A Tale of Boundless Compassion:

African-American Soldiers Embrace Holocaust Survivors

 As a part of Holocaust Awareness Weeks 2005, Dr. John Withers and Dr. John Withers II, father and son, will be featured in four Cincinnati-area presentations to recount their unusual and life-affirming experience with two young Jewish Holocaust survivors.

In the segregated U.S. Army during WWII, Withers Sr. served as an officer to supply units. While carrying supplies into the just-liberated Dachau Concentration Camp, Lt. Withers’s unit felt horror at the sight of the camp. Their initial shock gave way to enormous compassion—the unit hid two emaciated young Jewish Holocaust survivors in their army base. They nicknamed the boys “Salomon” and “Peewee,” and began to teach them English words as they fed and nurtured them. As the officer responsible of the unit, Lt. Withers had to make one of the most difficult decisions of his life, whether or not to risk his own future to save the lives of two strangers.

 Withers, at the threat of receiving a dishonorable discharge, chose to defy military orders forbidding civilian access to military bases, by assuming responsibility for the care of the two boys. In recent interviews, Lt. Withers explained why he chose to save Salomon and Peewee, “I think I identified with them very strongly and instantaneously,” he said. He also realized that not acting on the boys’ behalf held the risk of losing the respect of his men, “They were willing to take the chance. If I would have overruled them, I would have been on the wrong side of the decision.” 

But it wasn’t just Salomon and Peewee who benefited from Lt. Withers’s decision. He himself learned a valuable lesson—that no matter what race, creed, or class a person may be, anyone can make a difference in another’s life by showing compassion. This simple truth is what Lt. Withers tries to convey to his audiences in recalling Salomon and Peewee’s resilient attitude toward life. He said, “it is possible for someone—me, anyone—to overcome the obstacles in his path without losing himself and face prejudice without becoming prejudiced in return.”

 Unfortunately, as time passed, the young boys and Lt. Withers lost touch. Growing up, Lt. Withers’s son, Dr. Withers II, realized the importance the two boys had held in his father’s life through his many stories of them. Years later, he felt compelled to reunite the three. Through his research, Dr. Withers II discovered that Salomon had unfortunately passed away, but that Peewee was still very much alive. In 2001, through his son’s efforts, Lt. Withers was once again able to embrace his old friend.

 In 2004, Lt. Withers made his first trip to Cincinnati to receive the HUC-JIR President's Medal from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, in cooperation with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. The President’s Medal, a national award presented to an individual whose dedication and commitment embodies the College-Institute's mission and values, was awarded to Lt. Withers in recognition of the courage and compassion he displayed during World War II. 

Now, father and son are returning to Cincinnati to share their inspiring stories. These stories are especially pertinent to the lives of young people today. Understanding unity, perseverance, and “boundless compassion” are valuable lessons in our current society.