The Silent Hero project provided me with a more personal look at WWII. Previously, lessons regarding the war tended to focus on events on a global scale and the impact that the war had on countries and economies; this project gives a very sobering, human perspective on the death and destruction of WWII. There's something very tragic, or perhaps heroic, about a young man fleeing Europe just to go back and few years later and die fighting the same evil that consumed his homeland. If he were still alive today, I would ask Strauss why he went back. I would ask him about his family back in Poland and why they stayed behind. I would ask him about making friends as an immigrant in a foreign land. For the questions that could be answered, the most helpful sources were the declassified letters of correspondence between the US Army and his friends, like Milton Schaffner, back in Erie, PA. These letters shed light on the whereabouts and origins of Strauss' family. Through researching my soldier, I gained a greater respect for the individuals behind the war effort. To be grateful for victory against tyranny is to be grateful for every footstep planted on enemy soil and every soldier fallen on the battlefield.