The Rest of the Story by bmac62
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Description
This concludes the tale of the soldier begun earlier this month in "The Last Day" and "One Soldier's Dilemma".
......
For those of you who may not like this soldier because of the uniform he wore, my point here is to relate his story...not applaud the politics of the regime he served. But you all know that:-)
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The Rest of the Story
(or Home is Where You Find It)
Way back then
I talked to my crew
None of us wanted to go alone
For we had become a band of brothers too
Once at the Danube
Along came a girl polling a boat
We waved and called
Fraulein, will you help us cross this moat?
I'll take you across
But the Americans will shoot
If they see you in uniforms and pistol belts
...they'll not give a hoot
Caps and uniform shirts
Went into the grass
All we had left was undershirts,
Leather boots and camouflage pants
Pistol belts quickly disappeared with a splash
An uncle I had with a Bavarian farm
In a few days I was there safe without harm
He said, Nephew you are welcome to stay
If they catch you they'll put you away
Eight months later
It was safe to travel once more
I made it to Hamburg
But no one was there for me anymore
A Canadian flower milling company
Looking for labor
Had jobs in Canada
And cared not that I had no paper
Twenty four years in Canada
And the company said
Hans, we have a mill in Kansas
And a job for you there
Just that simple
And with no further adieu
Here I stand, fifteen years later
Just another American along with you
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A former member of the German Waffen SS. Then a Canadian citizen, then an alien with or without a green card and maybe an American citizen? I'll never know. But an interesting guy with a most unique story. I'll listen to anybody. How about you?
Thanks for stopping by,
Bill:)
Comments (19)
A fascinating story. Yes I'll listen to anyone, and also instigate a conversation, which is thought extremely peculiar by a lot of younger people. They know not what they miss!
WELL written work! (I'm often reminded of the old question, "What if they gave a WAR and NOBODY came?") My BEST to you and yours .... PEACE .... T.P.
I am in agreement with Andrea, I know so many people that think it's strange that I don't watch TV, and prefere a good chin wag, excellent written word Bud!
Wonderful narrative. War is hell no matter which side you are on. And when the guns go silent and the smiles return if you meet, listen, and share you will find that "most individuals" are not as evil as the propaganda of the war machine has pictured them to be.
He went a long way, to just survive. He paid a huge price. A very interesting story.
It's a story that makes you think! Very interesting and very well written.
Thanks Bill. How it was, not just for us, but for them as well. Brilliant. A lucky man. Most German soldiers if they fought in the East and captured in the West, were handed back to the Russians. Most of THEM never came home! And those men never had guns..... Rob.
A SUPERLATIVE PIECE! this story is both moving and profound!Too bad that too many people didn't learn as that guy did from sorrowful experiences (like in former Yugoslavia and elsewhere).
Nice story, thanks ! P
The ending was worth waiting for ... thank you, my friend! This man's story makes me reflect on the odd chances and random decisions that shape our lives. One never knows what the result will be of going "here" rather than "there." A well-written trilogy, indeed! (And I'm so glad the Magic 8-Ball was right!) :P
The Rest of the Story...also the title used by the late Paul Harvey in his five minute, top of the hour, broadcasts. You know my feelings about the other side during our struggle to remain free from evil back then, so I'll just let this pass without any further comment.
Well done essay.
Very well written and there are always two sides to every war. Just a shame we have war anywhere, you'd think we'd learn.
Thank you Bill. It was worth waiting for. Thought provoking. I wonder how he made it to Canada and became a citizen? And I wonder what his stutus was in the US? I got checked before I left Germany, wss screened by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police before I left Canada and had a 15-year background investigation conducted by the office of Special Investigation to get a Secret Clearance while in the US Air Force. Once I became a US citizen I almost got a job with the Defense Mapping Agency. The job required a SCI clearance. What stopped me from getting the job (I was hired for three days before I was informed of this requirement) was that all members of my immediate family had to be US Citizens, which they weren't. There are a lot of unanswered questions in your story, questions that cannot be asked now, but nevertheless it made me think. In any given Army, how many people are in it willingly and enjoy what they are doing, and how many are in it because the law says so (when we had a draft). Did Germans at the time have a choice? Could they pick the branch they wanted to serve in, or could they opt to stay out? Could they have refused to go to the Waffen SS and rather served in the regular Army? I am glad you wrote the trilogy Bill. I am just a little surprised at how few people bothered to comment, Sig....
so well written Bill, when you start your life you never know where it leads you, no matter which country, skincolor or education you have...
COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
I was not in the service, but I think many on both sides of any war does not agree with the reasons, but is there because of either fight or be in prison or most countries be on the wrong end of a bullet. excellent writing Bill
well it took me a long time to get here, but I'm here & I want to thank you for this series, and his story. Amazing how far one's odyssey takes one...Has he, did he see your 3 pieces? (I haven't gone back to the others, maybe you answer it there.) In this you told the story with a rhythm & rhyme scheme that makes it feel like a song, almost, which fits the arc of his life, moving, transforming, always moving forward; it fits your role as story-teller, telling the tale and doing it like a folksinger singing the journeys of his/her people...Very nicely done Bill, and more to add to your chronicles of the journeys of all of us. I like how you change the rhyme-scheme too, from every other line to some couplets, etc. You're using language to make song...very nice.
Simple and complete. Well written