Still Hunting Down Nazi's

[FirefightnRick]

It's such a shocking reality check to me when I realize this is still going on today. I hope society never forgets.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_GERMANY_NAZI_INVESTIGATION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-08-22-11-04-20

Rick

[KRAM1]

It's a shocking reality to me that somehow this thread was not started to say something negative about UNT Athletics!

OK, just having some fun with you...I agree with your thoughts on this and echo the fact that I hope society never forgets. It seems there are folks who like to re-write history and deny certain aspects of it as the years pass...let's all hope that never happens in this case.

Thanks for posting this.

[Censored by Laurie]

Man...I don't know how to feel about this...it's remarkably simple to cast an evil blanket over everything Nazi, but completely ignoring the human element in this is a bit short-sighted.

Auschwitz closed in '45, meaning this dude was at the oldest 20 years old, assuming he was a guard on liberation day and his enlistment was likely less than voluntary.

If there is actual evidence of war crimes, by all means he should be prosecuted...but I don't know what sort of satisfaction/redemption/reparation there is to gained by going after an impressed (as in "impressment") kid 70 years after the fact who has probably lived wrought with guilt for himself and his nationality his entire life.

[KRAM1]

Man...I don't know how to feel about this...it's remarkably simple to cast an evil blanket over everything Nazi, but completely ignoring the human element in this is a bit short-sighted.

Auschwitz closed in '45, meaning this dude was at the oldest 20 years old, assuming he was a guard on liberation day and his enlistment was likely less than voluntary.

If there is actual evidence of war crimes, by all means he should be prosecuted...but I don't know what sort of satisfaction/redemption/reparation there is to gained by going after an impressed (as in "impressment") kid 70 years after the fact who has probably lived wrought with guilt for himself and his nationality his entire life.

Agree...but you hit the point when you said "if there is actual evidence of war crimes". If not....well, you have a very valid point about some young highly impressionable 20-something year old...probably without much education and what education he had was full of Nazi BS. But, anyone...of any age...who had an actual hand in committing these "crimes against humanity" should be hunted down and prosecuted. Some young 20-something year old assigned to this "duty" and who did not mistreat prisoners...well, you have a point that should be considered.

Remember...many high level Nazi's were welcomed to the US with open arms after the war as they had "special skills" that the US could make use of going forward.

[Censored by Laurie]

Agree...but you hit the point when you said "if there is actual evidence of war crimes". If not....well, you have a very valid point about some young highly impressionable 20-something year old...probably without much education and what education he had was full of Nazi BS. But, anyone...of any age...who had an actual hand in committing these "crimes against humanity" should be hunted down and prosecuted. Some young 20-something year old assigned to this "duty" and who did not mistreat prisoners...well, you have a point that should be considered.

Remember...many high level Nazi's were welcomed to the US with open arms after the war as they had "special skills" that the US could make use of going forward.

I mean, you read that secondary story included in the article...it could well be written as "Ukrainian immigrant finds American dream as Ohio auto-worker...spends last days defending allegations of crimes against humanity." That just ain't right.

[MeanGreenTexan]

If I learned anything from Wolfenstein 3d, it's that we need to kill them all before they kill us.

[GreenMachine]

I can't imagine being in that type of regime and going against orders (if in fact he was following orders of a superior). I served in the military for 8 years and can't imagine disobeying a direct order.

[KRAM1]

I can't imagine being in that type of regime and going against orders (if in fact he was following orders of a superior). I served in the military for 8 years and can't imagine disobeying a direct order.

No wonder you have that "not my president" avatar up these days...I understand...thank you for your service. As a fellow veteran, i agree...I cannot see how a young guy in his 20's could withstand the pressure of being in a regime like that and then disobey an order. I am sure some did, and God bless them for their courage. I can only hope and pray that had I been in a similar situation that i would have had the courage and personal strength to disobey!

[GangGreen]

One of my uncles was a Nazi. It haunted him his entire life to the point that he ended it with a bullet to the head in his seventies.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

Agree...but you hit the point when you said "if there is actual evidence of war crimes". If not....well, you have a very valid point about some young highly impressionable 20-something year old...probably without much education and what education he had was full of Nazi BS. But, anyone...of any age...who had an actual hand in committing these "crimes against humanity" should be hunted down and prosecuted. Some young 20-something year old assigned to this "duty" and who did not mistreat prisoners...well, you have a point that should be considered.

Remember...many high level Nazi's were welcomed to the US with open arms after the war as they had "special skills" that the US could make use of going forward.

Had a neighbor (deceased) who served on a U-boat... and also manned anti-aircraft guns... His comment was you either served or wound up in a concentration camp yourself... Also my father worked in Brownwood,Texas around German POWs at Camp Bowie and some of them have returned over the years. [ most of them were captured in North Africa in 1942 ] many still claim they really did not realize the camps existed then and when shown film about them before being returned after the war ... just thought it was false propaganda by the US .. they found out differently when they returned.

However this guy was in one of them ... so he knew... and if he was SS.... then you just can't do enough to him. If so, I hope he had nightmares every night of his life and feared everyday that he would get caught and if SS I hope he is "disappeared" and his family never knows what happened to him..... that is what they did to people...

The best thing Ike ever did was order people in nearby towns (14 or older) walk through those camps and then bury the dead and clean them up.... Don't see many of them remembering the good old days of that era. it made them realize how evil it was.

------

The ones "welcomed" to the US had nothing to do with the camps. .. as in Werner Von Braun etc. in the rocket program..would you prefered the Russians got them. Just because you lived in Germany then or even worked for the government doesn't mean you were a Nazi. As I said above ... you did your job or risked being sent "away".

..

Edited August 31, 2012 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66