Long Island World War II Survivor Shares Story Of Survival With Students

EAST SETAUKET, NY — Three Village resident Erika Glus visited P.J. Gelinas Junior High School in East Setauket to share her remarkable story of escape and survival during World War II.

Glus baked a loaf of bread to share with students after her presentation during Mrs. Gobletz’s 8th-Grade English classes.

“As bread meant so much to her family during years of scarcity, it became a symbol of love and a way to express gratitude while spreading a sense of community and connection,” school district officials said.

She showed the class a photo of herself as a young girl in 1945

Glus and her four young siblings were living in Lithuania during the war, but after the death of their father by the Soviets, her mother knew she had to move away from the occupying forces, according to the district.

Glus told students of the strength of her mother during that time, wherein she packed up all of her children, a cow for milk, and the few possessions they could carry, and fled across Poland for a whole year before arriving in post-war Germany, the district said.

The family eventually made it to the United States.