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OUR COMMUNITY

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heart-wrenching letter finally 
received by his mother over a 
year later in response to her 
numerous inquiries about the 
circumstances surrounding 
her son’s death. It came in 
the form of a correspondence 
from a fellow soldier who said 
he “had the opportunity of 
becoming close to Gilbert” 
both stateside and during their 
tour of duty overseas. An edit-
ed down version of that letter 
reads as follows:
 “I am quite sure I have the 
entire story of your son’s death 
as it is more or less firsthand 
except for the last few hours in 
which I can only pass on from 
a friend who was present when 
he was hit. The Germans were 
massed, and we expected an 
attack but not with such a force. 
Our orders were to hold at all 
cost.
” That order did not hold.
“Your son’s outfit decided 
to withdraw. Gilbert mounted 
his machine gun on top of the 
pillbox and covered their with-
drawal. His assistant withdrew 
as soon as your son was hit ... 
he said he died immediately.
”
He concluded his remarks 
to Gilbert’s mother with a 
painful summation.
“I felt to blame for his death 
since I if I had been with him, 
I would pull him back with the 
rest of the squad. I certainly 
wouldn’t have stayed, for it was 
impossible to hold off such an 
attack with my gun. I am not 
trying to build your son up as 
a hero to you, for he was an 
average American boy and felt 
it was his duty to cover for his 
friends’ withdrawal. The papers 
never print such individual 
bravery such as that, but I am 
confident your son possesses 
a certain quality not found in 
most soldiers who face death as 
he did, knowing damn well he 
didn’t have a chance in hell of 
getting out alive.

“If there is anything else I 
can do, please let me know as I 
will gladly help in any way.
”

PRESERVING LEGACIES 
The JWV Department of 
Michigan (JWV-MI) has been 
instrumental in preserving 
lasting tributes to Michigan 
Jewish War Veterans, includ-
ing Gilbert Himelhoch, who 
have died in combat. In 1956 
they created the “Golden 
Book,” the title of which is 
derived from the “Gold Star 
Family” designation given to 
families of soldiers who had 
lost loved ones in combat 
during WWII and Korea.

The book is housed in 
the Rabbi Leo M. Franklin 
Archives at the Joan Meyers 
Jampel Center for Michigan 
Jewish Heritage at Temple 
Beth El. With the help of the 
JWV, the book was digitized 
in 2021 and can be viewed at 

www.jwv-mi.org/GoldStar.
During that process, addi-
otional research led to almost 
80 more names of Michigan 
Jewish veterans being added 
who were killed in action from 
WWI to the Vietnam War up 
to 1969. To add a name or to 
update a current listing email 
webmaster@jwv-mi.org. (For 
more on the Golden Book, see 
“Looking Back” on page 61.)

While preparing this col-
umn, I had the opportunity 
to make a return visit to The 
Michigan WWII Legacy 
Memorial at 13 Mile and 
Woodward in Royal Oak, 
which in August celebrated 
the dedication and opening of 
Phase I. It pays homage to the 
over 600,000 sons and daugh-
ters who served on the war-
front and the countless others 
who served on the homefront. 
The Jewish War Veterans 
Department of Michigan is 

among the supporters who 
have given generously to the 
memorial. I thought of Gilbert 
Himelhoch as I gazed once 
more at the numerous engraved 
brick pavers donated by the 
JWV that make up part of the 
memorial’s Walk of Honor.
A bronze statute, affection-
ately referred to as “Joe,
” depicts 
an Army soldier in a war zone 
far from home, reading a letter 
from his parents. An engraved 
plaque includes a letter from 
France dated Oct. 6, 1944, 
written by Corporal Aarol 
W. “Bud” Irish of Hemlock, 
Michigan. It reads in part:
“It was pretty cold tonight 
and a hard wind blowing, but 
when that mail call came it 
took our minds off everything. I 
can’t even start to explain how 
much a letter means over here. 
Just keep the letters coming and 
I’ll do the rest.
”
Corporal Aarol, Pfc. Gilbert 
Himelhoch and all veterans 
who have done, and continue 
to “do the rest,” will be on my 
mind this Saturday when I 
participate with the JWV-MI 
during Shaarey Zedek’s Annual 
Veterans Shabbat morning ser-
vice. It begins at 9:30 a.m. and 
will pay tribute to all branches 
of the United States military 
and is open to the public.
Who among us hasn’t been 
gripped by today’s head-
lines? It pains me that nearly 
80 years later we still face 
the same evil that Gilbert 
Himelhoch sacrificed his life 
for. I can only imagine what 
he might think.
On this Veterans Day, and 
every day, give thanks to the 
men and women in uniform 
who remain steadfast in their 
mission to protect and pre-
serve our freedom. They are 
what stands between us and 
those who seek to repeat the 
horrors of the past. 

JWV patron Alan 
Muskovitz and JWV’s 
Arthur Fishman at the 
“Mail Call” statue at 
The Michigan WWII 
Legacy Memorial in 
Royal Oak.

FOR MORE 
INFORMATION VISIT: 
michiganww2memorial.
org.

JIM HOUSE

