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Voice of Russia
May 7, 2010
"Jumpin' Joe" Beyrle: A hero of two nations

US Ambassador to Russia John Beyrle speaks to Estelle Winters at the exhibition opening
Link to the video: http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/05/07/7457178.html

The Moscow Times
May 7, 2010
‘Hero for Two Nations’ Exhibit Opened by Beyrle
By Shura Collinson

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Three days before Victory Day, U.S. Ambassador John Beyrle opened an exhibition in Moscow dedicated to his father, who is believed to be one of just a handful of U.S. soldiers to fight for both the Soviets and the Americans during World War II.
“A Hero for Two Nations” celebrates the life of “Jumpin’ Joe” Beyrle, who joined up with Soviet troops after escaping fr om a German prison camp.
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Russia Today
May 6, 2010
WWII hero of two nations commemorated in Moscow

Moscow's Museum of Military Glory is holding an exhibition to honour the hero of two nations and the father of the US ambassador to Russia.
A traveling exhibit of war artifacts of the only soldier known to have fought for both the US and Soviet armies in World War II has finally arrived in Moscow.
Airborne trooper Joseph Beyrle was captured after parachuting into France and spent 10 months in Nazi POW camps.
He escaped in the spring of 1945 and then joined a Russian tank unit.
Knowing only two words in Russian, "American" and "comrade," he served with the unit for a month, helping liberate the prisoners at the camp from which he escaped.
“At a time when he was absolutely defenseless they took him in, they gave him a weapon, they fed him – he was starving in the prison camp,” the hero’s son and US Ambassador John Beyrle told RT. “This escaped American soldier was their ally. And he realized that being with them he was in safe hands.”
Opening the exhibition at Moscow's Poklonnaya Gora today, John Beyrle emphasized that the exhibit will help remind Russians that they have far more in common with Americans than they sometimes think.
“My father wanted to fight with Soviet soldiers till the end,” John Beyrle said. “He was wounded but still got the chance to go with them all the way to Berlin. The fact that he was determined to do so is very powerful symbolism that I’m proud to remember.”

The Times
February 20, 2010
Russia honours one of its heroes - American paratrooper Joe Beyrle
Tony Halpin in Moscow

He is believed to have been the only American soldier to fight against Nazi Germany for both the US and the Soviet armies.
Now the extraordinary life of Joe Beyrle is being honoured in a new exhibition in Russia that was opened by his son John, the current US Ambassador to Moscow, to commemorate the Allied victory over fascism. Mr Beyrle, nicknamed Jumpin’ Joe for his exploits as a paratrooper, was only 20 when he was captured by the Nazis three days after parachuting into Normandy with the US 101st Airborne Division on D-Day in June 1944. More

The St. Petersburg Times
February 19, 2010
U.S. Soldier’s Story Puts Relations in Focus
By Shura Collinson

The latest exhibition to open at the State Russian Museum this week puts the extraordinary wartime experiences of one U.S. soldier into the broader context of U.S.-Russia relations. “A Hero for Two Nations” celebrates the life of “Jumpin’ Joe” Beyrle, who is believed to be one of just a handful of U.S. soldiers to fight for both the Soviets and Americans during World War II after escaping from a German prison camp. The exhibition was opened at the Stroganov Palace on Thursday by Beyrle’s son John — the current U.S. Ambassador to Russia. More

RIA Novosti
February 19, 2010
Exhibit on war-time story of Joe Beyrle opens in Russia

"Jumpin' Joe Beyrle: A Hero for Two Nations," a traveling exhibit of war artifacts of the only soldier known to have fought for both the U.S. and Soviet armies in World War II opened in Russia on Thursday. Beyrle, who died in 2004, is a war hero both in the United States and Russia. He is also the father of John Beyrle, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, who attended the exhibit's opening at the Russian State Museum in St. Petersburg and was to speak at a seminar dedicated to the 65th anniversary of victory in the war. More
 

Russia Today
February 19, 2010
Russo-American WWII hero celebrated

The extraordinary life story of “Jumpin’ Joe” Beyrle, a G.I. who managed to fight the Nazis in both the Soviet and US armies, is being celebrated in an exhibition in St. Petersburg. Beyrle is thought to be the only American soldier who fought for both the US and Soviet Armies against Nazi Germany in the Second World War. His son John – the current US ambassador to Russia – says the story is a memorable example of the wartime alliance between the two nations. More

The Washington Post (AP)
February 18, 2010
Russian museum honors US WWII vet
By IRINA TITOVA

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — An exhibit opened in Russia on Thursday on the life of an American veteran believed to be one the few soldiers to fight for both the U.S. and the Soviet Union in World War II. The Russian Museum exhibit, titled "Joseph R. Beyrle — A Hero of Two Nations," presents 260 artifacts from Beyrle's life and military career, including a collection of his medals, uniform and photographs. More
 

Chronicle News Service
February 19, 2010
Joe Beyrle celebration in Russia one to remember
By Chronicle News Service
John McGarry III

St Petersburg, Russia -- Thursday proved to be an incredible day, full of information, history, emotion and celebration. We traveled to the Russian State Museum building, for a three-hour seminar to officially begin the opening of the exhibit "Joe Beyrle, A hero for Two Nations". The room was packed when we arrived. In attendance were a number of dignitaries -- museum curators, academicians, students, and 12 Russian veterans of the Great Patriotic War, including three generals and three women wearing medals from the war. More

Muskegon Chronicle
February 23, 2010
Joe Beyrle exhibit strikes chord with Russians
John McGarry III

St. Petersburg, RUSSIA — St. Petersburg is a wonderful city. The weather is brutally cold. This morning it was minus 25 Celsius (about 7 degrees Fahrenheit). The people here are warm and friendly, the architecture is incredible, the food is great, and, in most ways, it would seem recognizable to people from Muskegon. I must mention again however, the brutal weather. And that brings to mind the hardships suffered by these people during the war. More