Alice “Litzie” Trustin Shoah Foundation Testimony Transcription (Part 4)

Number four, interview with Litzie Trustin. Litzie, can you tell me a little more about your thoughts during that period of time when you had first met Yale, you were going together, taking into consideration your background and his background?

Well, I'll tell you, the biggest impression was that I couldn't believe there really could be someone as kind, as good, as caring, as thoughtful as Yale. You know, one thing about over there, there were probably 50 men to every girl, so dating was a headache. And because it was, you know, it was much too much of a good thing. And I met a lot of people, and I met a lot of nice people, but when I met Yale, from the very beginning on, I always said he should have been a rabbi or a teacher. He really should have been, because he has such a heart and soul. And I really didn't think that there could be someone in this world that could be this wonderful. And I just kind of played it cool because I couldn't believe it. I really couldn't. [phone ringing] But we had such a good time because we both loved music and singing. And I remember we used to be in the car 'cause he had this little German Adela, which was a disaster of a car, really, but it was cute and it ran sometimes, and we always had a friend or two along, most of whom also liked to sing. And we used to sing in the car, and, of course, he plays the piano, and wherever we went, if there was a piano, we would be around the piano, singing. And I love to dance. Now I must tell you this, Yale is not a good dancer. But I tried. And [Litzie laughing] after many years, we do quite well. But, you know, it was such a happy time because, for once, you were free of worry, you were beyond, unfortunately, doing anything to help anyone anymore. And maybe it was catching up with being a teenager that I never was, you know? Finally, I was allowed to have fun, and I could do it and and I could enjoy it and there was nothing wrong with it. And, you know, on the weekends we would go to the DP camps. And on Saturday night there was always a party somewhere. And we had wonderful friends. They were all American, I must say, because I really didn't see anybody else. And they're very dear friends to this day. We see them, we visit with them, sometimes they come through here, sometimes we see them wherever they happen to live. And it's our military life, which didn't last that long, and it lasted until after Korea, when he came back from there, was a very, very good time of our life. Yale just felt he could do more in civilian life than he he could do. And I'm not so sure that's really true, but anyway, those are the decisions that were made. And it was a very, very happy time. We did a lot of traveling. We knew some great people. And coming back, of course, coming to the States, that was a shock, too.

Well, let me go back. When in this relationship did you start thinking seriously?

Well, this is funny. Now, you see this shows you my negative nature. I never allowed myself to. And that goes back to my childhood and my fear. I never dared wish for anything because it couldn't possibly happen. That was my attitude. It couldn't happen, so I'm not gonna think about it.

Did you dream of the tomorrows?

I don't think at that time, because we were so busy having such a good time, really, and I enjoyed working and I enjoyed the people with whom I was working and so on, but Yale was, you know, at a certain point, I think it might have been like June or July, he was transferred back to the States. And, this was kind of funny, he actually asked me if I would come to the Consulate with him and fill out some forms in case we should decide something serious, you know? So, we went to the American Consulate and I filled out all these forms. But, you know, I left it right at that. And then he got to the States and he had a leave and he got home to Omaha. And the next day I had a cable. [Litzie laughing] "Will you marry me?"

That was his proposal?

That was, yes. The day after he got home. So when I got the cable, I had no doubt in my mind at all, but I really did not allow myself to think it. And, you know, I still have that tendency. You know, I go to meetings and things and people will discuss certain things and they will come out with these terribly positive attitudes, and I can't believe what they're saying. How can they think that way? They don't even know what they're saying. They're just going by their own egos. And I don't know if that's good or bad, but anyway, that's how it affected me. And I'm sure it isn't good, because I think it's better to be positive. I think you're a happier person for it, even if it doesn't always work out. But this is how it happened. And so then his mother was the next one to be very surprised [Litzie laughing] because I sent a cable the next day. It took me a day. I sent a cable the next day and all I said was, "I will. Love, Litzie." And Mother got it over the phone and she couldn't imagine what this was all about. [Litzie laughing] So that's how it was decided. And we were married in Omaha.

How long did it take before you were able to come to this country?

Well, I had to end up getting a lawyer in England because of these stupid, Austrian, long-winded things. And once I got a lawyer, it worked very quickly. And we were married, then, in Omaha. Buzz will remember exactly what month he came back. I think it was something like early summer, and then we were married in August. I came here a week before the wedding, in a heat wave, of course.

You came over as what? As a displaced person?

