Tribute to 4th of July

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joe on his farm near umpachene falls 1996; he escaped the 3rd reich 1940; portrait done by my wife barbara 1996

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	FrizzText says: storytelling: Joe managed to escape from the 3rd Reich, from the Nazi-KZ's [German concentration camps], left his hometown Stuttgart 1940, joined the US-Army, came back 1944 as an US-soldier [the RITCHIE BOYS], went to the Nazi photo-shop owner, who had robbed his camera 1940, got his camera back, and in the USA again he made many wonderful pictures and won prizes. He even jumped over the Millenium border too; he liked to read his daily New York Times on his 80 acres-farm some miles north of NYC near the Umpachene Falls, Massachusetts - and encouraged my wife and me to love photography... (though we, Germans, talked that language of the murders); Joe Winter's story is in the Steven Spielberg's Shoa Foundation + BLOGGED + -------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------- ------ feedbacks, a year or two ago given to the black&white version of this portrait (now deleted): Manch006 www.flickr.com/people/30002432@N00/ said: This pic makes me wanna know if the shop owner got his ass kicked really bad Rita Crane www.flickr.com/people/44548980@N00/ said: fantastic story!! and beautiful portrait. I love it in black and white. i love that he returned to Germany to get his camera back !! oh yes, the law of karma is inexorable and so nice when one sees it working before one's very eyes.... My father's camera (who later on worked for MAGNUM and the LIFE magazine in New York) was almost stolen from him by German soldiers in Spring of 1941 at the Swiss border with France when he escaped from Switzerland. But my mother - who had tremendous courage - said to these thugs of the Third Reich - in her words to me as she retold the story: "Fritz, nous sommes en Suisse ici, rendez-lui son apareil photo." ... and they did. They were still in Switzerland and she, being Swiss and not from a Jewish family and protecting my father, stood up to these SOLDIERS. My father was on his way to Lisbon via occupied France, getting on the train in Geneva ultimately bound for NYCity, under the auspices of the New York Times, for whom he freelanced. He was lucky to know my mother, and lucky, just lucky, like your friend Joe. And Germany -- not so lucky -- she lost another fine person because of the ignorance and brutality of the times, while America gained two fine human beings to contribute to the culture of the United States and the world. Again, great shot and wonderful story. epeigne37 www.flickr.com/people/74791601@N00/ said: We may be lucky to survive that long! πρώρα (Prora) www.flickr.com/people/harold_stern/ said: Isn't it a pity that the present US administration doesn't espouse diplomacy? FrizzText replied: Joe didn't like the present Washington administration; he feared an escalation; he has been angry about Samuel Huntington's book THE CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS; he has had the luck, not to see the second presidential phase of George W. Bush... Z0rk www.flickr.com/people/zork/ said: Wow, what an amazing life this guy has led. I am enthralled. A very interesting guy - I'd love to hear more about his life - but I am sure he wouldn't like to recall a lot of it. Those days must have been incomprehensibly tough for him and millions of others who went through the depravity of those times. vetlife2005 said: impressive, the memory is one of the terrific weapon or enemy of the human kind Barrybar www.flickr.com/people/barrybar/ said: I'd love to hear more about his escape. But, as Z0rk mentioned, some people rather leave certain memories behind, being too painful to recall time and time again. If I spoke with him, I would ask him to comment on the similarities between the acquiesence, and adoration, of the German people during the rise of Hitler, and the acquiesence of Americans during this radical rise of George Bush who is gathering more power unto himself than any President in the history of the country, throwing habeus corpus into the garbage heap, ignoring the Geneva Conventions, pushing torture -- while the Democrats concur and the people sleep. The dark shadows in this picture seems to portray part of the life from which he escaped. FrizzText said: dear Patrick Barry Barr, Joe succeeded leaving Germany, because someone in New York payed for him, but not for his sister and his parents. So his sister and parents died in the Nazi Concentration Camp; Joe, speaking German very well of course, crossed during the World War II in Germany the battle lines very often as a CIA-spy in German Uniform, and every time he came back to his US-troops, he had the risk to die in friendly fire (because his English was not very good at that time). With regard to the BU$H-administration: