Read it. And if you haven't seen it, rent or go to the library and borrow the Band of Brothers episode Why we fight.
One of the few things Uncle Ray ever let out about the war was that one of the bad parts was the kids. Hungry kids. They'd show up at the camps, often not saying anything, just standing there. God knows how many meals he missed because he gave it away. I don't know if his unit was involved in any of the opening/cleanup of any of the camps; if so, neither he nor his friend who told his wife a bit ever let out a word about it.
One of the real pieces of idiocy in our current life has been the people calling Bush a nazi, calling anybody who dares disagree a nazi. I'm convinced these people either have no actual idea of what that means, or have never actually allowed themselves to contemplate it; if they had, they'd not be so loose and easy with that insult.
3 comments:
I have read a total of 23 books on the subject. I consider myself quite knowledgeable about it. The things I have read are truly horrific. Mankind can be the cruelest and most evil entity. And yet, it can be the most beautiful and precious of entities; a saving grace. Thank God soldiers liberated the camps when they did. There would not have been anyone left had it not been so.
Had an uncle who was at the liberation of Buchenwald. Had some nasty tales of what they found there. I've also known several survivors of Dachau and Auschwitz; the bits they mention of what went on there is pretty bad.
Every Memorial Day, I watch four particular Band of Brothers episodes: Currahee, Day of Days, Why We Fight, and the interview with the real troopers themselves.
I have met relatives who wore uniforms for both sides of that fight, and I am vigilant about the totalitarian instinct that runs deep in humans (right alongside the urge to be free). This ability of humans to be incredibly cruel and incredibly kind is the result of having been imbued by our creator with the power of intellect and the power to make moral choices. Sadly, that last is too often wielded with the wisdom of 15 year old boys on their first drunk with car and keys.
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