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U.S. presidential hopeful Barack Obama. (Reuters)
Last update - 17:53 28/05/2008
Aide: Obama misspoke when he said uncle liberated Auschwitz
By The Associated Press
Tags: holocaust, barack obama 

Barack Obama's campaign said Tuesday the candidate mistakenly referred to the wrong Nazi death camp when relating the story of a great uncle who helped liberate the camps in World War II.

The Democratic presidential candidate said the story is accurate except that the camp was Buchenwald, not Auschwitz.

"Senator Obama's family is proud of the service of his grandfather and uncles in World War II - especially the fact that his great uncle was a part of liberating one of the concentration camps at Buchenwald," campaign spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement. "Yesterday he mistakenly referred to Auschwitz instead of Buchenwald in telling of his personal experience of a soldier in his family who served heroically."
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Aides said Tuesday that his grandmother's brother, Charlie Payne, helped
liberate a Buchenwald sub-camp in April 1945 as part of the 89th Infantry
Division.

In a meeting Monday with veterans, Obama discussed the importance of improving treatment for soldiers suffering post-traumatic stress. To illustrate his point, he talked about his own family.

"I had an uncle who was part of the first American troops to go into Auschwitz and liberate the concentration camps. The story in our family was that when he came home, he just went up into the attic and he didn't leave the house for six months," Obama said. "Now, obviously something had really affected him, but at that time there just weren't the kinds of facilities to help somebody work through that kind of pain."

Auschwitz was liberated by Soviet forces as they marched across Poland in January 1945. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum says Americans liberated several death camps in Germany, including Buchenwald, Dachau and Mauthausen.

On April 4, 1945, the 89th overran Ohrdruf, a subcamp of the Buchenwald
concentration camp. Ohrdruf was the first Nazi concentration camp liberated by U.S. troops in Germany, according to the museum. A week later, on April 12, Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower, George S. Patton, and Omar Bradley visited Ohrdruf to see, firsthand, evidence of Nazi atrocities against concentration camp prisoners.

Obama's mistaken mention of the camp on Monday quickly generated Internet
chatter, ranging from puzzlement to outrage. The Republican Party demanded an explanation.

"It was Soviet troops that liberated Auschwitz, so unless his uncle was serving in the Red Army, there's no way Obama's statement yesterday can be true," said Alex Conant, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee.

