This week we are honored to speak with Museum of Flight docent and Holocaust survivor, Pete Metzelaar. Listen as he describes his first-hand account of the devastating sound of war planes flying over Holland during World War II, and his journey to freedom.
Pete addresses the immense generosity of the family who allowed him and his mother to hide out in their farmhouse as Nazis raided the countryside. They had to be creative in constructing their hiding places, utilizing smaller cramped spaces like underneath the floorboards, even digging holes in the forest when raids continued. As the raids became so big and frequent they were forced to go on the run moving from town to town, eventually hitching a ride to safety in Amsterdam from an extremely unlikely source!
Pete concludes with a look on his life now and how he became a volunteer at The Museum of Flight. Pete regularly gives tours of the iconic B-17, something he at one time feared.
You can catch Pete Metzelaar on Fridays at the Museum sharing his story as part of our Storytelling program. He is also part of the speaker’s bureau for the Holocaust Center for Humanity which educates students of all ages about this unforgettable time in history. (Storytelling has been postponed until the end of March)
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