Roman Luftglas was born in 1925 in Poland. A Holocaust survivor, Roman later worked in Germany at the American Joint Distribution Committee and showed movies to fellow survivors at DP camps. An American man named Dr. Haber gave Roman the opportunity he had been unable to fulfill: going to America. On a trip to Munich to clean his camera equipment, Mr. Luftglas learned that Dr. Haber had found a sponsor for him, the Jewish Committee of Columbia, SC, to come and live in the United States. Before leaving for the U.S., Roman spent time mastering trade skills such as welding and auto-mechanics in attempts to learn a skill that may be useful when he arrived in the States. Three months later on a Saturday in 1950, Roman arrived by ship to Columbia, South Carolina. Roman began to work immediately and held a series of jobs that required his technical and mechanical skills. After applying for citizenship, Roman was drafted into the United States Army at the age of 25 and was sent to Fort Jackson, South Carolina to begin basic training. Roman was then sent to Louisiana and was trained to be a CW operator which he mastered, though it was very difficult. Part of the 45th Infantry, also named Thunderbird, Roman was shipped out to Japan and two weeks later arrived in Korea to replace the 40th Division that had been wiped out. Roman spent many hours in a watch tower looking over both sides of the war and took action when necessary. The time that Roman spent in the Korean War was well served and he took many steps to insure his security and survival during the war. He used his skills that he already acquired to better serve his fellow soldiers and himself. He cut hair and showed movies in order to stay safe from patrol duty in the mountains of Korea. He was sent back to the United States and released from the Army at age 27, and moved to Hartford, CT where he met his wife, Goldie. Roman opened a camera shop in West Hartford that he has owned for 40 years. Recently, the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. has donated $10,000 in Roman's name for all that he has accomplished. Throughout his experiences he learned how to be an American by interacting with other soldiers and greatly values what he learned in the Army today. Roman learned to do everything to the best of his ability in order to be proud of himself and his accomplishments. He used the skills he had mastered to create a life that he is very proud of.
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