Adolf Adam was born in May 1940 and grew up in a small town in the Sudetenland. He had eight sisters and two brothers. His oldest brother served in the German Army and was killed in action. On 8 May 1945 he has a vivid memory of the Russians coming into his town to take it over while he and his family were hiding in a bunker. This was the same bunker his family used when there was an air raid over his town. By the time the Russians arrived in his town, his father was incarcerated by the Czech government and Adam can remember his family was starving. His mother was able to make soup and some bread. Sometimes they would go out at night and gather vegetables from a picked-over farm nearby. In January 1946, shortly after the Czech Republic's liberation, Adam's family was expelled from their home by their neighbors. They left most of their possessions. They took a train to Bavaria [Annotator's Note: Bavaria, Germany] and stayed at a refugee camp that was formerly a castle. They lived in the camp until February 1949. Within that time, his father reunited with his family.

Before and during to World War 2, Adolf Adam's father worked as a mechanic in a neighboring town and was able to support his large family. However, his father was incarcerated in 1944 because he refused to join the Nazis and fight on the frontline. He was released in 1946 to leave Sudetenland [Annotator's Note: now part of the Czech Republic] with his family. Adam's oldest brother fought for the German Air Force and was killed in action. When Adam's family left their home in the Sudetenland, they went to Bavaria [Annotator's Note: Bavaria, Germany]. It was difficult for the family to survive because the Bavarians did not like the refugees coming into their region and did not want to help them. Adam would often go to the farms and pick potatoes for food. Adam promised himself as a kid that he would do whatever he could to never be poor again. His father worked at various jobs in Bavaria until he moved his family to Baden-Württemberg, Germany to work for a textile company. Adam was able grow up and attend school in a small city nearby. He eventually moved to the United States in 1976. Adam recalled the adults may have discussed World War 2, but it was never discussed in school. Adam discusses that the triggering point for World War 2 was the aftermath of World War 1 with the Treaty of Versailles. According to Adam, the Treaty gave the Jews all the power, especially in the financial arena. The Jews would give loans with high interest rates, so many people could not get enough credit to get a loan to start a business and create jobs. Then, Hitler [Annotator's Note: German dictator Adolf Hitler] jumped in and changed everything. He believed Hitler did great in the beginning, giving every German citizen a job and building infrastructure in the country. The people of Germany began to trust and believe in Hitler. Adam explained that Hitler was doing a good job until he got mighty and stopped listening to his advisors. When Hitler began invading countries, he became power crazy. Adam believes it would have been impossible for Germany to take over the whole world. There were too many fronts to guard that caused its downfall. Adam remarks that Germany was advanced in weapon technology with the various rockets.

Adolf Adam remembers that the propaganda from the Nazi party was on the radio all the time. He remarks that people were not forced to listen to the propaganda, but many did so they could get news of what was going on at the frontlines. He does not recall his reaction to when Hitler's [Annotator's Note: German dictator Adolf Hitler] death was announced, but he does not necessarily believe Hitler killed himself in a bunker. From the end of the war to 1946, the Czech government and Adam's neighbors were pressing his family to leave because they did not want Germans in the Czech Republic. His family eventually left in 1946 and went to Bavaria [Annotator's Note: Bavaria, Germany]. While Adam and his family lived in the refugee camp in Bavaria, they were housed in a castle. They shared a large auditorium-sized room with five other families. They separated the family by hung blankets, so there was not much privacy. During the winter, the castle was very cold. In a corner they had a wood stove that was used to heat the room. He can remember the winters being bitter cold. They did not have flushing toilets; had to use an outhouse.

In 1976, Adolf Adam's work in a textile company brought him to the United States. He made a contract for three years and when sufficient time passed, he wanted to move back to Europe where he already had a house built. His company extended his time for another year, and then another year until Adam became comfortable in the United States and stopped asking to return to Europe. He lived in Wilmington, Delaware for several years and them moved to Greenville, South Carolina. Adam continued to travel all over the world for his company. However, as he got older, he began to slow down because it became too much to adapt to constant time changes. Adam recalls that during air raids, they would have to make a run for it and try to dive into a ditch or take cover somewhere. He also stressed that life was difficult because food was hard to come by. He also remembers that when the Russians took over his town, the soldiers would go house to house looking for liquor and women. He recalls that his family would hide his older sister if they thought Russians were nearing their house. He believes that his family was lucky that everyone survived.