Born in Greenwood, S.C., in 1919, John Drummond joined the Air Force and went to England. He was captured by the Nazis and shipped to a prison camp in Frankfurt where Americans were interrogated. Next he was sent to Berlin and then Barth in the Baltic Sea to the major prison camp for American POWs. In a smaller prison camp, he saw a shower room, which had optional heads for gassing. Drummond was gravely impressed by these alternate shower heads, understanding the reality of what had happened. After the war, Russians did not shelter and protect Jews. Americans fed and took Jewish prisoners to hospitals, causing the Russians to fingerprint and photograph the Americans. "The International Red Cross kept us all living," he says. Then adds, "In conclusion, thank you for collecting all you can about the Holocaust. Maybe it won't happen again."
Senator Drummond died on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016. Learn more at The State.com.
Standards
- 5.3 Demonstrate an understanding of the economic, political, and social effects of World War II, the Holocaust, and their aftermath (i.e., 1930–1950) on the United States and South Carolina.
- 6.5.CE Explain the impact of nationalism on global conflicts and genocides in the 20th and 21st centuries.
- 7-4 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the causes and effects of world conflicts in the first half of the twentieth century.
- The influence of both world wars and the worldwide Great Depression are still evident. To understand the effects these events had on the modern world, the student will utilize the knowledge and skills set forth in the following indicators:
- 7-4.5 Summarize the causes and course of World War II, including drives for empire, appeasement and isolationism, the invasion of Poland, the Battle of Britain, the invasion of the Soviet Union, the "Final Solution," the Lend-Lease program, Pearl Harbo...
- 7-4.6 Analyze the Holocaust and its impact on European society and Jewish culture, including Nazi policies to eliminate the Jews and other minorities, the Nuremberg trials, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the rise of nationalism in Southwest...
- The influence of both world wars and the worldwide Great Depression are still evident. To understand the effects these events had on the modern world, the student will utilize the knowledge and skills set forth in the following indicators:
- 8.5.CO Compare South Carolina and U.S. wartime contributions and demobilization after World War II.
- USHC-7 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the impact of World War II on the United States and the nation’s subsequent role in the world.
