This is a collection of stories about the life of Henry Rick, who served in Patton's 3rd Army during World War II and whose tank was the third into Buchenwald Concentration Camp. He was honored as a Concentration Camp Liberator 40 years later.
About the Author: Asked what was the greatest accomplishment of his life, Brian Rick responded by saying it was the night he prevented a Vietnam Veteran from committing suicide. Brian was barely 19 at the time, however, guided by an internal moral gyroscope and having lived anything but a charmed life, Brian tapped into his own understanding of pain and saved a man from being overpowered by his own demons. Brian Rick was born and raised in Miami, Florida and came of age at a turbulent time in South Florida and the nation as well. The son of a Concentration Camp Liberator, whose tank was the third one into Buchenwald in 1945, Brian grew up in a world of race riots, refugee boat lifts, the aftermath of Vietnam, Watergate, Hurricane Andrew and 911. He saw his home town transform from a sleepy sparsely populated bedroom community with large areas of untouched wilderness to one of the most crime ridden urban areas of the country. By the time he was 30, Brian had already experienced several close brushes with death, taught in both an inner city school and at a university, worked for close to a dozen companies including a halfway house for convicted drug addicts, and had written three novels. Brian attributes his parents having had the strongest influence in his life as well as his former professor and best-selling author, James Lee Burke. The loss of both his parents, who left this Earth way too soon, was not only catastrophic but shattered many illusions for Brian Rick. But Jonah-like, Brian emerged from these canyons of despair to become a much wiser man with a real grasp on the meaning of life. Brian Rick holds a B.A. in History, a minor in English, post graduate study in Communications and an M.S. Degree in English Education Not one to be satisfied with hiding in the basement, or to be a mere spectator, Brian still finds himself drawn to the center of major events. In addition to pursuing a career in Public Information, Brian's volunteer work has included several presidential campaigns. He has met and conversed with former presidents, vice presidents and first ladies. Brian Rick and his wife, Angela live in eastern North Carolina, with their two dogs; Brandy and Sam.