Trisha Faye

The POW's Legacy

Sale through the Author

$10 (Regular $15.99)

The world was at war. Country against country. Sometimes family against family. America sent hundreds of thousands of men and women off to fight in this battle for freedom. In return for sending our soldiers across the seas to other countries, we received thousands of prisoners on our soil. Over 500 POW camps sprung up across America, housing mostly German and Italian prisoners of war.

In 1944, Algona, Iowa was the site of one POW camp. The fabric of this small Iowa farming community changed almost overnight. For almost two years, the German prisoners contained within the barbed wire fences impacted the area in many ways.

Yet, despite the war time implications, the outcome was not an expected one. The German prisoners, under the direction of their comrade Eduard Kaib left a legacy that continued long after World War II was over.

In spite of the devastation that war brings to a country, sometimes small moments of friendship and kindness supersede, casting the light of hope to shine into future generations. Kaib and his helpers did just that, with their creation of a nativity scene that would last years after the war was over, and years after their death.

In some small fashion, this is a Christmas story. Yet, it’s more than that. It’s about people and their hearts.

Algona, Iowa was blessed when these two segments of humanity crossed during 1944 and 1945. The POW’s Legacy uses many memories and true-life events to share the story of how two different nativity scenes changed many lives. Although told in a fictional manner, The POW’s Legacy is a tribute to the people years ago – the Americans living in and near Algona at that time, and the German’s, captured and imprisoned far from their own beloved homeland.