We hope that this website conveys hospitality, caring, and professionalism because these are some of the qualities of our school and staff. Browse our website and become familiar with our school. Then, visit our school and meet our parents, students, and faculty. You will find that we are a welcoming community who values the opportunity to work with you in educating your children.
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What Makes St. Brigid School Special?
We will use this space to let you know about special activities, accomplishments of students and staff, and anything that makes St. Brigid School special. One of our former parents is fond of saying that "St. Brigid School is one of the best kept secrets in Greene County." We have decided that it should not be a secret any more!
L to R: Mirek Walczak, Michael Eberhardt, Don Casey, and Marek Lazarz
WWII P.O.W. Visits St. Brigid School
St. Brigid School students were visited in April by World War II prisoner of war, Don Casey, and learned of his experiences as a P.O.W. With Casey on his visit were Michael Eberhardt whose father was a P.O.W., Marek Lazarz, Director of Muzeum Obozow Jenieckich POW Camps in Zagan, Poland, and Mirek Walczak, Curator of Muzeum Obozow Jenieckich POW Camps in Zagan, Poland. All of the guests were in the area for the Stalag Luft III Reunion held in Dayton in April.
Casey was a prisoner of war from June, 1944 to April, 1945 in Stalag Luft III which was a Prisoner of War camp in Zagan, Poland during World War II. It was built in the spring of 1942 and housed close to 10,000 enemy military officers captured behind enemy lines. The camp consisted of wooden barracks, complete with kitchen, social and recreational areas, and bunked fourteen people to a room. This was not a typical enemy camp; the officers were quite comfortable, were not made to work, and enjoyed such pleasures as books, music, sports, and even formed theater groups and bands. Food was not scarce and Red Cross parcels were received. There was a unique respect between the German military officers and the enemy officers. Mutual respect even extended to the camp guards as prisoners were counted twice each day. Stalag Luft III was made famous by the prisoner escape attempt in March 1944. Originally about 200 men were involved in the escape and digging three tunnels named Tom, Dick, and Harry. On March 24, 1944, 73 men attempted to escape but 70 were captured and returned. Three European prisoners did escape. Hitler was furious about the escape and wanted all 70 executed. His officers convinced him otherwise, but 50 were still executed. A mass grave and monument serves as their final resting place. The movie, The Great Escape, brought this story to life on the big screen. More recently, a Discovery Channel documentary, Harry, A Tunnel to Freedom, was also filmed.
Stalag VIII was next to Stalag Luft III. It housed non-commissioned enemy servicemen. Having been built prior to Stalag Luft III, the barracks were built of brick in 1939. However, these men did not enjoy the same privileges as the officers. Approximately 20,000 or more men were housed in these quarters and that many more were shipped out to work in factories, railway stations, and on farms. Food was scarce and life was difficult.
Casey shared with students that he was a teenager at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. He spoke of American’s great involvement and coming together during wartime. Everyone stood up for their country. After Casey graduated from high school, he joined the Air Force and wanted to fly planes. He was only 18 years old. By February 1943, Don was a 19 year old 2nd Lieutenant Navigator who was training in Europe and would be part of a B17 Flying Fortress crew. Casey stated, “I looked at this opportunity as a real adventure and I was given a man’s job to do.”
Casey flew combat missions over France, Germany, and Poland. The Western Poland missions were eight hours in length with no food on the planes. The squadron of planes had fighter plane escorts on their bombing missions. Casey recalled one mission where the fighter escort fell back out of formation. The German planes were close by and flew alongside the B17 squadron. The Germans proceeded to fly ahead and then doubled back, shooting straight into the squadron. Fortunately, Casey’s plane had difficulty keeping up with the squadron, much to their advantage on that occasion. Overall Casey logged 25 combat missions and over 200 flying hours. The combat missions entailed bombing specific targets, never people.
Casey’s last mission was in June 1944 when his crew was sent to bomb oil refineries. The squadron was flying low for several minutes, making them vulnerable to attack. Germans began firing and Casey’s plane was hit on the right wing. The pilot gave the bailout order and all followed, jumping from 23,000 feet. Casey landed in the suburban area of Hamburg, Germany in front of a German military hospital. He tried to hide his parachute, but minutes later, he was arrested and taken to Stalag Luft 3. Upon arrival at the camp, Casey was taken to an interrogation room where he was reunited with his very own briefcase which survived the plane explosion. Casey talked about being about being allowed to read, listen to music, have decent food, and receive Red Cross parcels. Casey knew of the escape from several months prior. Superior officers warned new arrivals that there was no use in trying to escape because they would be shot. Casey stated he wasn’t going to attempt to escape because he valued his life.
Casey was at Stalag Luft 3 from June, 1944 to Jan. 27, 1945 when the Germans decided to move the prisoners elsewhere due to the Russians approaching from the east. Over 10,000 men walked for 50 miles and then boarded a train headed west. There is a yearly commemorative march to honor those prisoners held in Zagan, Poland. The new quarters were not like the previous camp. For four months, the men slept on the floor, battled fleas, and were slowly starving from the Germans keeping their food. In April 1945, the men were liberated and Casey recalls seeing General George Patton coming into the camp.
Casey received numerous medals for his bravery and service during World War II. He has also written a book, To Fight For My Country, and he presented two signed copies to St. Brigid Principal, Patricia Harner. Casey gave some advice to the students: “You are capable of doing a lot more things than you think you can and I encourage you to get a good education.”
Eberhardt guided the discussion and plays a key role in the planning of Stalag Luft III Reunions. His father, Charles, was a prisoner and arrived the day following the great escape. However, the elder Eberhardt never spoke about his time in Stalag Luft III.
Eberhardt invited Lazarz and Walczak from Zagan, Poland to the United States to assist them in their collection of interviews, information, and artifacts for the Muzeum Obozow Jenieckich P.O.W. Camps. Lazarz and Walczak told students the museum had no records after the evacuation in 1945. Students viewed photos from the past and current photos of the museum and grounds. Since its establishment in 1971, the museum has worked tirelessly to interact with former prisoners, their families, and anyone who can provide history information on Stalag VIII and Stalag Luft III. They are dedicated to keeping the memory alive and preserving the history of these camps and those who experienced this time. The museum houses many exhibits, life-size replicas of a P.O.W. barrack and the tunnel, Harry. Additionally, it is a meeting place for former P.O.W.s and their descendents.
Students received a commemorative postcard of the Stalag Luft III Reunion, Dayton, Ohio April 2012 and a WWII aircraft information card. Students asked questions of all the visitors. This learning opportunity for the students was arranged by Social Studies teacher, Colleen Gromek, and parent, Lynn Doohen.
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