I spent quite a bit of time with the German prisoners, and I didn't get the impression they were ungrateful. Most were people just like us who abhorred war and were glad to be out of it. As you can see by what has been written, many lasting friendships developed. Marven Weitzel On Mon, 9 Jul 2007 15:09:46 -0500 "Ann Weber" <aweber35@sbcglobal.net> writes: > As interesting as all of these German prisoner stories are, > personally, it > sounds like they were as ungrateful as our prisoner's of today, > expecting > the 'best' and forgetting 'they are prisoners'. > Ann Weber > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Ward R Richter" <druquest@earthlink.net> > To: "'RON GREENWALD'" <RonFarmcr3@msn.com>; > <ger-volga@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Monday, July 09, 2007 1:16 PM > Subject: Re: [GV] INFO. TO ALL > > > >I have an interesting addition to these notes about German > prisoners. I > >grew > > up on a farm in southern Wisconsin and we raised potatoes among > other > > crops. > > German prisoners were housed nearby and we regularly picked up > crews to > > weed > > potatoes and later to pick up potatoes, manually in those days. > My father > > spoke excellent German to them and they enjoyed visiting with him. > My > > mother also made extra food for them at noon because their meals > were > > rather > > meager. When sweet corn was ripe she cooked up a large batch for > them and > > got an unexpected reaction. They angrily announced to my father > that they > > had been insulted by my mother since she was feeding them "pig > food" and > > would refuse to do any more work. It took every bit of my > father's skill > > with German and his caring attitude to convince them that the > sweet corn > > was > > human food in the U.S. and was considered to be a delicacy by my > mother. > > Just to emphasize the point, I had to sit outside with the > prisoners and > > eat > > my lunch, including corn with them. I was about 12 or 13 at the > time. > > > > Just as with several of the other correspondents, my father kept > in touch > > with some of them and sent CARE packages to them after the war and > several > > visited us in the U.S. in later years. > > > > Ward Richter > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: ger-volga-bounces@rootsweb.com > > [mailto:ger-volga-bounces@rootsweb.com] > > On Behalf Of RON GREENWALD > > Sent: Monday, July 09, 2007 8:18 AM > > To: ger-volga@rootsweb.com; Charles Parcels > > Subject: Re: [GV] INFO. TO ALL > > > > I grew up on a farm in Windsor Colorado, which we still have. > There was a > > large German POW camp near Greeley about 7 miles away. Every > morning Mom > > and I would take our beet truck and drive over to the camp to get > a group > > of > > prisoners and a guard. They would work beets all day. They were > good > > workers. Dad spoke Fluent German and talked to them all the time. > They > > told Dad they were happy to be here and no longer in the war. > > The food they brought for lunch was not too good so many times Mom > made > > then > > a large pot of soup and fresh bread which they enjoyed > tremendously. > > After the war some came back to the States and several came out to > the > > farm > > to tell us they remembered Dad talking to them and Mom making them > soup > > and > > bread. > > Ron > > Ron & Lynn Greenwald > > 5882 Seldovia Road > > Fort Collins CO. 80524 > > (970) 484-9771 or Cell (970) 217-6091 > > E-mail RonFarmcr3@msn.com<mailto:RonFarmcr3@msn.com> > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Charles Parcels<mailto:volgager4440@yahoo.com> > > To: ger-volga@rootsweb.com<mailto:ger-volga@rootsweb.com> > > Sent: Sunday, July 08, 2007 12:34 PM > > Subject: [GV] INFO. TO ALL > > > > > > I remember my mother stating to me that > when she > > visited her Volga German relatives in Colorado during the 2nd > world war, > > <she, visiting from n.y. > she observed German prisoners working > on the > > sugar beet farms. The Volga Germans would always try to talk to > them on > > the > > other side of the fence, but the Guards would chase them away. I > believe > > it > > was somewhere near Wiggins, Colorado. > > Thought I might share this with all of > you > > "Landsmann" out there. > > > > Charles Parcels < > Weibert > > aus Messer > > > > > > > --------------------------------- > > Ready for the edge of your seat? Check out tonight's top picks on > Yahoo! > > TV. > > > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > > > GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com<mailto:GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com> > with > > the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the > body of > > the > > message > > > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > > GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the > > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > > GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the > > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > >