A Portrait of Courage.

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“There are no extraordinary men... just extraordinary circumstances that ordinary men are forced to deal with.” 

— William Halsey

Glenn Felner was barely out of high school when he enlisted in the military during World War II..

As a Jew, Glenn was aware of the stereotype that Jewish boys were wimps and was determined to prove that untrue.  He wanted to join the paratroops but his less than perfect eyesight prohibited his acceptance, so he became an infantryman. As with most veterans I have met, it is difficult to travel back in time and relive the horrors of war. The winter of 1945 presenting unusually grueling conditions where men were forced to sleep in icy foxholes as they marched en masse toward enemy lines in an effort to gain a foothold against the Germany army.

The event that stands out most in Glenn's mind is the day he came across an area of barbed wire and opened the gate to the Buchenwald Concentration Camp, helping to liberate his fellow Jews. Inside that camp was a Elie Wiesel, who went on to write 57 books, some about his experiences at Auschwitz and Buchenwald and win the Nobel Peace Prize. Many years later, Glenn met Elie during one of his speaking engagements and Glen thanked him for the meeting, to which Elie replied, Thank You. Were it not for you, I may not have been here, today. Glenn understood this implicitly and always thought that he could have just as easily been in the camps, but for the Grace of God. Glenn is truly a portrait in courage.

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A question to sit with:
Can you remember a time in your life that required immense courage to deal with extraordinary circumstances?

Glenn & Elie Wiesel As one of the few remaining liberators of the camps, Glenn speaking at USC Shoah Foundation

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