In October 1972, a huge...
Illustration
In October 1972, a huge crowd gathered at the Auschwitz extermination camp to honor a Franciscan priest, who voluntarily died to save a Polish soldier who had been randomly selected by Nazi guards to die in the summer of 1941.
The Polish soldier was married, with children, and the priest willingly offered himself to the guards in place of the young man.
The young soldier survived the atrocities of the extermination camp and rejoined his family at the end of the war. At the 1972 ceremony he said he wanted to express his appreciation for the 31 years of life he had received because of the priest's heroic sacrifice.
--Byrd
The Polish soldier was married, with children, and the priest willingly offered himself to the guards in place of the young man.
The young soldier survived the atrocities of the extermination camp and rejoined his family at the end of the war. At the 1972 ceremony he said he wanted to express his appreciation for the 31 years of life he had received because of the priest's heroic sacrifice.
--Byrd
