As the grandson of multiple Holocaust victims that include my paternal Grandparents, I am disturbed at the visual display of the SS insignia in the now infamous picture of the Marine Corps. A picture which has raised much controversy this week.
Now, that being said please understand as all Americans should that we are safer and protected by the glorious members of our US Marine Corp. None of us really know what they were thinking or for that matter where they found that symbol of hate to all decent people of every walk of life.
The SS were the most merciless murderers of millions of innocent lives during World War II. This included slaughtering our own POW's in merciless conditions. The SS were taught to be merciless; to be stronger than steel and that what they were doing was correct as a Nazi soldier. The SS killed without mercy my paternal Grandparents, their sons, their wives and their children. The true Nazi can be seen in the greatest propaganda film ever produced, "Triumph of the Will".
All of us are proud of our armed forces. My oldest brother served in the Navy during WW II. My younger brother was in Korea as a member of the US Army. As a youngster I lived through those dark days but always felt protected by our brothers, sons and daughters that served in our Armed Forces.
The question is did these isolated Marines understand the meaning of the SS insignia. There was a weak response of what they thought the letters meant. I understand in combat you shoot first and then ask questions. In this case ask questions first and understand what the letters mean.
As a youth I learned how my family was eliminated in Europe and it wasn't pretty. I have dedicated my life to help educate students to understand the Holocaust of 1930-1945. My wife and I did this together before she passed away in 2009. I continue carrying our mission of education in her memory. I hope to help you the reader understand the Holocaust more sometime this year in a series of blogs.
So to our Marines whom we all love please, please and again please understand the mistake you have made and apologize to our country for your error in judgement. In one way or another we were and still are affected by the hated SS.
This is one memory does not light the corners of my mind. This memory is disturbing.
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Tags: Marines, Marines SS photo
Norm
4 days, 3 hours ago