Holocaust remembrance teaches Airmen of duty to intervene Published April 22, 2014 By Staff Sgt. Benjamin W. Stratton 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- Holocaust Remembrance week approaches, April 27 to May 4, and this year's theme, "Confronting the Holocaust: American Responses," raises questions about the responses of the United States to the widespread persecution and mass murder of the Jews in Europe. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum asks Americans what can be learned today from the nation's inaction in the face of the refugee crisis in the spring of 1939 and the deportation of Hungarian Jews five years later. "Anytime spent learning from our past mistakes is time well spent," said Master Sgt. Winston Jones, the 92nd Comptroller Squadron financial services flight chief and local event coordinator. "Looking back at what can occur when we refuse to coexist with one another because of beliefs, religion, politics, etc., we have to take that stand to be better people and respect each other's viewpoints. Without respect, we cannot truly care for one another." Eventually, America did respond after information regarding the Nazi's policy of systematic murder began reaching the U.S. in 1942, but by that time, more than two million Jews had been killed while America stood by. By the end of 1943, Congress issued the Rescue Resolution, calling for the creation of a U.S. government agency designed to provide relief to and rescue of Jews and other persecuted minorities and in January 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the War Refugee Board as an official agency to carry out the relief mission. Although allied forces won the war, more than six million Jews were tortured and killed by the war's end in 1945. "Just doing the right thing can be hard," Jones said. "Our personal and/or professional relationships and friendships will sometimes be affected. What matters is making sure we do the right things at the right times." America's early inaction during the Holocaust is a shining example of what not to do when faced with a difficult decision, Jones alluded. Fairchild Airmen can learn from the nation's past mistakes as they confront their own decisions and duty to intervene. Duty to intervene is every Airman's responsibility to help fellow service members in their time of need and is inherent to being a wingman. "As we pause as a nation reflecting on one of the world's greatest tragedies, the Holocaust in World War II, and remember the families and millions of innocent victims, we must also look around at today's world and see where and when we can speak up," said Col. Brian Newberry, the 92nd Air Refueling Wing commander. "We as Airmen are called to duty, and one of those duties, is the duty to intervene. Make a difference for one Airman, one squadron, one wing or one community. The Holocaust will always remind us we can never look the other way." Being a wingman does not need a specific rank or specialty, Newberry said, it does, however, need the integrity and honesty of Airmen caring for fellow Airmen while advising them when something is wrong. "If we do the right things, regardless of whether those actions will benefit our country, economy, or our personal beliefs, many lives, and even generations can be saved," Jones said. "Don't stand idly by; do something." To find out more ways you can intervene, join fellow Fairchild Airmen for a Holocaust Remembrance breakfast scheduled at the Warrior Dining Facility on May 1 at 7 a.m. or call (509) 247-3591 for more information. "Be the change you want in the world and make the decision to get involved," Jones said.