grelobe, I heard this on the BBC this morning, plus an extract from an interview she had given. It is amazing that just by Miep picking up and saving the loose papers on which Anne had written her 'diary' such an important piece of social/political history should have become available for the world to read about.

She worked tirelessly at keeping Anne's memory alive after the war, visiting schools and speaking about Anne and the war. A remarkable woman.

Rest in Peace, Gies Miep. As we lose more and more of these remarkable people, it falls on us to keep the memories alive and honor those who gave so much.

I read her memoir when it first came out. What an inspiration of courage! I admire Miep Gies so very much for her bravery, along with Raoul Wallenberg.

I have a neighbor who was a Jewish girl during WW II in France. She was hidden by a Catholic family in the country, in a barn. Her true story has always moved me.

Gies Miep was a remarkably brave woman, despite her claims of just being an ordinary person.

My father has an elderly friend, born in Poland, who was sent to a camp for displaced persons during WWII. He struck up a romance with a young Russian girl. One day he noticed her, and all the other Russians, being loaded into a truck. He took a dangerous gamble and lied to a distracted German guard, saying she was his sister and that she was on the truck by mistake. She was removed from the truck. No one knows what happened to the other Russians. True story.

They were married when the war ended and came to Canada. She died last year, following a long battle with Alzheimer's. Her husband is still living, but in failing health.

Thank you for posting this. Learning about the death camps in my early teens was my first genuine comprehension of human evil. She truly was a hero.

We are losing this generation. My own father, who joined the army at 17 immediately upon high school graduation, was just finishing up his training as the war came to an end, and served only in the occupation. He is now 83. There really are not many people left living who experienced WWII as adults.

It was a particularly well documented war. Newsreels had been invented and people were still writing letters on paper, so many primary sources will persist for a long time. Still, having the actual people who experienced these events living among us, able to have conversations and answer questions, is of immense value.

Rosefolly

I have a 91-year-old uncle by marriage who was a Marine in the South Pacific, and he has only fairly recently begun to talk about his experiences. My youngest uncle who died a few years ago never once talked about his European tour, not even to his wife.

I have a friend whose husband took part in the D-Day invasion, and he does tell his stories. They made a trip to Normandy at the time of the 50th anniversary, and their tour guide asked him to give the talk at the site. My friend said he became quite emotional while doing so.

I agree that Gies Miep is a heroine.

I read Anne Frank's Diary many, many years ago. I didn't remember about Gies Miep, though.

I had an uncle who died in the late 1980s who was captured in France toward the end of the war and spent time in a German POW camp. They were fed only black bread and water. As a result, he lost all of his teeth. Luckily, this was shortly before liberation, so he was only held there for 6 or 8 months.

I don't remember him talking about it, but my daughter interviewed his wife, my maternal aunt, after he died. My DD was writing a school report, so she learned about what he went through during that time.

I think there were probably many brave people in Europe during that time; most of them we will never hear about, though.