Beyond Words: Why Every American Should Visit a Concentration Camp

I think every American should visit a concentration camp at least once in their life. It is an educational and devastating experience. It gives a perspective that a lot of us have no other way of obtaining.

I visited the memorial site at Dachau several years ago. The main entrance gate has the words "Arbeit macht frei" built into it, which translates to "Work will set you free". It is a stark reminder of the lies the Nazi regime fed their followers.

The minute I walked through that gate, a palpable heaviness settled into my heart. It was a feeling of crushing evil. It's hard to explain the depth of horror still radiating through the air.

The atrocities committed toward human beings in Dachau are unimaginable to those of us who have never experienced anything even remotely difficult in comparison.

The concentration camp was built to house Hitler's political opponents but was enlarged to include forced labor and eventually imprisoned Jewish people alongside Romani, German, and Austrian people who were determined to be criminals.

This camp was operational from March 1993 to April 1945 and an estimated 188,000 humans were imprisoned there, with 41,500 of them killed. Prisoners lived in constant fear of execution. Other punishments included standing cells, floggings, and long periods of standing at attention.

Conditions were terrible, and approximately 10,000 prisoners were ill at the time of their liberation.

The Nazi regime murdered their political opponents and those they deemed less than human.

In recent years, I have heard ridiculous people comparing anyone they don't like to a Nazi. A bit of a suggestion: KNOCK IT OFF. It's appalling.

Visit a memorial. It will change your life perspectives.