Article published Sunday, May 4, 2008
WWII vet, ex-POW lauded for sacrifice
Purple Heart goes to S. Toledoan, 84
South Toledoan Harold Samberg receives his Purple Heart from Dan Connode of the Military Order of the Purple Heart in the backyard of his granddaughter's Springfield Township home.
( BLADE PHOTOS/LORI KING )
By LAREN WEBER
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Harold Samberg said no one really understands.
He doesn't blame them, though.
A World War II veteran and prisoner of war, Mr. Samberg, 84, said there is no way for anyone to know what he endured.
"It's an experience that is somewhat sacred," he said.
Until just recently, Mr. Samberg's family knew very little about his time in the war - a part of his life the South Toledoan didn't care to relive.
But when his granddaughter started asking questions, Mr. Samberg began to open up.
A humble man, Mr. Samberg never sought recognition for the sacrifices he made.
After his granddaughter, Anne Ruggiero, learned what he had been through, she wanted her grandfather to be honored.
Surrounded by his family, Mr. Samberg yesterday was awarded the Purple Heart - nearly 64 years after his plane was shot down over Germany.
Harold Samburg and his wife, Rita, watch slides of his military service during a Purple Heart ceremony in the backyard of his granddaughter's Springfield Township home on Saturday.
Afterward, he quietly said he was "deeply honored."
"I was one of 15 million [fighting in the war]," he said after the backyard ceremony at his daughter's Springfield Township home. "Everybody did what they had to do."
Mr. Samberg enlisted in the Army in 1942, shortly after the war began.
While piloting a B-24 during a bombing mission over Nazi Germany in 1944, his plane was struck by enemy gunfire.
Then 19, Mr. Samberg and his crew parachuted out of the plane and landed in Nazi-occupied Austria. He was captured and beaten by residents of a nearby village who were angered by the aerial bombings.
A Nazi soldier, recovering from his own war injuries, convinced the villagers to spare Mr. Samberg's life and turn him over to Nazi authorities.
He spent the next 11 months as a prisoner of war before being released from a camp in Moosburg, Germany in April, 1945.
His wife, Rita, with tears in her eyes, embraced Mr. Samberg after he received his medal.
"How wonderful for him," she said.
Last Wednesday, U.S. troops in Afghanistan flew an American flag in honor of Mr. Samberg. He is expected to receive the flag sometime next week.
Mr. Samberg is among fewer than 2.5 million surviving World War II veterans. It is estimated nearly 1,100 die each day, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Memorabilia from his military service is displayed for the event.
Mary Miller, Mr. Samberg's daughter, said she was touched to see her father receive the Purple Heart medal.
Hearing her father's stories of the war was eye-opening, she said.
"It was horrific," she said. "It gave me a whole new appreciation for the sacrifices he made."
Although Mr. Samberg has shared some of his experiences, Mrs. Ruggiero said she never will fully understand the torture and pain her grandfather endured.
He once marched for 10 days across Europe from one camp to another. Mr. Samberg told his granddaughter he and other prisoners trudged through eight inches of snow in 0-degree weather.
They were fed little and ate rotten potatoes they found along the way to survive, Mr. Samberg told her.
"I don't think we'll ever grasp what it's like not to have food for five days," Mrs. Ruggiero said.
Steve Dent called Mr. Samberg a truly courageous man.
"As far as hero goes, there's no truer definition than Harold," said Mr. Dent, who is married to Mr. Samberg's granddaughter, Sarah.
"Their sacrifices are ones we're enjoying."
toledoblade.com -- WWII vet, ex-POW lauded for sacrifice
WWII vet, ex-POW lauded for sacrifice
