European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 3, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes May 1985 letters on president reagans visit to Pitburg never has a president sunk so Low As presi Dent Reagan when he made his statement on honouring German troops of from a Man who a few Days ago called the russians murderers for killing one yet he is going to Honor germans who have killed thousands of americans and millions of gypsies and this int cementing Friend ships with its a Stab in the Back to those who fought against German terror in our president is Jack booting our heroes to appease the its Dis gusting and Frederick Meacham Germany As an i am deeply offended by the planned visit to the Pitburg cemetery by our directly or the men buried there have killed and maimed american soldiers and countless it is evident that neither Reagan nor his advisers actively participated As combat ants in Wii and therefore have never witnessed the horror of seeing the lifeless Bod ies of american soldiers around them or the piles of Bones in concentration if they they might not have been so will ing to by the presidents the is men buried in the Pitburg i to err is to for give is but to is Maymes Frankfurt the information i present in this let Ter should be taken in historical context and not As defense or mitigation for the actions of certain factions of the nazi the is consisted of two main the Allie mines general purpose is and the Waffon the is stands for Schutz Staffel or Protection squad and the organization was established in 1932 As hitlers body guard and instrument of terror within the this organization later grew to be known As the ally Meine is and consisted of the secret state police Geh cime Staats Polisei or Security service and the criminal police criminal Polizzi or this was the organization which engineered and executed the terror regime in nazi with the outbreak of the War in a new Branch of the is was called the Waffen this was an Well Well equip cd military organi while it can not be contested that the Waffen is were More politically ded it must be remembered that their primary discipline was the Waffen is also consisted of several Volunteer divisions from Axis occupied in the Case of the soldiers buried at the Pitburg cemetery they died a sol Diers fighting unarmed i feel it is important for All involved that we learn to keep hate in perspective or we Are guilty of the same irrationality that we now we must remember the tragedies of the but we must remember withheld Germany id like to say something about what president Reagan is doing and How he is trying to keep the i am a jew and i am proud of 1 was posted to Germany and when i left the states i figured that 1 should hate i lost relatives in concentration i should hate them for but when i got off the plane and was Here two i came to love this was not their it happens in War and we should not have hated the president should go to the German cemetery no matter who is in they were also victims As we jews All Over should not be mad at the president for what he is doing but thank god he realizes they were victims holocausts happen and we should re Mem but Why do we have so much hate and location withheld president Reagan has been accused of being insensitive in his decision to Honor the German War not the genuinely insensitive Are those who cannot honouring the grave of a German Soldier in no Way sanctions War crimes or upholds the ideals of the nazi it simply regards the value of a human being who died in an unfortunate in West Germany it is now illegal to display the nazi implying that the grave errors of a charismatic Leader Are recognized and but can a nation reject its dead Carlson Germany As a German i realize that our Western friends played an important role in the ending of the we should also remember that we live in the part of the world where we have Freedom and peace and that we live in this peace Al ready for 40 years and that this Freedom and peace lasted that Long in View of the Protection of our american friends and our other nato i realize that there Are still a tremendous amount of wounds in in Israel and in the which have not yet i would like to say Welcome to Ger specifically at this let us mourn together and let us All shake hands and Pray for Freedom and peace in the dont let us reopen old there Are some people that Are just waiting to see whether we will open these old sores in order to weaken our the strength of friends for Freedom and peace Martin Germany i feel that Mot to visit that cemetery is the Why the personnel buried there were those men fought and died for the highest Honor the will of their even though the politics and policies of that nation were As proven out by history the men who gave their lives were it is not the politics that Are being Hon it is the men who to discriminate against them is to discriminate against fighting men 1 ask that you not discriminate against a fighting Man just because he was on the wrong he was a fighting Man and deserves those honors that can be Given the dead deserve even Leonard Whistler Kaiserslautern what i am really trying to say is that the germans should no longer be held responsible for what that mad Man Hitler they Are truly our Best friends and the most Loyal partners we have in it is not a nazi but a German War cemetery just like our Veter ans they Are not democratic or and i am sure that a lot of anti semites Are buried As Are anti and it Doest Stop our people from including withheld Italy president reagans Quickstep reversal in allowing his itinerary on his state visit to West Germany to be dictated has once again demonstrated the extreme vulnerability of the american political system to Small but powerful lobbying Given this we should Only expect on their next respective state president Reagan Lay a Wreath at a my Lai Queen Elizabeth Lay a Wreath at the site of the Boston and Shimon Peres Lay a Wreath in the rub ble of Francois Mitterrand should be chastised for the