Holbrook Resident Honored for WWII Service

Holbrook's Harold Levenburg was among four World War II veterans honored by Rep. Tim Bishop at the Congressman's office Friday afternoon. 

The men recently joined nearly 400 other veterans at a ceremony at the WWII Memorial in Washington, which coincided with the premier of the HBO miniseries "The Pacific." They were flown down in April by way of the Honor Flight Network, which arranges free flights for WWII veterans.

"It was all very emotional," said Levenburg, who enlisted in the Army at 17-yerars-old in 1943. "It was something I'll never forget."

He spent three years and two months in the service and was part of the 80th Infantry Unit, Company H of the 342 Regiment. While spending time in both the European and Pacific Theaters of Operation, he was utilized as an interpreter of the German language.

Prior to the conclusion of the war, Levenburg said he was stationed in Salisbury, Austria, where Adolf Hitler's Eagle's Nest was situated. Had the war not ended, Levenburg said his regiment may have infiltrated the dictator's retreat.

"I probably wouldn't be here if we had done that," he said.

Though the war itself was a struggle and dangerous at times, Levenburg, 84, said he disliked the varying weather the most.

"It was bitter cold one day," he said, "then we'd spend day and night in the wind, snow or rain. I'm glad I'm back."

Levenburg, who brought a shadow box of the many medals he earned while serving his country, has lived in Holbrook for the last 22 years with his wife Sylvia. After the war, he was a private investigator.

"It was our own pride for our country," said Levenburg about the 16 million service men that fought for America in the Second World War.

To which Bishop replied, "It's not by accident your generation is called the greatest generation."