3: **HEADLINE:** Remembering Resilience and a WWII Hero: The Children's Tree and the Legacy of Edward Shames **GUEST NAMES:** John Batchelor (Host), Thaddeus McCotter of American Greatness, and Malco

HEADLINE: Remembering Resilience and a WWII Hero: The Children's Tree and the Legacy of Edward Shames GUEST NAMES: John Batchelor (Host), Thaddeus McCotter of American Greatness, and Malcolm Hoenlein 200-WORD SUMMARY: The program discussed the dedication of the Children's Tree in Battery Park, a powerful symbol of resilience and hope grown from cuttings of a tree secretly nurtured by Jewish children at Terezín (Theresienstadt) concentration camp during the Holocaust. In 1943, teacher Irma Lauscher courageously smuggled the original sapling into the camp so that children could celebrate Arbor Day and maintain a connection to life and normalcy amid unimaginable circumstances. The children sacrificed their precious water rations to care for the tree, demonstrating extraordinary determination and spirit. The 15-foot tree now standing in Battery Park will be cared for by children at the Battery Park School, ensuring that this legacy of hope continues for future generations. The segment also paid tribute to the late Edward Shames, the last surviving member of the legendary Band of Brothers (Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment), who died at age 99. Shames participated in D-Day (Operation Overlord) and was among the first members of the 101st Airborne Division to enter Dachau concentration camp upon its liberation, witnessing firsthand the horrors of the Holocaust. In a remarkable footnote to history, he later acquired Hitler's private cognac from the Eagle's Nest, a personal memento from the fall of the Third Reich. 1698 JERUSALEM The segment also paid tribute to the late Edward Shames, the last surviving member of the legendary Band of Brothers (Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment), who died at age 99. Shames participated in D-Day (Operation Overlord) and was among the first members of the 101st Airborne Division to enter Dachau concentration camp upon its liberation, witnessing firsthand the horrors of the Holocaust. In a remarkable footnote to history, he later acquired Hitler's private cognac from the Eagle's Nest, a personal memento from the fall of the Third Reich.