though he experienced the 9/11 and though he was Jewish, he didn't agree to any military action, he was contrary to the White House politics. He was a peaceful, democratic human being... πρώρα (Prora) www.flickr.com/people/harold_stern/ said: Surely a worthy candidate for Heroes and Heroines the world over group... penpusher www.flickr.com/people/ljpenpusher/ said: This would be an interesting shot, even without the background info, but it's quite something to know this story! little_stitcher www.flickr.com/people/little-stitcher/ said: Glad he made it. We have Auschwitz survivors here in Wrexham north Wales. The legacy this has left on their emotional state and families is horrendous. Rita Crane Photography (2nd) www.flickr.com/people/44548980@N00/ said: An incredible story....amazing courage and kindness in one person. Very moving and inspiring at the same time. Glad to learn that despite his suffering at the hands of the thugs in the Third Reich this person didn't want to see the U.S. engage in the current illegal war in Iraq. He was a special courageous human being who suffered yet still had a tender heart despite the brutality he lived through. A remarkable, high quality person that makes one believe in the essential goodness of humanity. rita banerji www.flickr.com/people/rita_banerji/ said: thank you for bringing Joe's story to my notice Frizz. He is indeed a living legend!! Postman Dan www.flickr.com/photos/65039433@N00/ said: Is Joe still alive? Has someone written something about his life? I would love to read more about his experiences. FrizzText said: the Steven Spielberg's holocaust archives once interviewed him; there is waiting a lot of stuff, maybe in the future some filmmakers of a next generation will bring life-lines like Joe's to our attention again; sorry to say, JOE has gone 4 years ago, aged 92 years, but all who had the chance to meet him in his lifetime personally are deeply impressed. to many of his friends he gave a silhouette of what that could be: COURAGE... rita banerji (2) www.flickr.com/people/rita_banerji/ said: What wonderful stories we get to share here on Flickr! Just read Rita Crane's story too!! And thank you @FrizzText for inculcating this spirit of inquiry and community sharing on Flickr! It makes it all the more worthwhile. patries71 www.flickr.com/people/patries71/ said: What a story, what a man! I admire the way he used his art (photography) as a sort of "peaceful revenge" as a testimony of his life Shutterhack www.flickr.com/people/shutterhack/ said: In mainstream culture there are subjects that are not talked about. They are taboo. For example, each of us is going to die, but we do not talk about dying. We are all in the dialogue of illness, death and dying, whether or not we are talking about it. Poetic photographs gives us ways to talk about it. Multiple ways of utilizing poetic photographs for healing, growth and transformation can be presented. This photo of yours here is one good example. That's why it is one of my favourites. pointer007(away) said: Danke,daß Du mich zu dieser faszinierenden Geschichte geführt hast. Joe hat ein bewegtes Leben geführt und viel geleistet. Er war ein mutiger Mann. Jemand erwähnte das Wort 'Glück' - doch das Glück ist nur mit dem wahren Tüchtigen. Dein Portrait von ihm ist exzellent. Posted 5 months ago. ( permalink )
	rabataller says: Great picture. It reflects nicely the nornal life of these people Posted 5 months ago. ( permalink )
	Bird-Z says: Amazing story behind this beautiful portrait! Congrats! Posted 5 months ago. ( permalink )
	gallmese says: (((:::: good to have the story behind the photo! Posted 5 months ago. ( permalink )
	marineavoile says: The white clothes that seem draped over the shoulders, the very large glasses, the high forehead that catches the light and eclipses the hair : I thought you had a photo of Gandhi, when I looked at the thumbnail. Gandhi reading the paper. Inspiring story behind this picture. An air of wisdom in this man. Posted 5 months ago. ( permalink )
	Barrybar says: @frizztext, today is a perfect day to revisit the dictionary: "Hero \|ˈhi(ə)rō\| noun ( pl. -roes) a person, typically a man, (time to change that: my comment) who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities : a war hero. • the chief male character in a book, play, or movie, who is typically identified with good qualities, and with whom the reader is expected to sympathize. • (in mythology and folklore) a person of superhuman qualities and often semidivine origin, in particular one of those whose exploits and dealings with the gods were the subject of ancient Greek myths and legends. • (also hero sandwich) another term for submarine sandwich . ORIGIN Middle English (with mythological reference): via Latin from Greek hērōs. Hero 1 \|ˈhi(ə)rō\| \|ˈhiroʊ\| \|ˈhɪərəʊ\| Greek Mythology a priestess of Aphrodite at Sestos on the European