In the year 2003, which was the beginning of the Iraq war, I had the feeling that our countries friendship was in jeopardy as it was heavily threatened by the then German political party and Chancellor's agenda.

  My personal opinion is, that overturning an abominable tyrant and liberating the Iraqi people was never unjust.

  As a German and a citizen of Dachau it  was to learn from history, that a time may come, where commitment, where fighting against a tyrant is the only right thing to do.

  In case other countries at time of WWII would have similar denied such commitment, we would have a world of unfreedom and oppression today.

  Never should it be forgotten, that the United States immensely helped Germany after WWII, and that peace, freedom, justice and prosperity was established with the help and sacrifice from people of the United States.

  Additional 9/11 had a lasting impact on me and my wife Evelin, as she was in New York only two days before planes crashed into the towers.

  That's why I've decided to stand up for this friendship, show that nothing is ever forgotten, and  show a different view of the German people, different to the one propagated by the media.

   And so I've created the Purple Heart Jewel

  In the year 2008 the perfect connection was established, as I got in contact with the 42nd
Rainbow Division Veterans Memorial Foundation RDVMF.

  The 42nd Infantry "Rainbow" Division I knew as the liberators of Dachau, but I did not expect them to be still existing as an organization 63 years after end of WWII. This was nevertheless the case and so my gift came finally into the right hands on June 15th 2008. RDVMF donated my gift to the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond, where it is today for public view.

  Because of my service to the RDVA I was awarded  Honored Member status and on May 25th, 2009 was presented with an Honored Member Certificate.