After watching the movie "A Real Pain" about two young Jewish cousins, who couldn't be more opposite, visiting Poland on a heritage tour which included concentration camps - then watching Elon Musk give the Nazi Salute twice (see below post), I feel the need to tell my uncle's story once more.
So he wasn't really my uncle, he was my grandfather's cousin, but 15 years younger, yet we called him Uncle Gene anyway. Actually, after a DNA test recently, they weren't related to me at all, but that's another story.
For all I knew at the time, he was, and considering both of my parents were only children, I longed for aunts and uncles and cousins, so my great aunts and uncles and cousins were there.
He was also my Uncle BS. You know what an Uncle BS is?
At least in the South, it's that uncle that tells crazy stories you know aren't true to make you laugh, a Southern storyteller.
He was a WW2 vet and cussed like a sailor, much to the disdain of my grandmother.
When he found out I was a liberal Democrat as an adult, he'd say things trying to get a rise out of me, sometimes racist stuff even - then he'd call me a commie pinko and kiss me on the cheek at the same time. 😂
But once, in 2007, not long before he died, he told a very serious story. He was uncharacteristically serious like I'd never seen him before, and I know this was a true one because he also shed tears at the end.
He said this:
"So we was in Poland and freed these people from a factory. You have never seen what people are like when truly freed from captivity, so much joy and gratitude. They was skin and bones, like dead people walking, But they hugged us GIs and danced. We couldn't even speak the same language, but we understood each other."
"Matter of fact, I'd almost almost forgotten what joy was, but them Jewish people reminded me what it was like to feel joy, and for what we was doing this for. We built a bonfire and shared a meal and danced and sang with them, shared what food we had."
"But we all kept looking up over the factory door, this big stone swastika bolted up over the door, hanging over us like a dark cloud. So you won't find this in the history books, but we wasn't the only ones who did things like this, but me and 3 of my brothers climbed up there and worked on unbolting that thing all night, until just before morning, we got it unbolted."
"That thing came down in a loud crash and busted into a million little pieces, Chrystal. A million little pieces."
(He teared up at this part, which I'd never seen him cry before.)
"It woke everyone up and the survivors and GIs just clapped and cheered, then sort of stood over the pieces in silence, remembering the dead along the way."
"I know I tell a lot of crazy stories that ain't true, but this one is. I don't know why I'm telling this story now. Maybe it's because your Granny has cancer. Maybe it's because I don't know how long I got left, either. But I just want someone to know that despite all my bad parts, I know I can be a real son of a bitch, what I done good. To remember. Will you remember? Please remember what we done? "
I came over and put my arm around him and said "I will, Uncle Gene, I promise. And thank you for what you did, for those people, for Europe, for the world. Now - will you take a kiss from your commie pinko grand-niece?" 😂
He laughed through his tears and I kissed him on the cheek and hugged him.
I'm keeping that promise, Uncle Gene, don't worry 🥲
I'm especially reminded of it now, when unfortunately within our own country now, I'm watching so many people trying to glue those million little pieces back together, whether they realize they're doing it or not 😢
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