Survivor Testimony - Thomas Belden

Ursula Levy was born may 11 1935 in Germany. First thought of her is that she is very calm and relaxed and seems ready to talk about what she went through. This to me is a sign of great inner strength. Especially since the women went through so much pain and suffering. She has a normal family. A father named Max, mother named Lucille, and her older brother George. Her family owned there own business and where a proud and a fairly self successful family. When she was very young her uncle and father were captured during kristilnacht. Her uncle and father ended up passing away. This was a strong hint that her mother decided to get her children out of Germany. Her in her brother were shipped to Holland. The place they ended up was not a very sanitary or safe place and eventually got put into a death camp. Ursula talks about how she hates being separated from her brother but she and him made it through the Holocaust after being liberated by the Russians. Through out the whole interview she remains calm and only tears up a few times. She remains true to the Jewish religion.

William McKinney was born in Union Town Pennsylvania but raised as a child in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. William did not seem all that interested in giving an interview but it would seem deep down he wanted to. During his childhood while growing up he was sent to several schools all mixed. He ran into racism here and there because of his race but not to much. Williams father was in the army so it was no surprise he ended up in the army as well. The battalion he was drafted into was an all black battalion. This is where he ran into a lot of racism. Whites would call him niggers or blackies and other racist names. William had to carry all of his supplies for survival in all sorts of weather which he wasnt used to but he still made it through the war. He ended up saying away from most the battles. His biggest one he won in was Normandy on Omaha Beach. He wasn't affected by the war nearly as bad as the Jews. After he made it out of the war he got married, had kids, and was able to live a normal life.