In honor of the Holocaust Days of Remembrance 2019, Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) headquarters hosted an educational presentation April 18 titled “Remembering the Beautiful, Strong, and Vibrant Communities Lost to the Shoah.”

Having grown up in Berlin, and with German and Jewish family roots, featured speaker and NAVSUP Deputy Director of Corporate Communications Benjamin Benson spoke about his experiences, studies and travels across Europe.

After providing an overview of the Holocaust’s events, Benson led a tour of Europe’s flourishing centers of Jewish culture prior to World War II, including Amsterdam, Warsaw, Berlin, Vilna, and Cracow.

He then shared the stories of notable European Jews from this era in the military, athletics, science, cinema, and music. For example, decorated World War I ace Fritz Beckhardt, was awarded the Iron Cross and Royal Order of Hohenzollern, only to be imprisoned in Buchenwald concentration camp for his marriage to an Aryan woman.

In the field of science Benson noted the Jewish refugees who were key to the Manhattan Project, and shared the story of Heddy Lamar, who developed a secure frequency-hopping communication system for torpedoes for the U.S. Navy – a technology used in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi communications today.

In her message to NAVSUP and the Supply Corps, NAVSUP Commander Rear Adm. Michelle Skubic said, “In a country where we believe all are created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights, we must defend tolerance and justice for all. Our diversity and inclusion, reaching beyond religious, ethnic and other boundaries, represent the strength of our Nation. Countless citizens have fought and died in defense of these central principles.”

Headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and employing a diverse, worldwide workforce of more than 22,500 military and civilian personnel, NAVSUP's mission is to provide supplies, services, and quality-of-life support to the Navy and joint warfighter.

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