www.nb.legion.ca 57 NEWBRUNSWICKCOMMANDThe Royal Canadian Legion LégionRoyale CanadienneDIRECTIONNOUVEAU-BRUNSWICK Our Strength Within It was dark that day. I remembered it so clearly, the day echoing profoundly in my mind. The grime that coated my scuffed boots. The cries of anguish, a dull throb that resounded again and again. The vivid images etched deep into the mends of my heart. There was no wind. There was no sun. There was nothing but darkness. The task was tremendous; liberate the unknown territory of the Germans. Let the world know about these mysterious places that nobody knew about. We left early, my mind fumbling and not quite thinking about what we were to expect. I was oblivious, mulling this would be another routine mission, missions that, as a Canadian soldier, I was indifferent to. I was preoccupied, thinking about home, my family; a place I would hopefully be able to return to soon. But, oh, how I was changed once I entered through those gates. Those gates ... We entered. I walked, step, after step, after step, long and silent. It is hard to remember, but all I could see was a colourless gray that washed over everything still standing in this place. I listened as my fellow soldiers conversed about the horrors, the evils that took place here. People stolen from their homes, separated from their families, led to gas chambers for an abrupt death or forced into slavery for an eventual one. They had been experimented on, tortured, abused, starved, and so, so, so much more. As I listened to these accounts, I remember the pounding sensation in my ears, sharp, intense. The brisk beat of my heart strumming loudly in my chest. It was a feeling I have never felt before and never wish to feel again. It was the realization of what had happened to these people. When we delved deeper into this place, we slowly began to see the nightmares of the camp come to life, no longer merely stories. There was little life, only a stale presence wafting over. It was dark, it was grey, it was inhumane. Soon, we arrived at the ones who had endured so many evils. Their faces were blank, pale, still. Bodies thin and weak. You could feel the suffering and torture that these souls had been through. I remember approaching them, my voice breaking as I asked if they were okay. Unsettling emotions flooded through my mind, rapid yet sincere. What happened? Why did this happen? Senior Essay/Rédaction séniore (continued on/suite à la page 59) Katie Reid, Grade 10 student/élève de la 10e année - Moncton Christian Academy As originally submitted for competition / Tel que soumis initialement au concours
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