shore of the Hellespont, whose lover Leander, a youth of Abydos on the opposite shore, swam the strait nightly to visit her. One stormy night he was drowned, and Hero in grief threw herself into the sea. Hero 2 \|ˈhi(ə)rō; ˈhēˌrō\| \|ˈhiroʊ\| \|ˈhɪərəʊ\| (1st century), Greek mathematician and inventor; known as Hero of Alexandria. He described a number of hydraulic, pneumatic, and other mechanical devices, including elementary applications of the power of steam." Citizens of the United States who think John McCain is a hero should go straight to the back of the class. Here is a man, Joe Winter, who fits the bill of hero. I lack the courage to do what he did. Maybe I never had the motivation that he had, and he actually did what he had to do. After all these years in Lima, Peru, whenever I speak, my Spanish is so terrible that I am usually asked: "Where are you from?" And Joe Winter did what he did, and as you say, risked being blown apart each time he returned to his US handlers. If he tried that in Iraq now though, maybe he would get blown away by a Blackwater employee or a US soldier. Now to John McCain. Here's a man who finished about 5th from the bottom of his class. Who made it on the reputation of his father and grandfather, and on the riches of his new wife, after he dumped the first one. Here's a man who crashed about five planes, including the one that was shot out of the air in Vietnam. He is alive only because the Vietnamese who he went to bomb, from the safety of the skies, went into the lake to rescue his ass. During captivity he was known as the song bird because he gave the Vietcong, who had every right to kill every American who entered their country to kill them, everything they wanted to know. John McCain was never tortured. Otherwise he wouldn't be pushing torture now. He could have been released years earlier, because of his complicity with the Vietcong, but since it was first-captured, first-released, it would have been obvious that the was a collaborator. That's heroic? John McCain is a wimp. An incompetent. Joe Winter is a hero. A war hero. And he became one, fighting against Hitler and for another country, the USA. And I still wonder what he thinks about the similarities, and dissimilarities, between Hitler and Bush. Barack Obama is no hero, I will admit, but I will probably hold my nose and vote for him this November. At least, he gives better speeches. Posted 5 months ago. ( permalink )
	MRP46 says: Interesting story, especially how he got his camera back. My mother buried her Rolleiflex in the woods behind our house to protect it from the Americans approaching Berchtesgaden. But this was seen by neighbours, and so the Rollei vanished without the interference of the US Army. For this reason there exist no photos of me as a baby. But most babies look similar anyway. Posted 5 months ago. ( permalink )
	chapter/Phil (independent-veto-member) says: Es wiederholt sich alles und ob man ein Zusammenhang daran sehen muss, weíß ich nicht, dennoch metaphorisch kann man es eindeutig anwenden, abzusehen von einer privaten Angelegenheit, übertragbar auf gesamtgesellschaftliche Geschehnisse, und Zimperlichkeit zurückgelassen - "Es geht um einfach verständliche Sachen, wie hier in diesem Bild um wie ein "Kamera" ... ich muss nicht den Wert der Freiheit, des Menschsein nach dem millionsten Verlust begreifen..." Posted 5 months ago. ( permalink )
	FrizzText says: dear Phil, because you bought my book on the PERSEVERANCE OF THE PHILOSOPHERS, mentioning Karl Jaspers or Sören Kierkegaard, Spinoza or Socrates, I like to add: maybe we can't understand abstract words like freedom, liberty etc. not very well, but more little stories; for example: the NAZI regime did not allow Jews to have pets in their homes; no bird, no dog, no cat; and Coco Schumann told: in a KZ he found a barn completely filled with gypsy guitars - maybe not important; but suddenly I understood, what that is: a system, trying to hurt... Posted 5 months ago. ( permalink )
	chapter/Phil (independent-veto-member) says: let's grasp the idea as - "a system, trying to hurt ..." - it would be terrible otherwise (not from human being itself-aber wenn Sie wüssten wieviel ohne nachzufragen mitmachen mit dem System, fast alle und mit Enthusiasmus und für billig Lohn, wie eine Zuckerschlecker-Grarifikation in Zirkus (I call them ...)) and I'd wish more free mind(everywhere). And about of your book - the mutuality in understanding, in argumentation wihtout fearing results, just endurance and have a nice weekend :)) Posted 5 months ago. ( permalink )
	FrizzText says: frizzeurope.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2 008-07-04T06... PERMALINK Posted 4 months ago. ( permalink )
	riclane says: Very interesting, thanks for sharing Posted 4 months ago. ( permalink )
	The Lady of Shalot [the DEPARTED] says: Magnificent story. Posted 4 months ago. ( permalink )