WWII Prison Camp Escapee Dies At 85

03/06/2009
WWII Prison Camp Escapee Dies At 85

Holocaust survivor and Nazi death camp escapee Jack van der Geest of Rapid City died unexpectedly Thursday at the age of 85.

His death came just two days after being honored by the city and state.

He was the last survivor of the eight people known to have escaped from the Buchenwald concentration camp during World War II. Tuesday marked the 66th anniversary of his 1943 escape from the prison camp.

Governor Rounds declared March 3 as Jack van der Geest Day in South Dakota. The Rapid City council recognized van der Geest during its Monday meeting.

Van der Geest didn't talk about his wartime experiences much -- until the 1990s, when he heard someone deny that the Holocaust ever happened. He then began talking about his life and even wrote a book entitled, "Was God on Vacation?"


News, Weather and Sports for Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa

 

:mourn:

 

It is a real loss and he must of had guts to escape from a prison camp.

 

he sure did