Can a Soldier Just Walk Away?
Ever since I first picked up Number the Stars in my elementary school library at the age of ten I have had an ever growing curiosity when it comes to the Holocaust. Most of the people in my life can’t stand reading about this devastating event that took place in World War 2, and what they can not stand even more is seeing pictures of the victims who had to live during the gruesome genocide. I have read any bit of information about the Holocaust that I can get my hands on. I find the photos extremely interesting, no matter how much they sicken me. Part of me believes that it must be very morbid to feel the way that I do about the Holocaust, constantly wanting to learn more, read more, see more. I think that my fascination with the events of the Holocaust stems from the most sincere respect that I have for all of the people who lived and died in the concentration camps. I feel that we owe it to them to learn everything that we can about the way they were treated and the inhuman circumstances that they endured. Of all the literature, films, and photos that I have viewed about the Holocaust, the documentary by Alfred Hitchcock was by far the most life altering, devastating thing that I have ever seen. Over 24 hours have passed since our class watched the film and I still feel as though I would not be able to discuss it. I am glad that I watched it, this documentary was something that everyone needs to see in order to have a slight understanding of what happened, but afterwards I am fairly certain I must have looked as if I were there watching the events unfold myself.
Watching this film inspired a search to find out more about Nazi soldiers during World War 2. I was unable to find hard facts about what the army was like for men in Germany at the time. I imagine that the men who enlisted would have been called a Nazi soldier immediately because Adolf Hitler would not allow anyone to support any other political parties. A few years before World War 2 people had difficulty finding employment because of the German Great Depression and this was part of the reason so many men enlisted. Hitler denounced the Versailles Treaty that ended World War 1 because of the limitations it put on the numbers of the German military. Men had great reason to enlist but I had trouble finding any information about why Nazi soldiers continued even after Hitler called for the systematic killing of Jewish people. Were these men threatened, scared, or just doing their job? I have trouble believing that so many people agreed with Adolf Hitler. He was a very powerful speaker, but did his words really shape the ideals of the people, and turn soldiers into killing machines?
During Alfred Hitchcock’s documentary of the Holocaust it is so hard to tell if the S.S. Guards at Bergen Belsen feel any remorse for what they have done. They were punished by carrying thousands of bodies into mass graves for days. Yet most of them continued to drag the people, hurling them into the pit one by one. If they felt badly at all it did not show in their faces. The male and female S.S. Guards seem to treat the burying of these bodies as another day at work. It is so hard to believe that this is the only punishment most of them receive after their actions lead to the deaths of millions.
Back to my thoughts about why the Nazi soldiers did not just quit. It is very difficult to tell with no hard evidence whether or not they would be punished for walking away from this gruesome task. In the United States there are many requirements when entering the United States Army regarding weight, physical condition, and education. As difficult as it may be to get into the Army it is even more difficult to get out. You can not just leave, you must complete your duty to your country, and only very drastic offenses will get you kicked out. Iraqi soldiers do not have the same rules and regulations that the United States Army follows. They are free to leave whenever they have the desire and they are not punished for this. So what was it like for the Nazi soldiers? I imagine their regulations were more strict than ones followed by United States soldiers today. So many of these men who joined the army in order to support their families were likely stuck there when Adolf Hitler began his reign as chancellor of Germany and called for the systematic killing of Jews, and any other “undesirables”.
waldronl replied:
History is really interesting to me too. I’ve enjoyed learning more about the Holocaust, even though a lot of it is pretty diturbing. The Alfred Hitchcock documentary was very powerful. It’s one thing to read about it, or to even see pictures in a book, but watching that documentary was very eye opening! It does seem like we hear a lot more information about the survivors rather than the soliders. Maybe becuase it’s easier to justify the victim’s point of view.
I never realized how much work has to be done before you join the military (in the U.S anyway) My husband recently took the ASVAB test and his physical, they don’t mess around there! And your right, once you get in it’s hard to get out. They really drilled that into my husband’s brain when he spoke with the recruiter. I couldn’t imagine being a solider and having Hitler as a leader, I agree that it would be even more difficult to leave.
October 27, 2009 at 1:29 am. Permalink.