After the war he received an undergraduate degree from the University of Dayton, his masters from Miami University and his doctorate from The Ohio State University. He was a teacher and administrator for over 40 years in the Lakewood City School District.

Several years ago, he went to Washington D.C. with his family to visit the WWII Memorial. His son-in-law bought him a veteran’s ball cap which he reluctantly wore.

They also visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. The tour guide upon seeing his hat asked him where he served. He replied he served in Europe and liberated Dachau.

She exclaimed “you liberated me.” They embraced and cried together.

Richard Dutro is my Uncle and, although he will probably disagree with me, Richard Dutro is a true American Hero.

Why do I tell this story? Many of you know, or should know, about the yellow star attached to the clothing to identify the Jews in the camp. Did you know about the pink triangle for homosexuals, the purple triangle for Jehovah’s Witnesses, the green triangle for criminals, the red triangle for political prisoners or the black triangle for prostitutes?

Injustice then, injustice now. A teenage woman in Pakistan is shot because she wants to attend school. A woman in India is raped and murdered because she is considered to be a lower caste. Now, ISIS has beheaded and crucified children, sells them as sex slaves and has buried children alive.

As the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

What will you do when confronted with injustice?