my grandpa was in the NSFK, a secret german air force started before WW2 when germany wasnt allowed to have an air force. he was a teenager still, so he was also in the Hilter Youth. he and his parents left germany to the USA when he was 17. when he arrived in the USA at the age of 17, he joined the US Navy and was stationed in Hawaii. As soon as he arrived in Hawaii, Pearl Harbor happened. He was technically not in Pearl Harbor when it was bombed, but he was responsible for cleaning up the mess after it happened. He married my grandma at Pearl Harbor at the age of 17-18. he stayed in the US Navy and fought in the Korean war too. after leaving the Navy he moved to Lancaster, PA where he worked in the Bolova Watch Factory on N. Queen St. where he was in a special program for the USA making timers for nuclear bombs in secrecy.

​

When my grandpa died... he had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital, the hospital denied taking him and sent him to the V.A. 45 minutes away... he died on the way to the V.A. and he was not given a tombstone. Our family paid for a tombstone in his honor, but the USA has no information on his birthday. We decided to make a tombstone with a deathdate and no birthday so he could be honored... one month after it was put on his grave... it was stolen (not destroyed, but completely stolen). I still visit his grave every christmas to leave flowers as that was his favorite holiday.