Logo

Rabe O. Wilkison Post #38

Logo

PRESENTATION OF THE NORDHAUSEN FLAG

July 1, 2024

Last Monday night contingency of Post 38 members gathered in Naples at the Holocaust Museum and Janet G. & Harvey D Cohen Education Center.  The day had finally arrived when the Nordhausen Flag received so long ago by Lt John Spain and given to Post 38 by John Spain for safekeeping found its forever home.  Following its full restoration by Art Conservators Lab LLC, the flag was presented to the museum’s curator, Cody Rademacher, and the museum’s special guests.

Curator Cody Rademacher opened the evening’s ceremony by welcoming all the distinguished guests.

The man who made it all come together, Harvey Charter, a member of the Post 38 Executive Committee and President of Post 400 Jewish Veterans of America, spoke next.  He outlined the efforts it had taken to ensure the flag was appropriately repaired and preserved following water damage during Hurricane Irma.  This is his proudest achievement.

John Spain Jr. then spoke of his father’s commitment to remembering the concentration camp survivors he liberated in 1945, and Mayor Kevin Anderson underlined the importance of this event and all that veterans accomplish.

When Post Commander Kevin Boyd spoke, he got a surprise:  Harvey Charter and Bob Ruberto, Post Chaplain, unveiled the high-definition photo of the flag for display in the Post’s Museum.  Many of the attendees thought it was the flag itself!

 

Michael Hirsch, Post 400 member and author of THE LIBERATORS – AMERICA’S WITNESSES TO THE HOLOCAUST shared some of the memories of those liberators and the horrors they witnessed…and smelled.

The formal event concluded with the unveiling of the restored flag in its new permanent spot in the museum.  Afterwards there were refreshments and time for all the attendees to admire both flags.

Left to right:  Kevin Boyd, Post 38 Commander; Cody Rademacher, Curator of the museum; Harvey Charter, Post 400 Commander, Viviana Dominguez, the restorer; and Army veteran John Spain, Jr.