Seventy-one years ago, Sid Shafner — a U.S. Army corporal — and his fellow troops descended upon the Dachau Nazi concentration camp and helped free an estimated 30,000 prisoners. One of those prisoners was a young man by the name of Marcel Levy. Levy was only 19 years old when Shafner and his crew liberated the German death camp, but the memories of the rescue are forever etched in his mind.
Shafner, a Denver resident, made the trek to Israel for a 10 day trip sponsored by the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, a non-profit organization. During the excursion, Levy and Shafner were reunited, and the two shared a teary embrace.
“He hugged me and kissed me,” Shafner told CBS 4 following his return from the trip. “And I hugged him and kissed him.”
Levy gifted Shafner with a plaque that read: “You came like a warrior angel … and carried me into the light.”
Levy also told Shafner, “Everything I have today, all of my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, is due to you.”
Peter Weintraub, president of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, tells the story that Levy stopped a convoy that Shafner was on, asking them to please help the prisoners at the camp. The troops agreed to help, and Levy and Shafner have been friends ever since. This is the first time they have seen each other in two decades.