FORT IRWIN, Calif. — Each April, Fort Irwin holds an annual Remembrance Day observance to commemorate the victims and survivors of the Holocaust. This year’s observance was a bit unique, amid social distancing mandates. It was broadcast on the the official NTC Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/NTCFortIrwin on April 22.

“A virtual event allows the NTC and Fort Irwin to honor and remember the victims of the Holocaust and their liberators, while following CDC guidelines and keeping the community safe,” Brig. Gen. David Lesperance said.

The broadcast featured a video of Holocaust survivor, Renee Firestone, taken during the 2017 ceremony.

Firestone was one of three children that grew up in a non-religious Jewish home. Under Hungarian occupation, her family experienced antisemitic discrimination and violence. Her brother was imprisoned in a forced labor camp, while Firestone and the rest of her family were deported to Auschwitz. Firestone tells of how her mother and sister were both murdered at Auschwitz where they performed slave labor. She was imprisoned for 13 months before being sent on a death march to Liebau concentration camp in Germany. She was liberated by the Soviet Army in May 1945.

“How does one become human again,” Firestone, said remembering her liberation. “One doesn’t know what to do with new freedom.”

Firestone’s father and brother both survived the atrocities of the holocaust; however, her father died soon after. She immigrated to the United States in 1948 with her husband, holocaust survivor Bernard, and their daughter. Their family settled in Los Angeles. She only started sharing her story after a synagogue in the Los Angeles area was vandalized with swastikas. She was surprised by the lack of compassion.

“That’s why I’m here,” Firestone said. “As long as I can, I will tell my story.”

This event was sponsored by the Fort Irwin EO/EEO offices, along with the Fort Irwin Dental Clinic Command.