Two Native Americans who helped liberate Dachau
May 28, 2021
In commemoration of the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Dachau Concentration Camp by American soldiers, the Simon Wiesenthal Center Archives is highlighting the amazing story of two Native American soldiers who were twin brothers and how one brother helped liberate hundreds of prisoners.
The Freeny brothers entered the U.S. Army in 1940 as combat medics with the 45th Infantry Division. Organized in 1923 as the National Guard for Oklahoma, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico, the Division was activated for federal service in September of 1940. By 1943, when they set sail for the Euro.
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April 29, 2021 – In commemoration of the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Dachau Concentration Camp by American soldiers today, the Simon Wiesenthal Center Archives is highlighting the amazing story of two Native American soldiers – twin brothers – and how one brother helped liberate hundreds of prisoners.
Pictured above in 1942: Native Americans Bennett Freeny (L) and his identical twin brother Benjamin (R) were born on January 21, 1922 in Caddo, Oklahoma. The Freeny family is of Chickasaw and Choctaw descent.
The Freeny brothers entered the US Army in 1940 as combat medics with the 45th Infantry Division. Organized in 1923 as the National Guard for Oklahoma, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico, the Division was activated for federal service in September of 1940. By 1943, when they set sail for the European