Siegfried Weinthal was born in February 1929 in Esens, Germany, a small town in Northern Germany. His childhood did not last long. As a young boy, he and his brother were forced to leave school. The German children threw stones at them because they were Jewish. Jewish owned businesses and the town synagogue were destroyed. His father was eventually sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp [Annotator's Note: Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany; primarily political prisoner camp], but was later released when Goering [Annotator's Note: German Reichsmarschall Hermann Wilhelm Göring, or Goering, commanded the German Air Force and was second only to Adolf Hitler in the Nazi chain of command] passed a resolution allowing World War 1 veterans to be freed. In 1940, Weinthal's family received sponsorship from relatives in the United States and managed to flee Germany. When he was 11 years old, Weinthal and his family boarded a train to Italy where they boarded an American ocean liner, the SS Washington, and made their way to New York City [Annotator's Note: New York, New York]. His family was grateful to have the opportunity to flee because so many friends and relatives did not. In school in America, Weinthal never experienced any anti-German or anti-Jewish sentiment directed at him. The hardest part was learning to speak English. After a year living in New York City, Weinthal's father moved the family to Hartford, Connecticut where he found work as a butcher and eventually opened his own market. Weinthal was working as a bellhop in a hotel when he found out about the attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. He was shocked by the attacks. Weinthal had no relatives that joined the military as they were all older than military age. He followed the war by listening to the radio, reading the newspapers, and listening to what other people were saying about it. His father was a quiet person and did not talk much about his thoughts on the war and how it impacted him as a World War 1 veteran. Weinthal was too young to aid in any significant way for the war efforts. To make some money he had a shoe-shining business. He would also pick tobacco at farms outside of Hartford and set up pins at a bowling alley. For VE-Day [Annotator's Note: Victory in Europe Day, 8 May 1945], Weinthal was home and still struggling to learn English. A big celebration broke out in Hartford, and everyone was happy that rationing would soon be ending.

In April 1946, Siegfried Weinthal enlisted in the Army because he wanted to return to Europe. After basic training in Fort Eustis, Virginia and technical training in Cheyenne, Wyoming, he was sent to the West Coast with orders to the Pacific. His father and mother spoke with some people back in New York and his orders were cancelled. New orders were given to report to Europe. It was a different feeling being in Europe from when he was younger. He did not fear being Jewish. Weinthal was assigned to guard duty over a stockade in Marburg, Germany overseeing American prisoners. Weinthal does not recall what regiment he was with at that time. After only 30 days of this, he was sent to Steyer [Annotator's Note: Steyer, Austria] with the 4th Constabulary Regiment for border patrol alongside Russian troops. The Russians were very friendly, and they often traded cigarettes. He did not stay on this duty for too long because he suffered an injury. Once, while playing softball, Weinthal developed a hernia and was hospitalized. While Weinthal recuperated, the hospital chaplain discovered he was fluent in German and managed to have the company commander assign him to the Austrian Youth Activities, at a school in Linz [Annotator's Note: Linz, Austria], as a gym instructor. Weinthal enjoyed this duty but regrets that he was not able to be promoted. He taught children how to box, wrestle, and other sports. He would buy the kids clothing and take them out on picnics. The only time he ever saw his company commander was on pay day. After two years, the 4th Constabulary Regiment turned its duties over to Austrian officials and Weinthal was transferred to the 350th Infantry Regiment [Annotator's Note: 350th Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division] in Hoersching [Annotator's Note: Hoersching, or Hörsching, Austria] on a former Nazi airfield. Weinthal was assigned to duty in the recruiting office and was promoted to the rank of corporal. Shortly after, Weinthal was transferred back to Linz and assigned to the 572nd MP Company [Annotator's Note: 572nd Military Police Company] where he drove a jeep and conducted patrols around the city with Austrian police forces. Weinthal returned home in February 1950 and decided not to enlist when his return to Europe could not be guaranteed. He was discharged with the rank of corporal. A couple of months later, war broke out in Korea [Annotator's Note: Korean War, 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953]. He found a job working in the delivery service at a wholesale beef house. Weinthal did not take advantage of the G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment].

Siegfried Weinthal's most memorable experience of World War 2 was when he returned to his hometown of Esens, Germany as a GI [Annotator's Note: government issue; also, a slang term for an American soldier]. He talked with relatives and friends there about life before and since he had fled with his family. He stayed at the home of his family's former maid, and visited his school, synagogue, and the train station where he played as a kid. He joined the service because he wanted to do something for his country. During his service in Europe, he hoped to have stayed longer, but the Army would not allow it. He would join the service today if he was young enough. He also served in the Navy in 1958 for four years. He was assigned to shore duty in New Jersey. After one year, he was stationed on a destroyer out of Newport, Rhode Island, for three years until his service expired and he discharged. There is a lot of history behind World War 2, and America. He believes there should be institutions like The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana], and the country should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations, so they know what took place. He believes a lot of kids do not understand what happened in the 1940s.