Samuel B. Hagner letter to his parents

Samuel Benedict Hagner was born on 1 November 1925 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to George Willis Hagner and Evelyn Benedict Hagner. He had two brothers: George and John. Samuel grew up in a Quaker family and attended Oberlin College. He was inducted into the United States Army in January 1944 and trained as a medical corpsman. He went to Europe in December 1944 and joined the 7th Army. His unit were among those who liberated the Dachau concentration camp. After he was discharged from the army he became a psychiatrist. The collection consists of a letter dated 11 May 1945 written from Samuel B. Hagner, a medical corpsman with the 7th United States Army in Europe, to his parents George and Evelyn Hagner. In the letter, Samuel describes the severe conditions of starvation and sanitation that he witnessed in German concentration camps near Munich, Germany, including Dachau, after liberation. The letter is signed with Samuel’s nickname, "Dick."