The American Occupation

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"I had left most of my clothing and belongings at school, so I asked for a four-day pass to get my things. The Company commander said he needed me, so he sent a jeep to collect my things, which only took one day. The teachers that were still there were amazed that I was an interpreter for the American Army. I still remember my English teacher who did not want to pass me in his class, mainly because I had an American accent."

Editor's Note: When it became clear that the American Army was getting closer to his school, Eugene fled across the countryside on his bicycle, heading back toward Hannover and his grandmother. However, when he got to the village of Aerzen, recently captured by the American Army, he showed his American passport to the G.I. on duty, and the Army hired him as an interpreter. As an Army interpreter, Eugene became the middle-man between the Allied occupational authority and local Germans. He surprised his former school teachers with his new-found occupation.