In advance of Independence Day, the Simon Wiesenthal Center will honor Ed Royce, Sr., with its Distinguished Service Award. Mr. Royce, 91, is among the remaining veterans of the U.S. Army unit that liberated Nazi Germany's infamous Dachau concentration camp in 1945. The event will take place July 1, 2013, at 10:30am at the Museum of Tolerance, 9786 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles 90035.

Private First Class Royce was serving under General Patton as the American Army fought its way from Normandy through Nazi Germany. On April 29, 1945, members of Royce’s battled-hardened unit were the first Americans who walked through the gates of Dachau and witnessed firsthand the evidence of the incomprehensible brutalities and mass murder inflicted against Jews and other inmates. Dachau was one of the first concentration camps established by Nazi Germany in 1933.

At the event Mr. Royce will recall his experiences and show photos that he had taken of the liberation of Dachau. He will be joined by his son, Congressman Ed Royce (R-CA), his daughter Jennifer Winberg, survivors of Dachau, Wiesenthal Center officials and other community leaders. A U.S. Army Color Guard will be in attendance.

For further information please contact the Center’s Public Relations Department at 310.553.9036, join the Center on Facebook, www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent direct to your Twitter page or mobile device.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).