Admin correction honors WWII veteran’s service, identity

When Pvt. Samuel Klaman was captured by the Nazis near Tunis in North Africa on Dec. 23, 1942, he kept a secret for three years that would save his life.

Liberated in the early morning hours by British soldiers on May 3, 1945, Klaman had concealed from his captors that he was Jewish. He also kept a diary and drawings of his time in captivity, identifying places, dates and names. Punishment for keeping such diaries could be very harsh, but Klaman wanted to keep an accurate record of his experiences.

Klaman died in 1995 at 79. His family donated his diary to the USS Lexington Archives, part of the Naval History and Heritage Command. Buried at Mt. Sinai Cemetery in Maine, an unfortunate administrative error led to the misspelling of his last name. Recently, his niece, Brenda Nicholas, went on a quest to correct the record.

“I made phone calls and contact with anyone who I thought could help,” said Nicholas.

Eventually, the request to correct her uncle’s marker landed on the desk of Marine Corps veteran Jennifer Bover, executive director of the VBA Togus Regional Office.

Her VBA team worked with the Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services and found a Selective Service card for Klaman to verify the correct spelling of his last name. Once confirmed, a new marker was ordered.

“We think veterans and survivors have no wrong door to VA,” said Bover. “We will move mountains to help anyone who contacts us for assistance.”

The new flat bronze marker was delivered to Mt. Sinai Cemetery on May 29. When Nicholas received the news, she was overjoyed. She’s planning a ceremony to unveil it.

“I’m so grateful that it’s finally being taken care of,” said Nicholas. “It looks wonderful, and I can’t tell you how much this means to me. It’s important for family to be here to honor my uncle’s service to our nation.”

Correcting Klaman’s marker came in time for International Jewish Day on Aug. 2. A bugler played Taps at the WWI Memorial in Washington D.C.

“It was an honor to play Taps for Mr. Klaman and all Jewish citizen-soldiers who have served our country,” said Kevin Paul, Operations manager of the Doughboy Foundation.

Jennifer Bover recorded a Memorial Minute in honor of Klaman.

To post a tribute to Klaman, visit here.