre Ober Dr. Augustine Orci Dr. Dennis Ortwein Leopold Page Dr. Eugene Paslov James Rogers Beth Weinberger Today's "Where 1 Stand" column hit home. It isn't enough that our men and women protecting us here and abroad must represent the best behavior, but many times much more is expected of them than they receive. True stories are rampant about the way they were treated during World War II by the enemy on both theatres of war?in the Pacific and in Europe. You reminded me of some of the incidents 1 personally witnessed at that horrendous time. Not only was I a member of the Massachusetts National Guard Auxiliary, driving a makeshift emergency ambulance, but worked in Army hospitals as a secretary. It was more than being a secretary and taking care of hospital records, but also making sine that my army patients were treated with all the respect they were due, and all the advantages that were due them through army regulations and human relations. Many incidents come to my mind. Let me share just a few with you. One day I walked into the mess hall during the lunch hour. On one side of the hall were our wounded patients in their maroon army bathrobes?many in wheelchairs, immobile arms and legs in casts. On the other side were tall, blonde, healthy men in sand colored uniforms, no POW on their backs, sauntering through the chow line, holding fistfuls of food. It was the Africa Corps. This was Cushing General Hospital in Framingham, Massachusetts. They were prisoners housed at Ft. Devens, trucked every day to the hospital to do easy labor. This civilian called the AG's office and asked "Can't they eat after our boys?" "Oh, good idea," he said. At that time I supervised several wards, one of which was all paraplegic patients. One morning, shortly after the above incident, I walked into the paraplegic ward, just to greet the patients with a warm "Good morning." 1 was greeted with, "Miss Sperling," (my maiden name at that time,) "we had to take their sh?over there. Why do we have to take it here?" The Nazi prisoner outhouse had been placed right outside the front door of the paraplegic ward. Of course, 1 again called the AG's office and angrily demanded "Move it!" I might also add that after the war was over, some of the girls who lived close to the hospital or worked there, had they lived in France, would have had their heads shaved.Mike, keep plugging for our boys. They need all the help they can get. Affectionately, Edythe Katz Yarchever (O) 227