My grandmother was born in 1933 in a Polish village. During World War II, German soldiers searched the house and found home-made alcohol, which was prohibited at the time. The German soldiers then gathered all the villagers to a square and ordered the men to dig holes in the ground. After they had dug the holes, they were forced to stand at the edge and were taken away one by one.
shot. When it was my great-grandfather's turn, he said something in German and was spared along with his family. However, the German soldiers did not leave them in the village but took them to Germany, where my family was torn apart. My grandmother and her sister were sent to work on a farm. Although their daily ration was enough to survive, my grandmother suffered from hunger and became emaciated. One day, it must have been towards the end of the war, my grandmother saw billowing smoke and followed it. The fire was caused by American soldiers burning various objects. A young soldier was eating chocolate and drinking from the metal cup. My grandmother looked at him wide-eyed, and when he saw her in her condition, he gave her most of his chocolate and gave her something to drink in the cup. My grandmother was very grateful for this friendly gesture—an act of charity—and kept the cup for the rest of her life.
