Gene Simmons Meets Veteran Who Liberated His Mother From Concentration Camp

05-27-2025

KISS star Gene Simmons had a Memorial Day that he will not soon forget as he met a 100-year-old World War II veteran who was involved in liberating his teenage mother from a Nazi concentration camp.

The 75-year-old rock star met Harold "Hal" Urban during this year's Memorial Day parade in Washington D.C. The 100-year-old veteran was among the troops that liberated the Mauthausen camp where Gene's then 14-year-old mother Flora Klein was being held captive.

As he shook Urban's hand, Gene told the veteran, "If there weren't brave people like you - I wouldn't be here, and neither would my mother. I thank you from the bottom of my heart," according to Israel Hayom.

Gene marked the historic meeting on social media by sharing a video of Urban with the caption, "Proud 100 year old WWII (!!!) veteran, Sgt Urban, was actually one of our troops who liberated my, then 14 yr old Mother from Mathousen Concentration Camp in Nazi Germany. God Bless Our Vets!" Watch the video here