James Hoyt

World War II veteran James Hoyt was one of the four soldiers who discovered the concentration camp Buchenwald on April 11, 1945. The discovery led to the liberation of the camp. Hoyt died on August 11, 2008 in his hometown Oxford, Iowa. He became 83 years old and was survived by a wife and six children.

Fast Facts

1. Born: May 16, 1925
2. Died: August 11, 2008
3. Served in the 6th Armored Division of the U.S. Army during World War II
4. Hoyt was 19 years old when he and three other soldiers discovered Buchenwald
5. The prisoners were already in control of the camp¹
6. Two of the soldiers climbed through a hole in the fence¹
7. The soldiers told their superiors about the discovery and the camp was soon liberated¹
8. Hoyt returned to Oxford after the war, married and had six children
9. After returning, Hoyt worked for the U.S. Postal Service for over 30 years
10. Hoyt was deeply affected by what he saw at the camp and as late as 2008, he had nightmares and was in group therapy¹

The Oxford Project

Hoyt rarely talked about the discovery of the Buchenwald camp, but he recently told his story to the journalist Stephen Bloom in the upcoming "The Oxford Project," which follows the residents in Oxford from 1984 to 2004.

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