Ryan Jones | SWoCo

Fred Way III holds a photo of his father, Capt. Fred Way Jr., at his home in southwest Roanoke County.

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Capt. Fred Way Jr.

If you have any information regarding soldiers who may have served with Capt. Fred Way Jr. in the 639th Anti-Aircraft Battalion, please contact news@swo-co.com.

Sixty-three years ago, Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany was liberated by American forces. Capt. Fred Way Jr. was stationed at the camp in the aftermath of its liberation. There, he met Leopold Lowy.

Lowy, a 14-year-old Czechoslovakian Jew who had been a prisoner in the camp, had no living family in Europe by the end of the war. He did odd jobs for Way and other soldiers of the 639th Anti-Aircraft Battalion in exchange for food.

When the Battalion was set to leave Buchenwald, Lowy asked if they would help him get to New York City to find his uncle.

Now, Capt. Fred Way's son -- who shares his name -- keeps in contact with Lowy, regularly exchanging letters and holiday greeting cards. Fred Way III even had the chance to meet Lowy and his family at their home in New Jersey during the summer of 1994. There, he learned the full story of the help Lowy received from the captain.

"He [Lowy] wouldn't talk much about his own experiences in the camp, but he talked about my father and what happened," said Way III, of Southwest Roanoke County.

Lowy, now in his late 70s, told Way III how the captain finally agreed to take him to America after his third request.

"My father got him papers and was able to get him on a boat to New York where he found his uncle and some other relatives," said Way III.

Though the senior Way, who died in 1994, found it difficult to talk about his wartime experiences and rarely communicated with Lowy beyond the occasional greeting card, Lowy never forgot the help he received.

According to Way III, Lowy shook his hand at the end of their 1994 visit and said, "If It wasn't for your father, I wouldn't be here."

Lowy planted a tree in Israel in Captain Way's honor and even had an insert put into the Congressional Record, detailing the act of kindness.

While Way III says he appreciates all that he has learned from Lowy, he would like to find out more about his father's experiences in World War II. He estimates that many of the soldiers who served with his father in the 639th Battalion were from Virginia and he would like to contact them.

"It would mean a lot [to talk to them]," he said. "He [my father] rarely talked about things. I would just love to talk to some of these guys."

Way encourages anyone with information about soldiers from the 639th Battalion to contact him.

"I'd just be real interested to meet one or more of them and get an idea of what they went through and see if they have any memories of my father."