Shot down 11 April 1944 in B-17 #4239820 'Also Ran - Still Running. ' Prisoner of War (POW). completed 18 missions. April 11, 1944 Prisoner of War (POW) - Stalag Luft I. 13 months Prisoner of War (POW) - liberated by Russians. Hospitalized briefly for injuries sustained when bailing out - landed in forked tree - Germans waiting below - Larry dropped knife- Germans sent up someone with knife. Larry confined to space - unable to stand, lay down, kicked in head etc by captors. Did not speak of his experiences except briefly to cousins from whom any information he did share was pieced together. He did say he could not tolerate the 'empty bunks' he returned to after each mission. He was Jewish and was separated along with the other Jewish men from the main group of prisoners not long before liberation. He was unable to return to university (he enlisted Feb 1942 at age 19 - ) he was pre-med. He lay in bed for 2 weeks until my mother signed papers to allow him to enlist. My father was WW I vet - regular army and had given permission. On separation from Army - he was unable to return to university to continue with pre-med, he had difficulty finding employment - we worked for a local manufacturer in Valparaiso - as a cost accountant - Larry had terrible auto accident - he had been drinking - totaled the family care - He did not move with us to L. A. in 1946 ( my father could not tolerate the cold weather). Larry came to L. A. on vacation - Had nightmares, flashbacks (once assaulted my father - screaming 'Nazi! Nazi!!!' My mother and I were unable to pull him off my father - I called the police - he assaulted the police - my father was given choice of Psych Unit vs. Drunk Tank at Jail. He was hospitalized at County Hospital in hard restraints which he fought - wrist wounds became infected - was treated with Penicillin and had severe allergic reaction - He remained at County Hospital for 3 weeks. When he was released there was no follow-up care. No referral to VA - He wore leg braces due to injuries sustained when he bailed out. He could not find employment. Refused unemployment benefits. He could not stand, sit, walk for any length of time. He insisted on having his disability status reduced because he said he could not obtain employment with the status he was given. He would lie on the sofa for hours, twisting his hair. He eventually enrolled in art school (as a Prisoner of War (POW) he began creative projects - sculpting) and met a girl. He was in love with an 18 year old girl he met in England - and wanted to marry her - she did not want to leave her mother - and the relationship was over. During the time he has on vacation - in L. A. he was terminated by the firm he worked for in Valparaiso - he had been the last hired -and there was a down turn in the economy. His girl friend (Jean) in L. A. lived 1 hour away (no freeways then) He would drive out to her home - drive back to L. A. then drive her home and come back to L. A. He was living with us at this time. Prior to going to art school he had tried desperately to find employment. He couldn't even he fired by the post office - due to his disability. I hadn't a clue as to what was happening - I was a vapid teenager with my own agenda. I don't believe we ever had one serious conversation. My mother blamed my father for Larry's circumstances because 'he encouraged Larry to enlist'. On December 10th Larry cut the hose in our back yard - Sometime during the night of Dec 11 1948 he parked his English Flying Standard convertible a block away from our hillside home in Hollywood - attached the hose to the exhaust and ended his tortured life - at age 26.



POW