Hitler's old soldiers - instead of parades, secret meetings
"They thought we wanted to romanticize the war," said Paarmann, 79, who still lives in the city small town outside of Hamburg where he was raised. "We just wanted to remember our friends."
No one could blame Paarmann and Gribkowski, also 79, for wanting to set a public remembrance for the battle at Seelow Heights in March 1945, in which close to 50,000 soldiers died. But the two were Wehrmacht soldiers, charged with the suicide mission of holding the coming Belorussian Front before it descended on Nazi Berlin. They fought for Hitler, something that left not only battle scars but forever changed the way they were allowed to remember those battles. Read more
[DB] When a nation finally awakes and turns in disgust from illegitimate acts of war perpetrated in it's name, yesterday's heroes become uncomfortable reminders of previous illusions and sins. This is not unique to post ww2 Germany and calls into question the fake abstractions of glory, honor etc that Chris Hedges speaks of - "The vanquished know war. They see through the empty jingoism of those who use the abstract words of glory, honor, and patriotism to mask the cries of the wounded, the senseless killing, war profiteering, and chest-pounding grief. They know the lies the victors often do not acknowledge, the lies covered up in stately war memorials and mythic war narratives, filled with stories of courage and comradeship..."
Bush's worldwide push for freedum [aka markets, resources and strategic advantage] is founded on the same 'mythic war narrative'.
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