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INTRODUCTION TO A FASCINATING LADY 12/29/2009 8:10:20 PM
By Cindy Rodriguez, Commander, U.S. Navy (ret.)
"I begin with the young. We older ones are used up. We are rotten to the marrow. We are cowardly and sentimental. We are bearing the burden of a humiliating past, and have in our blood the dull recollection of serfdom and servility. But my magnificent youngsters! Are there any finer ones in the world?...With them, I can make a new world."
- Adolf Hitler
When you meet my Mother, one of the first things you’ll notice about her is her intelligent piercing blue eyes. Then of course you’ll hear her distinct German accent as she chats you up – her favorite thing to do. What you won’t immediately know about my Mother is that she grew up in Berlin, Germany during the Second World War. If you’re lucky enough to get to know her more, she might share some of her stories with you; fascinating first hand history.
As children, my siblings and I grew up hearing about her childhood adventures. We especially enjoyed listening to her “war stories,” which are quite extraordinary. I’ve read other memoirs about the same time period, but none of them comes close to capturing what my Mother has experienced. At the start of World War II, she was in Berlin, the epicenter of it all. This was Adolf Hitler’s capital and, after hundreds of Allied bombing missions, where the war would culminate as, street-by-street, Berlin was captured by brutal Russian soldiers bent on revenge. My Mother managed to live through it all experiencing and witnessing starvation, deprivation, destruction, and death.
Her book "Lamb of Legacy" is perfectly titled. My Mother was indeed a Lamb sacrificed at a very young age to ensure Adolf Hitler’s Legacy. Even now his mark is upon her deepest thoughts, often warping societal norms. Now almost 80, my Mother insists life under Hitler was good. It is not surprising since her education was twisted to conform to Hitler’s Nazification. By 1937, all but 3% of teachers were members of the National Socialist Teachers' Union. The sole purpose of this educational structure was to create a future generation that was unequivocally loyal to Hitler and his Nazis.
