This Memorial Day
The life of Evin Korda
Evin was born just before World War 1 in Moravia (Modern Day Czech Republic). He was a celebrated athlete and entrepreneur in the newly created state of Czechoslovakia until Adolf Hitler invaded the country in 1939. Â
Due to his Jewish faith, he was forced to leave the country with his family to their ancestral home in Palestine in order to escape internment and possible execution. Â
The Ss Patria
On November 25, 1940, Evin and his family barely escaped death when they boarded the SS Patria. The Patria was due for Palestine but was refused entry by Great Britain forcing the Patria to head to German-occupied Alexandria, Egypt.
Upon entry to Palestine, Evin volunteered for the Free American Army serving under US Commander General Patton chasing German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel of the African continent. Â
Storming Normandy Beach
After the North African campaign, Evin was deployed during the second wave of the Normandy invasion. Â As a rifleman, Evin served under US command
until the end of the war. Â
After the invasion, he found himself a part of Patton's infamous Third Army and after the war ended he walked to his hometown in Czechoslovakia.
Only this time when he returned home, he had found that his factory was seized by communists. Despite the occupants, he continued to manage the factory until 1955 when he was deemed politically undesirable, where he then served 7 years in prison for political crimes. Â
Evin is a testament to the human spirit to endure and aspire for greatness. Today we celebrate his life and all the men and women who have fought and died in the name of freedom!