War of aggression initiated by and Mikhail Gorbachev crucified for the liquidation of thousands of German refugees in slave labor Camps in the 194547 if visiting Pitburg pays tribute to then celebrating be Day exalts the Victory of the on the beaches of the visit of Ronald Reagan to a German War cemetery in which is soldiers Are buried is likened to a visit by Helmut Kohl at in which soldiers of the 82nd airborne Are we will have put things Back into Werth Stuttgart i have seen some of the cemeteries of the War Monte Dachau filled with rus French and i was horrified at the human i never Felt any difference toward the different none of the soldiers were Ever Given the luxury of picking their my right or applied to i was six years old when the War broke my Home turned into a Heap of rubble with my neighbors buried when they were dug they looked like pieces of when we dug ourselves out the last we left the City on at times we Hung out of overloaded trains that were subject to constant Straf fing by we went to Czechoslovakia and that where the russians Over ran in we were spit starved and hit with Rifle not to mention the bodily indignities the females had to i was branded a German Swine at the Ripe age of 1k i weighed 45 so that saved me from the rapes that All the other women and girls we were released and or dered to go we started a death March of hundreds of Miles through de and dead towns and we searched cadavers for food to whoever  walk anymore dropped into a ditch along the no one stopped or cared we arrived in Berlin lice infested and Berlin was totally destroyed and full of it stunk of i suffered from severe nervous disorders and constant migrants from neglected head those migrants Are still with me just like my children in my state were gathered to Gether by the British occupation we were shipped out to West Germany in red Cross ambulances and buses to families for weight gain and to the occupation we were not German but victims like everyone the War was Over and human life was valuable a few years i married a sol in the Usa some people were Quick to Point out that i killed six million jews and deserved All i i never really told anyone since explaining a War and its horrors to people that were not in it is i was always grateful for my expert for i believe that it made me a better person in understanding others and raising my i believe in the human race As a total entity not select groups or suffering and death Are the same for All i feel so sad for All that died and suffered in the bombings death prisoner of War and so i can t make a difference among they All died and Are gone May they rest in i Pray for them Fiore Italy i believe that Reagan should visit the cemetery in the purpose of his visit is not to show his agreement but his the same respect that Lincoln showed when he went to Gettysburg in 1863 to dedicate the National cemetery there not just for the victors of the North but for the Defeated of the South 1 believe the president should show the same respect to those German soldiers buried at Pitburg that he would show to any fallen Soldier who bravely died for a cause or a and location withheld now 40 years after a terrible the american people decide to Bury the Hatchet then so be to me its showing respect to the people of a great that now there Are no hard feelings and lets get on with stronger relations and constructive its not up to a very Small portion full of bitterness to say we Are a collective of not just ask they Are really sorry for what they most germans had no Choice in what they could do Back be a stormtroopers or you Are the i think reagans decision to visit the Pitburg cemetery is a Good this does not mean we dont see the jewish Peoples Side of this Means we Are going one step further to not draw its time we stand tall be keep being productive and work to be part of a great unless we Bury this past As quickly As then achieving this goal will be out of our Wolfe Moron Spain Wii was Over almost 40 years our former enemies Are now our staunch i think it is a slap in the face to our allies to play politics with this most German soldiers were fighting for their country in not nazism or Adolf these atrocities were but they were committed by both the Only reason you hear less about american atrocities is because the Winner writes the history am not saying that the holocaust did not and in not saying that we should Ever forget this shameful period in but i do not think that today generation of German citizens should have to Bear the Burden of guilt for Hitler and the nazis forever Johnston Germany As a Soldier in appalled by the protests against president reagans planned visit to a German War those Graves Are filled with men who fought and died for their country and for what they the same As the men who fill the Graves at Normandy and i am sure that most knew Little or nothing of the holocaust or the other atrocities of the nazi we must also remember that these men were the Broth ers and husbands of the people we now Call our we must never forget the atrocities of the second world but int it time we forgave the soldiers Robert Swenson Germany the upcoming visit of our president and his intended visit to Pitburg is supported by the veterans of foreign wars of the United department of Germany As Well As Pur National organization head quarters in Kansas i quote from a message received from our National Billy Ray Cameron i commend you for hav ing chosen this trip to free Germany to help emphasize the theme of 40 years of Friendship and we under stand that Chancellor Kohl requested this act to help put behind our two people the hatred and enmity that existed Between our nations during the i commend that purpose of re Concilia i commend you for your recognition on this coming that Victory Over War can Best be assured by strengthening the Bonds of Friendship be tween free the department of Germany will continue to support this visit of our president and his intended visit to Willis Todd Alger department vow