Journal of Defense Management
Open Access

Abstract

Learning the Lessons of the Holocaust: A Case Study of the USA Coast Guard Academy

Alina M Zapalska and Erik Wingrove-Haugland

Holocaust education is a responsibility of all academic institutions; we are obligated to teach students about the reality of crimes perpetrated during WW2, to commemorate the victims, and to sustain a meaningful dialogue between history and memory. The Holocaust was not the first or the last genocide in the history of humanity, but it was unprecedented in many ways and is still the most radical attempt to destroy every member of a group without exception. This paper presents the Holocaust education strategies of the USA Coast Guard Academy. The paper argues that Holocaust education must provide future political and military leaders with an understanding not only of the human rights violations that happened under the Nazis, but also with modern examples of prejudice, discrimination and persecution that motivate genocide, and that this is best accomplished through active learning methods that include discussions with survivors and with peers who have visited historic Holocaust sites.