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      1.   Obama`s mistake was understandable 11:54  |  dyinglikeflies 28/05/08
      2.   It Happens 12:25  |  Steve 28/05/08
      3.   Mauthausen 12:36  |  h 28/05/08
      4.   ok so now we understand? 12:39  |  hope 28/05/08
      5.   Obama 12:46  |  RMBach 28/05/08
      6.   Strip him of his US citzenship 12:49  |  El-Birawi 28/05/08
      7.   The story gets better each time 12:55  |  Francois Conil 28/05/08
      8.   Obama and McCain -Viewed by Danes 13:03  |  S 28/05/08
      9.   My Uncle was also one of the first Americans 13:22  |  Jack 28/05/08
      10.   His family entered Treblinka? It was deserted then 13:22  |  dyinglikeflies 28/05/08
      11.   A few more booboos and its bye bye Barak 13:28  |  PETER SM 28/05/08
      12.   Oh Paleeeze 13:39  |  Jane 28/05/08
      13.   Barack (derived from Barake in Arabic) Hussein Obama has 13:44  |  Moyshe Levine 28/05/08
      14.   Why so much fuzz about who liberated Auschwitz? 13:58  |  Dutch Dirk 28/05/08
      15.   Obama, Barake Hussein, will be a disaster to America and the 14:10  |  David Jordan 28/05/08
      16.   Look what an election campaign can achieve! 14:13  |  Axel 28/05/08
      17.   Obama should not be blamed for misspeaking, BUT..... 14:18  |  Swiss (Dino) 28/05/08
      18.   # 16 Axel....US doesn`t sweep the Russian 14:36  |  Lynn 28/05/08
      19.   # 17 Swiss.....it will get better as the campaign 14:47  |  Lynn 28/05/08
      20.   Shallow and trivial 14:56  |  Nathaniel 28/05/08
      21.   Innocent gaffe but read below who one of his key advisers says: 15:09  |  r 28/05/08
      22.   # 19 Don`t worry, Lynn, I have seen through Obama.... 15:15  |  Swiss (Dino) 28/05/08
      23.   #17 Actually, Swiss Dino... 15:19  |  Johnboy 28/05/08
      24.   Liberating the Camps. 15:31  |  David Nigel Braham 28/05/08
      25.   What do politicians and diapers have in common ? 15:48  |  Alex 28/05/08
      26.   Obama, will make a great president. 16:02  |  Stephen. 28/05/08
      27.   Blogs above?? 16:18  |  Rob of melbourne 28/05/08
      28.   # 23 Johnboy 16:37  |  Swiss (Dino) 28/05/08
      29.   Liberate This 16:40  |  Jack Paulden 28/05/08
      30.   Obama = Pinnochio 16:41  |  * BEN JABO 28/05/08
      31.   To h # 3 16:47  |  JordanisPalestine 28/05/08
      32.   To Steve # 2 16:52  |  JordanisPalestine 28/05/08
      33.   BEN JAVO Makes me laugh 16:58  |  Greg 28/05/08
      34.   I see that Senator Obama doesn`t know geography 17:02  |  Gee 28/05/08
      35.   to Axel 17:04  |  TAZ 28/05/08
      36.   NObama 17:07  |  TAZ 28/05/08
      37.   Steve - You shouldn`t vote...you`re Israeli...allegiance to who? 17:11  |  American 28/05/08
      38.   obama 17:11  |  joseph 28/05/08
      39.   The snoozing ventriloquists 17:11  |  Shmuelshachor 28/05/08
      40.   Obama misspoke 17:12  |  Dementia Praecox 28/05/08
      41.   JordanisPalestine - mistakes were made 17:13  |  MAN 28/05/08
      42.   TAZ - McCain experienced? 17:35  |  Greg 28/05/08
      43.   #16 Axel - You should check out History Books 17:38  |  * BEN JABO 28/05/08
      44.   JordanisPalestine - wow, this is twisted 17:39  |  Greg 28/05/08
      45.   and yet when his Church honored Farrakhan last year... 17:39  |  Avi 28/05/08
      46.   Obama`s Church gave Farrakhan MAN OF THE YEAR award 17:40  |  Avi 28/05/08
      47.   # 22 Swiss....I`m not sure you are correct about 17:47  |  Lynn 28/05/08
      48.   JEWISH RACISTS 17:47  |  AL 28/05/08
      49.   above 17:49  |  GK 28/05/08
      50.   # 42 Greg...and the GI Bill 17:51  |  Lynn 28/05/08
      51.   # 23 Johnboy ...yes, he did 17:54  |  Lynn 28/05/08
      52.   # 13. Barake? 17:54  |  Fritz T. 28/05/08
      53.   # 35 TAZ...Pleased to meet you 17:59  |  Lynn 28/05/08
      54.   To Greg #44 17:59  |  JordanisPalestine 28/05/08
      55.   To Al # 48 18:03  |  JordanisPalestine 28/05/08
      56.   # 26 Stephen of Geneve...I think it is a shame 18:04  |  Lynn 28/05/08
      57.   # 48 AL.....I guess you think you are the ONLY 18:09  |  Lynn 28/05/08
      58.   Obama mis spoke when he said uncle liberated 18:30  |  ruth 28/05/08
      59.   Obama`s miisspeak was only a "Snippit" 18:31  |  * BEN JABO 28/05/08
      60.   #37 American (So he say`s) 18:35  |  * BEN JABO 28/05/08
      61.   #42 Greg - Think of the GI bill as a pension plan 18:40  |  * BEN JABO 28/05/08
      62.   Lynn, BenJabo - really? 19:04  |  Greg 28/05/08
      63.   #50 Lynn - I love making repubs shut up 19:06  |  Greg 28/05/08
      64.   el mgana bakboula Mr Barak Hussein 19:07  |  Nagwa2000 28/05/08
      65.   Here are comparisons of fathers and uncles of McCain and Obama 19:08  |  Max Horoskopski 28/05/08
      66.   Obama misspoke Where was your Father ! 19:14  |  E Peate 28/05/08
      67.   Obama 19:17  |  Yariv 28/05/08
      68.   #8 THE DANES RULE!!! 19:18  |  Repo Man 28/05/08
      69.   # 63 Greg...I`m a Democrat 19:37  |  Lynn 28/05/08
      70.   #62 Greg - I really hate to tell you 19:43  |  * BEN JABO 28/05/08
      71.   # 61 BEN JABO...Greg thinks everyone should have 19:43  |  Lynn 28/05/08