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In light of some of the continuing strife we see in this great country, I'd like for you to read this speech from then-President Richard von Weizsäcker of Germany. A German coworker shared this with me when we were talking about the insanity that is gripping parts of this country, particularly people getting labeled as nazis, fascists, communists, anarchists, etc. Pres. Weizsacker gave the speech in 1985 on the anniversary of VE Day, but it seems to be timeless. If you think differently, OK, but read it anyway and save a copy because it shares wisdom and insight that maybe you can use in dealing with some other situation in the future. COL Mikel J. Burroughs 1SG Frank Boynton SPC Douglas Bolton
150202-RvW-Rede-8-Mai-1985-englisch.pdf
Posted from bundespraesident.dePosted in these groups: 
Germany
Political Organization
Germany Political Organization
Posted >1 y ago
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It is an excellent speech, poignant and reflective. It is one that all defeated peoples should read and consider. Rather than tearing down statues, maybe we should be building up the new identity of America because we all lost something in that battle, even those of us whose families arrived on these shores following it. However, there is one passage to which I must take exception. It represents a rot at the core of the message that threatens to destroy the rest.
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"There is truly no reason for us today to participate in victory
celebrations. But there is every reason for us to perceive 8 May 1945
as the end of an aberration in German history, an end bearing seeds of
hope for a better future. "
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The idea that the rise and reign of Nazis in German is an "aberration" excuses those who came before and those who came after from participating in that lesson. For America to claim that slavery was an aberration would be equally wrong-headed. These blights in our history are not anomalies or deviations from the norm. They are the logical consequences of our histories, and those who attempt to bury their past and ignore it, will never see the real lessons to be learned therein. In truth, Hitler did not make the German people a "tool" of his hatred. He encouraged them to give voice to their own hatred and act it out. Identity politics that now dominates American discourse is doing exactly the same.
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"There is truly no reason for us today to participate in victory
celebrations. But there is every reason for us to perceive 8 May 1945
as the end of an aberration in German history, an end bearing seeds of
hope for a better future. "
----------
The idea that the rise and reign of Nazis in German is an "aberration" excuses those who came before and those who came after from participating in that lesson. For America to claim that slavery was an aberration would be equally wrong-headed. These blights in our history are not anomalies or deviations from the norm. They are the logical consequences of our histories, and those who attempt to bury their past and ignore it, will never see the real lessons to be learned therein. In truth, Hitler did not make the German people a "tool" of his hatred. He encouraged them to give voice to their own hatred and act it out. Identity politics that now dominates American discourse is doing exactly the same.
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SGT Ty Henderson
I appreciate your insight and analysis. I may have an example to lend context to the phrase, " made the entire nation a tool of it." My coworker's grandfather was 15 years old and living in a rural, mostly agrarian part of Germany when he was conscripted into service, trained as a rifleman and sent to the western front. As a 15 year old boy, he wasn't very much aware of the world around him (8th or 9th grade?) and wasn't a Nazi but he was given a rifle and told, "go to the front". He survived and came home after the war a psychological mess and still a kid. I think he is just one example of a "tool". Maybe not representative of the whole nation, but still a tool.
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CPT Jack Durish
SGT Ty Henderson - Children are always "tools", in every society. We betray their trust when we indoctrinate them with hatred. Look at what's happening on American campuses today. Do you think that our children thought up Anti-Fa any more than they invented SDS and other radical student groups?
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SGT Ty Henderson
CPT Jack Durish Jack, I think your examples are spot on, and no, it wasn't the kids thinking up this stuff. I was more worried about a driver's license, grades and the opposite sex. Those fringe groups were the basis for the conversation which led to me sharing the speech.
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