We first started by imprisoning the officials and made all the Jews were yellow stars. The Jews were then moved into a very small ghetto and cramped quarters. It was obvious that none of them had heard of the horror of the concentration camps and what awaited them once they left the safety of their homes. Some of the officers and I tried to be nice to the Jews because I, personally, hated carrying around this gun. Once you were in the camp the site of these officers holding these weapons struck fear into the hearts of all in the camp.

We had finally gotten all of the people of the town of Sighet onto the train and had started the journey towards Auschwitz. The condition on the train is something I don't think I could have stood for. The Germans were put in charge of the train in the middle of the journey. The officers were told to collect any valuables from the people on the train and if they refused to yield t

heir valuables, they were to be shot. As I have said I hated carrying around this gun but I did have a job to do and I was willing to follow orders if need be. Luckily I never had to unload a single shot on that train. Some people on the train were in very bad shape. They were hallucinating and many of them simply couldn't take the heat and the smell any longer. They were beginning to go crazy. The officers had a meeting and we were told to tell them that they were all just going to a labor camp and the families would be kept together. The lying was also a normal part of my job. Little did they know that they were going to a terrible place in which the males and females would be separated and all of the people had a slim chance of even making past the inspections.

Winter came very harsh that year. Just as it started to get unbearable, there were threats of a Russian invasion into the Buna camp. The officers had a meeting and decided to evacuate the camp at once. We were planning to run to the next camp. I knew there would be no way of avoiding the tragedies that could happen on this trip. We were given strict instructions to kill every person who fell behind the pack. The prisoners were running straight ahead not even thinking. I heard shots and screams ringing out all over the vast, snowy plain. Ahead of me I saw a young man bending over and complaining of cramps. I had to follow instructions and shot the man. It was not something I like to remember. We finally stopped at a small shack and people were falling all over each other to just sit down. Just as many people died there as they did on the trip. They would fall asleep, but never wake up.

Buchenwald was very cold and miserable. The same treatment went on for days. The Americans were said to be getting close to the camp. I had to make a hard decision, stay and follow orders to kill every Jew in the camp, or

Some common words found in the essay are:
SS Officer, Jews Buchenwald, none realized, ss officers, hated carrying gun, carrying gun, americans getting, americans getting close, camp people, hated carrying, getting close, people train, officers told, jews killed,
Approximate Word count = 1286
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)