Michael Karkoc, 94,was officer in SS-led Ukrainian Self Defence League and later in SS Galician Division
Karkoc's next-door neighbor said he has known the Ukrainian immigrant for many years, and was stunned to learn about the Nazi past
Nazi SS files show he and his unit were involved in 1944 Warsaw Uprising
In 1949 Karkoc denied any military service to US immigration authorities
He lives in Minneapolis and worked for a nationwide construction firm
By Associated Press
PUBLISHED: 06:13 EST, 14 June 2013 | UPDATED: 13:02 EST, 14 June 2013
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Michael Karkoc, 94, pictured here in Minnesota in 1990, was a commander in a Nazi unit blamed for atrocities in the war, it emerged today
A top commander of a Nazi SS-led unit who lied to American immigration officials to get into the United States more than 60 years ago said Friday that he 'can't explain' his wartime service.
Michael Karkoc, 94, made the remarks to a reporter who knocked on the door of his Minnesota home to ask him about accusations that he burned villages filled with women and children.
He told American authorities in 1949 that he had performed no military service during World War II, concealing his work as an officer and founding member of the SS-led Ukrainian Self Defense Legion and later as an officer in the SS Galician Division, according to records obtained by the AP.
Karkoc's next-door neighbor said he has known the Ukrainian immigrant for many years, and was stunned to learn about the Nazi past of a man he has shared laughs with and known as a churchgoer.
'For me, this is a shock,' said Gordon Gnasdoskey, 79. 'To come to this country and take advantage of its freedoms all of these years, it blows my mind.'
Karkoc told American officials he was a carpenter, and records indicate he worked for a nationwide construction company that has an office in Minneapolis.
Following the war, Karkoc ended up in a camp for displaced people in Neu Ulm, Germany, according to documents obtained from the International Tracing Service in Bad Arolsen, Germany.
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