No. Well, no. See, I was not a displaced person. I was, what do they call it in England? That's another thing that I had to send to Vienna and I don't have anymore. What on Earth did they call us? See, we were considered stateless. That's what. See, the British were a little concerned, too. They weren't sure, you know, if some of us might have been possibly Nazis or communists or who knows what, so they didn't want to give you citizenship, especially during the war, naturally. And then right after the war, I went to Europe, I mean, back to Germany. So I didn't apply for British citizenship. And so, I got this funny thing [Litzie laughing] and that was sufficient. And with that, I was able to get to the States, and I filled out these papers in the Consulate, whatever they were. And it wasn't too, too horrendous, but, obviously, a lawyer had to get into the picture. And so then we got here and we had this beautiful wedding at Aunt Sylvia and Uncle Fred Sprotki's house, in their solarium, which was so lovely. It was seven o'clock at night and there are all these beautiful candelabras and it was so hot, the candles melted [Litzie laughing] and so did we. But nevertheless, that's where we were married. Yeah, that was very, very nice.

Was Yale still in the service at this time?

Oh, yes. He was in the service and he was in uniform where we were married and he stayed in the military, in the Air Force, until after Korea, '53. After we were married, we were stationed in Dayton. And then we were at Wright-Patterson. And then we were stationed at Miami International Airport where he trained to fly C-119s, which are now antiques, but that's what they used for dropping material and troops over the front lines in Korea. And, from there, he went to Korea and I thought I could go to Japan. Oh, I was so looking forward. I love traveling. I love traveling. And I was so looking forward to going to Japan, but they decided that they wouldn't allow families. It was his combat tour, so I never got there. But after Korea, he decided he'll stay in the reserves, which he did. If they ever wanted him, you know, they can recall him, but he then went into business in Omaha with his Dad and then started his own business here.

And when did you begin your family? And tell me about your family.

Well, that's a funny story, too. We were stationed in Dayton, at Wright-Patterson, and we lived in this little summer cottage where the kitchen slanted and the stove slanted with it. And I, who couldn't cook anyway, had a terrible time, but it was funny. You know, everything was funny then. And I wanted to get a job, a civil service job, which, you know, I had had in Germany. And I thought, you know, this would be a great thing to do for a while. And Wright-Patterson is a big base, lots of jobs. And I had, you know, some qualifications. And, unfortunately, because had I been a British citizen or had I been a German citizen, I could have gotten a job. They didn't have a payroll. You see, they had payrolls for different nationalities. There was no payroll for stateless. I couldn't get a job. So after that, we decided, you know, if I can't get a job, I am going to go bananas sitting here in this little cottage, 'cause we had one car and, of course, he had to have the car. We might just as well have our first child. And so we decided that's what we're gonna do. And that's when Bonnie came along. And she was born in Dayton, Ohio. So that's how that came about. And we made some wonderful friends there, too, with whom we're still in touch. In fact, one of the wives with whom I became very friendly, they were just here last fall. The first time we had seen her since Dayton, Ohio. So that was really nice. And, I enjoyed, you know, I suppose having moved so much and not having a family base, the military really provides a wonderful umbrella for you. It surprising. They're very close. They're very helpful. Nobody has family with them, so they become your family, and those friends whom you choose to become your good friends are so supportive and so good that they're your friends for life. And I found it very comforting.

When were your other children born?

Mark was born in Dayton also.

While you were still in the service?

While we were still, yes. [Litzie coughing] And Mark was three weeks old when we were transferred to Miami, Florida Internationally Airport there, but there was no military housing there, so we were very lucky. Mother and Dad Trustin had friends who had friends who were out of town, and it was a duplex. And we were able to rent the duplex. We were only there for six weeks before he went to Korea. So we were very fortunate. And poor, little Mark, you know, it was cold when we left Dayton, Ohio. It was hot when we got down to Florida and then the hurricanes hit and, you know, we were there in that season, [Litzie laughing] but you know, when you're young, you don't let these things bother you. It's all part of the game. And it was interesting. We had some cousins, Yale had some cousins there, so that was really wonderful. We got to know them and their children. And they've been very dear throughout all these years. Still living there, and we saw them a year ago, the last time. So that was interesting. And then came the shock, because then I came to Omaha with the children, and of course, I didn't know anybody. And Dad Trustin was absolutely marvelous. And I know where Yale gets this. Dad would come every single morning at 7:30, before he went to the office, to say hello to the children. Every morning, you know, rain, shine, hot, cold, whatever it was. But it was a very hard time, because I really didn't know anyone. And you know, it's hard to get to know people when you have two little children and no car. Oh, I had a car then. I had a car then because Yale didn't have the car. But, you know, it was a whole different world. I had never been in a Jewish civilian community. And I really, to say it quite honestly, I had very little in common with them. And it was a tough time. Yale was gone from December '52, '53 to, I think it was about October '54. No, '52 to '53. And I think that was the toughest year for me, by far. But survived that, too. You know, all of a sudden you had to be an adult with two children all by yourself. And I often wished I had stayed at Wright-Patterson, where I had friends who were in the same position. And really, this is what people should do, unless they have their own family, you know? And Mother and Dad were wonderful, but they were, you know, Dad was in city politics and very busy and had his business. And Mother was one of the most wonderful women I've ever known, Trustin, but she was very busy. She was like Dad. I mean, she was so involved in so many organizations and so many events and she had so many things going, she really didn't have much time for all of this. And it isn't something you express, either, you know? You don't want to be a burden, so you take care of it.

