Holocaust left a mark on all who entered its evil shadow

In reference to the News Transcript editorial of April 28, "Serious Discussion of Incidents Needed."

Without addressing the merits or lack thereof, your writing did bring to mind one point which I would most certainly like to address.

The swastika you refer to is indeed an evil symbol. It is not, however, an "evil reminder" exclusively to the millions of Holocaust survivors and victims; it is an evil reminder to the hundreds of millions who fought, died, were maimed and scarred, abused and violated by Hitler and his thugs.

In addition to the six million Jews who were slaughtered by these barbarians, an additional five million to six million non-Jews met a similar fate in the camps.

Nearly 500,000 American fighting men and women met their deaths along with millions of Russian soldiers and civilians. Perhaps this is what we should be teaching our children. Perhaps if they are taught the truth and reality of World War II they will come to the inevitable conclusion that we all suffered under the shadow of the swastika and, more importantly, we all stood against it and reduced it to dust in the trash bin of our history.

All of us, regardless of religion, race, nationality or nuance of political belief, fought the hatred together. Teach that to our children and they will see the Holocaust for what it was — a black, evil cesspool of murder in an ocean of blackness, a world of evil and an orgy of murder.

Do it for men like my father, a soft-spoken, gentle, loving man who came back from the horror a decorated war veteran and never spoke of it again.

Lou Manfredo

Manalapan