It’s been almost 70 years since World War II veteran Harold Schwerdt, 94, served his country, and spent almost two years as a prisoner of war in a German prison camp. Decades, and yet, when Schwerdt tries to talk about his experience, his eyes well up, and he finds the pain of those memories as real as if they happened yesterday.
Sharing those memories, though, is a gift to future generations and makes history come alive — and will serve as an impetus for many to join the American Legion, an organization of which Schwerdt is a lifetime member, an honor given by the president of the United States. That’s why, this year, Schwerdt shared his story, with the hope of focusing on the importance of keeping the American Legion alive and vibrant for the generations to come.
Describing his war experience, Schwerdt said, “I was flying in a B-17. We got shot up pretty bad. We circled the airport but we couldn’t land because of the landing gears. The plane had 60 flack holes, that I counted. We were flying on one engine; three got shot away. We all bailed out. The tail disassembled. That plane was all shot up. We were fortunate to get out. A few of us got hurt.”
For two years after, Schwerdt was in a German camp. His voice quiet, he said, “I don’t want to talk about being a prisoner of war, how was it. I get filled up. It bothers me, at night.”
During his time as a POW, Schwerdt was held in several different camps. “It was no picnic,” he said.
Schwerdt lost his identical twin brother, Arthur, in World War II. “He was killed on a PT boat; he served in Japan,” Schwerdt said. “I was in a prison camp and they wouldn’t tell me.” Later, he learned the sad news. “My mother had three of us in the war. Two in the Navy and me in the Air Corps.”
Schwerdt was drafted into service at 22; his twin brother enlisted in the Navy, he said. “Two days after he enlisted, I was drafted,” he said.
His family grew up in Jamaica, Schwerdt said. According to an article in the Long Island Daily Press, printed on June 18, 1945, Schwerdt, a technical sergeant, was liberated on May 5 by 3rd Army Troops, according to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Schwerdt. “Sergeant Schwerdt was on a 200-mile -forced march from Krems, Austria, when he was released by American soldiers. He had been a prisoner since July 30, 1943, when the Flying Fortress on which he was a waist gunner was shot down over Cassel, Germany. Sergeant Schwerdt is a graduate of Public School 117, Jamaica, and Jamaica High School,” the article stated.
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was a four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps.
“Coming home was wonderful, after we were liberated,” Schwerdt said. “The last few days before liberation were terrible,” Schwerdt said. “We were on a march for 18 days with no food, or anything. We had no place to sleep. If we got parcels, they were opened and things taken out. You have to have someone to watch your back in prison camp.”
Remembering his service, Schwerdt said he had six missions, with two aborted. Remembering his last, fateful mission, Schwerdt said they were located “just before the furthest penetration in Germany, where there were no fighter planes available. “When we were shot down and had to leave the squadron, we were just floating ducks. The Germans shot the hell out of us when they should have been shooting at the guys that were still flying the planes.”
Schwerdt, who lost a finger during the war, received a Purple Heart for his bravery. The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the armed forces of the United States who are wounded at the hands of the enemy. “My parents got the citation,” he said.
Later in life, Schwerdt married his late wife of 62 years, Loretta, and worked as a supervisor with the telephone company. The couple had two daughters, Patricia, who passed away, and Marianne Sawicki of Riverhead.
“When you’re growing up, you don’t realize what he really went through,” Sawicki said, her voice filled with tears.. “And today, I’m so grateful, and so very proud of my father. And I’m so blessed to have him in my life. He’s a role model, an incredible man, and everybody loves him.”
Once back in the United States, the American Legion has served as a touchstone for Schwerdt and countless other veterans, he said. “The American Legion is my second home. Such a nice group of people, helping one another,” Schwerdt said.
The American Legion hopes to garner a younger generation, and gain new members to keep the organization vital in the years ahead. The American Legion, formed in 1919, said Southold’s American Legion Post 803 vice commander and historian Charles J. Sanders, is built upon “four pillars” including veterans affairs and rehabilitation, national security, Americanism, and children and youth.
His fellow veterans at the American Legion said Schwerdt is an inspiration. “What I know about Harold is that he is probably the most generous human being I’ve ever met. He has cared for every member of the post as if they were his children,” said former commander Earl Brock. Over the years, he said, Schwerdt has been a fixture at the American Legion, running the weekly Bingo games. “He has been like the mother hen for over 25 years, and more supportive of this post then any other person. He’s just a phenomenal human being.”
Schwerdt, he added, may be turning 95 in January, but is still vibrant, playing nine holes of golf and bowling twice a week.
Sanders added that Schwerdt is a major supporter of all the American Legion’s events — and applauds Schwerdt’s efforts to raise awareness about the organization. “Younger guys don’t understand what the American Legion is about,” he said. “It’s designed to help those coming back from war” including those who’ve faced life-altering situations in Iraq or Afghanistan, he said.
On Veterans Day, Schwerdt said he wanted to share his story to “give credit to all the veterans” and urges others to remember their tremendous sacrifice. On his license plate, he said, are the words “Former POW. People come up to me and say, ‘Thank you for your service.’ That means so much.”
