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Watch this remarkable story on In the Know with Willard Shepard !
(Writer’s note: In my three decades with NBC I had the opportunity to speak to Presidents, business and military leaders, famous athletes, movie stars, and sadly those who had caused great pain to families and entire communities. However, in reflection I think Sgt. Daniel Jacobson rivals the great positive influencers at top of the list. I found out about the now 105 year old when I was with his granddaughter at the U.S. Supreme Court when we were two of the FIU College of Law graduates being sworn in to be able to practice law before the high court. My time in an Air Force fighter jet over Iraq was nothing compared to what Sgt. Jacobson experienced in WWII, and my respect for all Army and Marines men and women from every generation has no bounds. Jacobson in a way, took all the atrocities directed at millions of Jews, and with a stroke of a pen taught Adolph Hitler, and any who thought, and think, like him that hatred and racism will never win. Jacobson’s message is one for the ages. It was an honor to share his birthday with him, and to share his legacy with you on the anniversary of his penmanship.)
The music is playing and shouts of happy birthday are filling the room. Yes, there are lots of birthdays but this is one most of us will never see. It’s birthday number 105 for Daniel Jacobson. He is the Jewish American soldier who survived his WWII trek fighting Germans, and made history when sending a very personal message about overcoming Adolph Hitler’s atrocities. It was a written message coming from a very unlikely place—- beneath Hitler’s personal letterhead. Monday May 6th marks the 79th anniversary of Jacobson writing. Recently, he exclusively told the Miami Community News program In the Know, “I mean I had completely forgotten about it. I’m really surprised the letter was saved.” 
But his writings have survived almost 8 decades to motivate those of the Jewish faith and anyone fortunate to learn of Jacobson’s fascinating adventure. We spoke to Jacobson from where he resides now, the Oakmonte Village complex in central Broward County Florida. Records show Jacobson went into the Army on January 14th, 1941. “And when I was drafted, I wasn’t smart enough then to know about what I was going to get into,” Jacobson said. Initially, he wasn’t impressed. “ I wanted to get out. I had enough of it, and when we went we were so unprepared for anything,” he said. “We used broom handles for guns. It was starting from scratch.” Regardless of his thoughts about their preparation, Jacobson went into combat for the first time his when his unit landed in Sicily in the summer of 1943. They started fighting up the Italian peninsula. “I’d seen so much and read so much about what was happening and everything there, I said I’m fodder. There’s no way I’m coming back,” he told us. Hitler had already taken control of much of Europe and was forcing Jewish business to close, and Jewish homeowners to leave their properties. In time, Jacobson would see first hand the depths of Hitler’s ultimate evils that were underway.
Back home in Oklahoma, readers learned all about Sergeant Jacobson in the newspaper.
His 45th Infantry Division moved on to France. The battles forged unbreakable bonds.
“You had your friends there and I’ll tell you—you had their back and they had yours. There was loyalty there. We were as a unit. I mean we trusted one another, “ he said. The 45th made its way into Germany. The Allies were winning. “We got him and we were all ecstatic,” Jacobson said. “There was just happiness—people—it’s just a feeling inside of you of relief that you have never had before.” 
On April 29th, 1945 his unit freed the 30,000 prisoners at the Dachau death camp outside Munich. Jacobson told us there wasn’t anything in advance that prepared them for what they would eventually discover. “No, it was routine. It was routine. I mean we had our orders. We did what we did,” he said. But once inside the camp, what Jacobson experienced is the one thing his son conveyed, is what he won’t talk about even 79 years later.
Of all that occurred, the letter Jacobson wrote to his wife is what cemented him into history. Assigned to guard Adolph Hitler’s Munich residence, which survived the Allied bombing, he took the opportunity to go into Hitler’s study and gather the German dictators own emblazoned stationary. “I saw stationary there. I picked up stationary. There were stamps there that had you know the Hitler swastika on it. I took all that … and then when I looked at the stationary and I see that it’s Adolph Hitler. I did get a tug. I can’t say I didn’t , but I said to me was a profanity to myself what I thought of him. And a Jew picked up his personal stationary and is writing letters on it on his stationary to my wife, and all my friends,” Jacobson said. His now famous penmanship starts, “ May 6, 1945: Dear Julia, And so, Hitler’s treasured stationary has come to this.” Jacobson went on to write, “ Well, in my first paragraph to my wife I wrote Hitler would be turning in his grave if he knew a Jew was writing on his personal stationary and telling of his defeat. “ The stamps show the letter to Julia came by airmail, and there were others Daniel wrote too. We asked if he realized he was writing history. “ No, no it is in my mind that I was getting even with Hitler for what he did everything and we got even,” he said.
His letter is presented in Washington for all to see at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum—the letter found 50 years after writing it by his children. “We are so honored with everything my grandfather has done with his life, “ said Jessie Saiontz who is Jacobson’s granddaughter. “It means the world that he’s still with us and he’s still with it. He’s an amazing, amazing human and he is just an inspiration to everybody that knows him. His life of service serves as a reminder to people because his story reverberates through decades of all of our lives.”
“Danny had the unique experience of invading Hitler’s office,” said Broward County Commissioner Steve Geller. For his birthday, the accolades came from the county where Jacobson lives. “It’s signed by Nan Rich the Mayor of Broward County—Congratulations,” Geller said and family and onlookers applauded. And that wasn’t all. “Danny was able to obtain Hitler’s stationary, said Judy Paul the Davie Mayor. She also gave Jacobson free rein for his birthday. “So you have a whole weekend named for you,” Paul said to cheers. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who has been to visit the WWII Veteran, sent honors from her district and Congress. Jacobson was surrounded by his children, grandchildren, and close friends. He became emotional when reflecting on his life’s adventure . “This is all like a dream to me right now. I can’t believe it’s happening. I don’t deserve all this. All I did is what 100 thousand more did what I did and they’re not getting any acknowledgment for it. All of them gave up their lives for this country and some people don’t believe this country’s good—-get out,” he said emphatically.
From his experiences 80 years ago, Jacobson worries about the world today. Russia invading Ukraine is just one concern. Jacobson sees the potential of history tragically repeating itself.
“We fought for democracy, “Jacobson said. “Right now people don’t even know about Dachau or anything. They have no knowledge whatsoever….History is there, “ he said in disgust. “If our allies can’t trust us we’re finished. I mean right now we are on the verge of it and I dream about this practically every night. “ And here at home with the January 6th riot and deep political divisions in America, Jacobson isn’t biting his tongue. “Nobody knows how close we are to becoming a dictatorship. Nobody realizes these things,” he stated. We asked the former Army Sergeant if that means he felt the U.S. is fragile at this point. “Very,” he said. “There are so many brilliant, brilliant, intelligent people can’t see it. They can’t see what’s been said what’s in the papers— was on television I mean what’s being said about this country —make this better America. America was good before it’s good now, but what it is going to be, well time will tell.” He concluded, “I’m very frightened.” Our time with him concluded with Jacobson expressing an educated fear from a man most would say has seen it all, and has now lived 105 years to tell about it.
