Monuments Man, Harry Ettlinger shared his WWII experiences as a member of one of the war's honored units. A Rockaway Township resident, Harry related his war-time adventures to a standing room only crowd at the Post hall. His story took him from a German, Jewish refugee in 1938, to Newark, NJ, to his service in the U.S. 7th Army. His story takes him to Baden-Baden, to Belgium, to Berchtesgarden, to Heilbronn Mine, to Munich, to Neuschwanstein Castle an other places. One of his assignments was to interview Hitler's personal photographer.
In response to the Nazi forces looting the great masterpieces of the European and Italian cultures, President Roosevelt ordered the formation of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives section, known as, "The Monuments Men." Their mission was to locate, identify, catalog, and return the cultural treasures to their rightful owners.
Representing the last 6 members of the Monuments Men, Harry received the Congressional Gold Medal at a 2015 ceremony in Washington, D.C. Harry's military experiences are featured in the Robert Edsel books, Rescuing Da Vinci and The Monumemts Men and the December 2013 feature movie, "The Monumemts Men."
View more history for Post 344 in Rockaway Township, New Jersey, New Jersey
