It was a pleasant surprise today at the Encinitas' Senior Center. I entered my name for a meat loaf lunch at the Li'l Oak's Cafe. Lunches begin at eleven thirty. A small fruit salad and milk is served before we get the main entree
And there was Horst, and as always, talking to anyone who would listen... and why not? He is the only living survivor of a synthetic rubber camp inside Auschwitz. The camp had held four thousand. As Always, he looked happy and it appeared that he had lost a few pounds.
I knew he had been to a doctor and was happy that my friend returned in one piece and had shed a few pounds.
"So what is the verdict Horst?"
"Well I found out I am a blue blood. The doctor put some die inside me and found a couple of blockages. He told me to keep off milk and cheese. That is why so much weight is off of me....So what is it you wish to ask me?"
What was it like inside the barracks?
"We had 200 in our barracks. A out house was in the back. The Germans knew how many calories we needed to stay alive. They served us dried vegetables in soup during the day, and one slice of bread and more soup at night. Some occupants ate half the bread and stashed the rest inside their bed.
"We slept in thin double beds. The Germans would remove our blankets when it snowed. The out house was in the back of the camp. They made sure we took a shower every day. The showers were in the side of the Barracks."
"After our work detail, they counted us when we returned. We were always marching, and they always counted to make sure we all returned. Those who fell and died they removed to the incinerator. The Polish people complained about the smell."
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