And when was your last daughter born?

Lisa was born in Omaha. She was a surprise. [Litzie laughing] A lovely surprise. And that's when we realized we really have to build a house or something. And we, in due time, built this house, which is now 35 years old and left our old Dundee neighborhood. And now, of course, the children are scattered all over. Lisa's in San Francisco and Mark is in Durham and Bonnie is in Honolulu.

So none of your children live at home now?

None of them live at home.

And how many grandchildren do you have?

We have, really, four. Mark has two sons by his wife's previous marriage. And we have two granddaughters, who are Lisa's children. And so that's really very wonderful. It'll be fun to get them all together.

Well, I want to thank you for allowing us to come into your home and to tap into your brain and thoughts that you probably didn't wanna bring back again.

Well, you were very, very nice in how you handled this. I don't know how you do it, you did a marvelous job. You really did.

Thank you.

I appreciate it.

On behalf of Spielberg, survivors of the Shoah, "Visual History Foundation," I would like to thank you.

Well.

Is there anything that you would like to add in view of your lifetime?

First of all, I think it's one of the grandest things that this foundation is doing. No matter how much denial there is going to be, and it will keep coming up, and it's coming up right today with Buchanan's right hand man, I don't know if you heard this in the news yesterday, who is, well, they're not calling him a member of, but he certainly has spoken to a lot of these dreadful organizations who are very antisemitic, that there is an organization that is doing this. And also, I hope that people will continue to foster understanding with people who are not like them. One thing I didn't mention, and I'll just quickly insert it, for five years, I was a member of a panel of American women which was made up of a Catholic, a Protestant, a Jew, a Black and a moderator. And this was before there were any Civil Rights laws passed. This was in the early fifties. And we spoke from our own viewpoints to groups all over Nebraska and Iowa. And I know it did some good. And this is really what it is. You have to make people aware that as different as we may be in religious beliefs or philosophy, whichever bend you take, we are all humans and we need to work together and we need to touch each other in thought and in mind, and in touching and understanding. And this is bound to be a wonderful help in that direction. And I'm really delighted about it. And I thank you and the Spielberg Foundation.

Thank you.

My pleasure.

Litzie, can you introduce this man for me?

Well, I've only known him for almost 48, oh, really 49 years, 'cause we dated for almost a year.

Mm-hmm, right.

This is Yale Francis Trustin, my husband.

And Yale, can you tell me how these times changed your life, from the time you met Litzie, being a graduate of West Point?

I was stationed at Rhein-Main Air Base in Frankfurt, Germany, right after graduating, and I was in the Air Force. And so I was stationed at Rhein-Main and I had heard of the Jewish Welfare Board having a center in Frankfurt, and so I then became acquainted with their activities. And lo and behold, a young lady named Alice Singer had also been active. We would make trips to various DP camps and assist in their giving clothes and so forth. And also, we had Friday evening services there. And so at one occasion, I saw this young lady from kind of a distance, but it turned out that they decided we would all go to a local circus. And so we did, and I ended up sitting very close to Litzie, and I had not really been introduced formally to her before. And just in glancing over, it just struck me from the time that I saw her that she was quite unusual and a beautiful, young lady that I wanted to know more intimately. And I guess that started our, and just very fortunate that I had an occasion to be able to invite her to a party, and from there on-

A nonexistent party.

But [Yale laughing] yes, I then created the party. But we dated on a Saturday, I remember, and then I called and we dated the next Saturday. And then it was finally every evening we went out together for one year until I was sent back to the States. And as soon as I got home, Litzie says, the next day, it was probably a week.

No it wasn't.

I sent a telegram asking if she would marry me. And I didn't wanna wait until I got home because it was two and a half years since I had left the States, and I thought, "Well, maybe I had forgotten "what American young ladies were like, "and I that's why I was so infatuated." But as soon as I got back, I knew that was the one. And my Mother, immediately, when the wire came back, "I will. Love, Litzie," the next day we planned a wedding and our family not only accepted her, but were really-

They were wonderful.

Very elated that she became a part of our family. And it's been that way ever since.

Can you tell me how these years of marriage, what they've meant to you and you two together?

Well, it's been a wonderful time. 48 years, I believe.

It will be 48 years in August.

[Litzie coughing]